[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 184 (Tuesday, December 9, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   RECOGNIZING BILL DOUGLASS CONVENIENCE STORE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

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                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 9, 2008

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today to 
honor an outstanding citizen in the Fourth District of Texas and my 
longtime friend, Bill Douglass of Sherman, as a 2008 Convenience Store 
Hall of Fame Inductee.
  This year's Convenience Store News Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 
October honored Bill as much for his strong character, integrity and 
community service as for his business achievements. Bill was honored 
for his tireless efforts on behalf of the convenience and petroleum 
retailing industry and for the level of integrity that he has upheld 
over the years. The W. Douglass Distributing Company, which Bill 
founded in 1981 and which he serves as CEO, is a full-line 
distributorship and operator of the 15-unit Lone Star Food Stores chain 
servicing the region of north Texas and southern Oklahoma. The company, 
which began with just six employees, has grown to more than 280 
employees.
  Throughout his career, Bill has been a tireless and effective 
advocate for the convenience and petroleum retailing industry. He has 
served as chairman of the General Committee of State Relations for the 
American Petroleum Institute, chairman of the National Association of 
Convenience Stores and director of the Texas Petroleum and Convenience 
Store Association, and he has testified on several occasions before 
Congress about issues important to his industry.
  Bill is also a widely recognized and respected member of the north 
Texas community, providing financial support and volunteer efforts to 
various local organizations each year. In 2002 he and his wife, Joan, 
were named as the Outstanding Employer of Older Workers for their 
strong belief in the value of older workers by maintaining an age-
balanced group of employees. Their winning combination of younger 
workers and their older counterparts has created a work environment 
where age and experience can assist in training, advice and counseling. 
The company has no mandatory retirement age and provides flexibility in 
scheduling of employees' hours.
  Madam Speaker, Bill Douglass is the kind of employer who leads by 
example. These are some of the words that his employees used to 
describe him and his family in a full-page newspaper ad: ``wonderful, 
inspirational, brilliant, graceful, generous, charitable, tireless, 
encouraging, selfless, devoted, integrity.'' Bill Douglass embodies all 
of those qualities--and I ask my colleagues to join me today in 
recognizing this wonderful man and outstanding American, Bill Douglass.

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