[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2378]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE MEMORY OF JAMES WILLIAM McFARLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 10, 2008

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, the state of Alabama recently lost a dear 
friend, and I rise today to honor James William McFarland and pay 
tribute to his memory.
  Born and raised in Tuscaloosa, Bill graduated from Tuscaloosa High 
School and graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree from the 
University of Alabama in Commerce and Business Administration. He was 
named outstanding real estate graduate by the Alabama Association of 
Realtors.
  After graduation, Bill served as director of real estate for Winn 
Dixie Stores Incorporated in the Louisville, Kentucky division. In 
1973, he returned to Tuscaloosa as vice president of Ward McFarland 
Incorporated, a real estate development and investment firm founded by 
his father, the Honorable Ward Wharton McFarland.
  In 1986, Bill was the Republican Nominee for the U.S. House of 
Representatives for the Seventh District of Alabama. The following 
year, former Governor Guy Hunt appointed Bill to his cabinet as 
commissioner of the Alabama Department of Mental Health and 
Retardation. During his two years as commissioner, Bill was successful 
in pushing for the passage of a $1 million bond for mental health, the 
largest in state history. The bond issue enabled mental health 
facilities throughout Alabama to renovate their facilities and improve 
their quality of care.
  Bill was also a founding member of the Southern High-Speed Rail 
Commission, and he served numerous terms as chairman, vice-chairman, 
and secretary/treasurer of the Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi 
Rapid Rail Transit Commission. Bill played a key role in inaugurating 
the Gulf Coast Limited Amtrak Service, which provided service to 
Alabama.
  Bill was also active in state politics. He served as chairman for 
three terms of the Tuscaloosa County Republican Executive Committee. He 
served as a member of the Alabama State Republican Executive Committee, 
including one term as seventh district vice-chairman of the Alabama 
Republican Party. Bill was elected alternate delegate to the 1988 
Republican National Convention and was elected statewide as delegate to 
the 1992 Republican National Convention, at which President George H.W. 
Bush appointed him as a floor leader for the Southern Caucus.
  Bill was an officer in the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary. 
Alabama Governors George C. Wallace, Guy Hunt, and Jim Folsom Jr. each 
appointed Bill as Lieutenant Colonel Aide-de-Camp. He was also 
appointed by former U.S. Representative Jack Kemp as a member of the 
United States Congressional Advisory Board. Bill also worked with the 
Volunteers of America of Alabama, most recently serving as president. 
Bill served on the Shelton State Foundation, Friends of Bryce Hospital, 
as well as other leadership positions with various other community and 
civic organizations.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering a 
dedicated community leader and friend to many throughout south Alabama. 
James William McFarland will be dearly missed by his family--his son, 
J.W. ``Billy'' McFarland Jr. and his wife, Sarah; his daughter, Mimi 
McFarland Cawood and her husband, Joseph; his brother, Ward Morrow 
McFarland; and his nephew, Ward Weston McFarland--as well as the 
countless friends he leaves behind.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with them all during this difficult 
time.

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