[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 127 (Thursday, September 10, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H9409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MOMENT OF SILENCE IN MEMORY OF FORMER REPRESENTATIVE W.G. ``BILL'' 
                        HEFNER OF NORTH CAROLINA

  (Mr. PRICE of North Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on September 2, we received 
the sad news of the passing of W.G. ``Bill'' Hefner, the Representative 
for 12 terms from the Eighth District of North Carolina. He served from 
1975 to 1998.
  Bill Hefner was a beloved and respected Member of this body, a man 
who never lost his sympathy for the underdog and never lost his 
capacity to advocate for the working people of our State and our 
Nation.
  Bill was probably best known for his impact on the quality of life of 
our military men and women, our service men and women, through his 
chairmanship of the Military Construction Appropriations subcommittee.
  I would, at this point, like to yield to Larry Kissell who currently 
represents the Eighth District of North Carolina and who on Tuesday 
night convened a Special Order to pay tribute to this wonderful man.
  Mr. KISSELL. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Hefner was my Congressman for 24 years. 
He was a Congressman that was beloved by the people of the district 
because he never forgot where he came from. He came to North Carolina 
having grown up in Alabama as the son of a sharecropper. He had a gift 
given to him by God to sing music, and he came to North Carolina as a 
very successful gospel singer. Having never run for office before, he 
ran for Congress.
  We in the Eighth District miss him and pass on our thoughts to his 
widow, Nancy, and his daughters, Stacye and Shelly.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield 
to the dean of our delegation, Howard Coble.
  Mr. COBLE. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina for yielding.
  Bill Hefner's district was contiguous to my district. On one 
occasion, a friend of mine decided to run against Bill and asked me to 
come and say a good word for him. I did that, but I did not say a bad 
word against Bill. But we House Members have a way of guarding our 
district lives very jealously. And Bill said to me, the next time you 
come into my district, I'm going to bring a gospel quartet into your 
district and get your attention. I said, well, Bill, when you do, will 
you promise to sing ``Sweet Beulah Land'' and ``I'll Meet You in the 
Morning''? He was so taken aback that I knew those songs, he said, oh, 
forget about it, I'll talk to you about it later.
  But David, as you said, as Mr. Price said, he was indeed a friend of 
the veterans. He was a good man, and we will miss him.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. GRIFFITH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of 
Congressman Bill Hefner, who served North Carolina's eighth 
Congressional District for 24 years with distinction. In addition to 
his service in the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Hefner 
served as a Marshall County Commissioner in my home state of Alabama. 
He spent his later years in my hometown of Huntsville.
  Congressman Hefner was a fine example of a public servant. He fought 
for the interests of his constituents, bucking party lines time and 
time again in the process. He was a champion of our military, working 
tirelessly on behalf of our veterans to ensure they received the tools 
needed to do their jobs and the benefits earned through service.
  Congressman Hefner lived a full life, spending time in a myriad of 
positions from a Southern Baptist gospel singer to radio station owner. 
His dedication and commitment to public service made Alabama, North 
Carolina, Washington, DC, and our nation as a whole a better place, and 
he will be sorely missed.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and life of former 
Congressman Bill Hefner.


                             General Leave

  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. I ask unanimous consent, Mr. Speaker, 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of 
my 1-minute.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PRICE of North Carolina. I ask that all Members rise and that we 
observe a moment of silence in memory of our dear departed colleague.

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