[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 175 (Wednesday, November 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2059]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE OF FORMER MAYOR EMORY FOLMAR

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARTHA ROBY

                              of alabama-

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 16, 2011

  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of a former 
Montgomery, Alabama Mayor, Emory Folmar, for his selfless dedication 
and commitment to our Alabama community. An elected official, decorated 
war veteran, successful business owner, and loving husband and father, 
Mayor Folmar lived a long and fruitful life filled with many 
accomplishments. Not only did I have the privilege to know him as the 
Mayor of my hometown, but also personally as an elder within Trinity 
Presbyterian Church, and as a close friend of my family.
  Mayor Folmar was born in Troy, AL, and moved to Montgomery when he 
was fourteen years old. While earning a degree in business at the 
University of Alabama, Mayor Folmar also served as Cadet Colonel of the 
Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). Through ROTC, he received 
a Regular Army commission and went to Ft. Benning, GA, for parachute 
training and instructors' schools. Shortly after, he married Anita 
Pierce in 1952, his surviving wife of over 50 years.
  That summer, Mayor Folmar deployed to Korea, where he later received 
the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart for his heroic 
service. Additionally, at the rank of Lieutenant, he received the 
French Croix de Guerre, an award bestowed to individuals who 
distinguish themselves by acts of heroism involving combat with enemy 
forces.
  After Korea, Mayor Folmar was assigned to Ft. Campbell, KY, as an 
Airborne Jump Master until 1954. He then returned to Montgomery, 
joining his brother in construction and sales for a government-issue 
loan funded housing in the Cloverland neighborhood. The Folmar 
brothers' business eventually grew to include large commercial shopping 
center construction throughout the Southeast.
  In 1975, Mayor Folmar entered the political arena by running for city 
council in 1975, where he was elected President of the Montgomery City 
Council and eventually became Mayor from 1977 until 1999. Among his 
many other political accomplishments, he ran for governor in 1982; 
served as campaign chairman for Ronald Reagan's finance committee in 
1980; state chairman for Reagan in 1984; and chairman for Bush-Quayle 
in 1988 and 1992. After retiring from politics, he worked as a business 
consultant and was appointed Commissioner to the Alabama Beverage 
Control Board by Governor Bob Riley in 2003.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise today to join me in 
remembrance of Mayor Emory Folmar. I personally am blessed and honored 
to call Mayor Folmar a role model and dear friend. The citizens of 
Montgomery will forever remember the Mayor for many years to come and 
the influential legacy he left behind.

                          ____________________