[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 59 (Tuesday, April 24, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO TERECIA WILSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 24, 2012

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Terecia 
Wilson on the occasion of her retirement from the South Carolina 
Department of Transportation. Since 1984, Ms. Wilson has worked to 
improve highway safety in South Carolina, and as a result of her 
extraordinary service, all South Carolinians are safer on our state's 
roads. She has been an invaluable resource to me and my staff over the 
years, and we will miss working with her.
  Most recently, Ms. Wilson has served as Training, Safety and Security 
Program Manager for the Office of Public Transit in the Division of 
Intermodal and Freight Programs for the South Carolina Department of 
Transportation, SCDOT, managing the statewide Rural Transit Assistance 
Program. From 1999 to 2007, Ms. Wilson served as Director of Safety at 
SCDOT. In this capacity, she developed, implemented, and administered 
roadway and occupational safety programs to improve safety for highway 
workers and drivers alike, as well as administering management, claims, 
and toll operations for the agency. Before joining SCDOT, she served at 
the South Carolina Department of Public Safety, where she, among other 
responsibilities, coordinated the 402 State and Community Highway 
Safety Program, managed numerous successful highway safety public 
information and education programs, and sought and secured millions of 
dollars in needed funding.
  Ms. Wilson's many years of service have produced impressive results. 
South Carolina's mileage death rate plummeted from 3.7 per 100 million 
miles of travel in 1986 to its lowest recorded level of 1.65 in 2010. 
In 2005, Ms. Wilson worked closely with state legislators when they 
passed primary seat belt legislation; in 2008, South Carolina's safety 
belt usage rate climbed to 79 percent, the highest rate ever recorded. 
SCDOT's High Visibility Work Zone Safety Program had dramatic results 
during its three-year duration from 2002 to 2005, with a 39.2 percent 
reduction in work zone crashes, a 44.1 percent reduction in work zone 
injuries, and a 50 percent reduction in work zone fatalities. It is no 
exaggeration to say that Ms. Wilson's work has saved lives.
  Throughout her career, Ms. Wilson has garnered national recognition 
for her able service. In 1991, she received a Special Recognition Award 
from the National Traffic Safety Administration, NTSA, for promoting 
and implementing a statewide education and enforcement campaign. In 
1992 and 1999, she received the NTSA's National Award for Public 
Service. She received the Award of Merit from the National Sheriffs' 
Association in 1993 for promoting and implementing the Rural Sheriffs' 
Traffic Safety Initiative. In 2004, she was named the winner of the 
President's Transportation Award by the American Association of State 
Highway and Transportation Officials. Three years later, the ``Let'em 
Work, Let'em Live'' campaign, which Ms. Wilson directed, was awarded 
the National Roadway Safety Award by the Federal Highway Administration 
and National Roadway Safety Foundation. South Carolinians are proud to 
see one of our own. so well regarded by her colleagues around the 
country, and we are fortunate that her exemplary service has been to 
our benefit.
  Ms. Wilson is a proud wife and mother, and I know that she is looking 
forward to being able to spend more time with her family in retirement. 
Mr. Speaker, I ask that the House join me in congratulating Ms. Terecia 
Wilson on this well-deserved retirement. I wish her good health and 
godspeed.

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