[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 131 (Friday, September 28, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1663]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING JOAN WHEELER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MICK MULVANEY

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 28, 2012

  Mr. MULVANEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and mark 
the passing of Mrs. Joan Schlaudt Wheeler, one of my constituents and a 
matriarch of the Cherokee County, South Carolina Republican Party.
  Mrs. Wheeler was born in Cleburn, Texas, in 1927 to Edo Schlaudt and 
Marjorie Nail Schlaudt. Mrs. Wheeler was a very intelligent woman who 
valued education as one of the most reliable assets a person can 
possess. She graduated from Montreat and Converse Colleges, and worked 
as a teacher in York County, South Carolina. She particularly loved 
history and government, so her life-long dedication to public service 
came as no surprise.
  For more than 20 years, Mrs. Wheeler was active in community concerns 
and local politics, fighting for her convictions even if at times they 
were unpopular. She fought to stop the damming of Broad River, led a 
group to stop wasteful school spending and halt a public school 
building program, and worked to stop a landfill in the McKowns Mountain 
community. Most notably, she was an alternate delegate to the 
Republican Convention in 2000, and served as the chair of the local 
Republican Party for seven years. During her chairmanship, the party 
increased both its membership and visibility, and started a scholarship 
program for Gaffney and Blacksburg High School seniors. Mrs. Wheeler 
always had the best interests of her community at heart.
  Mrs. Wheeler was often recognized for her public service. She 
received the Woman of the Year award for the South Carolina Federation 
of Republican Women. She was the first recipient of the Palmetto 
Elephant award for the S.C.G.O.P. In 2010, Governor Mark Sanford 
presented Mrs. Wheeler with The Order of the Palmetto, the highest 
civilian honor in my State, recognizing a person's lifetime 
achievements and contributions to South Carolina.
  Mrs. Wheeler was also a woman dedicated to her family. She is 
survived by her husband of 63 years, George Wheeler, and four 
children--David, Tom, Mary Lois and Jan.
  We will remember Mrs. Wheeler not only for her convictions and her 
work to improve the lives of others, but more importantly, as a dear 
friend. My thoughts and prayers are with Joan's family and for all 
those who knew her and share in her loss.

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