[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 38 (Thursday, March 6, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          IN HONOR OF CRISP COUNTY SHERIFF DONNIE R. HARALSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 6, 2014

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a great man and 
outstanding public servant, Crisp County Sheriff Donnie R. Haralson. 
Sadly, Sheriff Haralson passed away on Tuesday, March 4, 2014. Funeral 
services will be held on Friday, March 7, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. at Cordele 
First Baptist Church.
  Following in his father's footsteps, Sheriff Haralson began his law 
enforcement career with the Cordele Police Department in 1977. After 
years of hard work and determination, he became Cordele's Chief of 
Police. A well-respected member of his community, Sheriff Haralson was 
reelected to a seventh term as Crisp County Sheriff in 2012, a capacity 
in which he served dutifully for twenty-seven years.
  During his tenure, Sheriff Haralson established local programs that 
benefitted both the community he served and the inmates in his care, 
including personal safety classes and an inmate GED program. Sheriff 
Haralson was influential in obtaining a regional youth detention center 
in Cordele and also helped to secure inmate labor in the building of a 
recreation facility, a significant cost-saving initiative.
  Sheriff Haralson was actively engaged in his community and served on 
numerous committees both locally and statewide. As the longest sitting 
sheriff in Crisp County history, Sheriff Haralson embodied the 
definition of a public servant through strong leadership, steadfast 
dedication and unwavering compassion. His years of distinguished 
service in law enforcement earned him the Governor's Public Safety 
Award in 2000 and Georgia's 2010 Sheriff of the Year distinction.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``A great soul serves everyone all the time. 
A great soul never dies.'' Sheriff Haralson is undoubtedly great 
because of his dedication and service to the community that he loved so 
dearly. As a lifelong resident of Crisp County, Sheriff Haralson's 
legacy will live on for years to come in the minds and hearts of all 
those whose lives he touched in Southwest Georgia.
  Sheriff Haralson is survived by his wife, Peggy; daughters, Amanda 
and Crystal; grandsons, Thomas and Eli; sisters, Sharon and Kadron; and 
his nephew, Cory. He was a longtime member and a Deacon of Cordele 
First Baptist Church.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in paying tribute 
to Sheriff Donnie Haralson and his legacy of service to Crisp County, 
Georgia. He loved the people of Crisp County and dedicated his life and 
career to improving the quality of life for his fellow citizens. He 
will truly be missed.

                          ____________________