[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 165 (Thursday, November 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1612]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF MRS. JANE WILLSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 5, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding 
businesswoman, respected philanthropist, and beloved servant of 
humankind, Mrs. Jane Seddon Willson. Mrs. Willson passed away on 
Tuesday, November 3, 2015. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. 
on Saturday, November 7, 2015 at First United Methodist Church in 
Albany, Georgia, with interment to follow at Westview Cemetery in 
Atlanta, Georgia.
  Born in New York City in 1923, Mrs. Willson graduated from Wellesley 
College in Massachusetts in 1945. Six years later, she moved to Albany, 
Georgia with her husband, the late William Harry Willson, to manage his 
family's small pecan orchard. After the success of their mail-order 
pecan business, the move to the farm in Albany was simply the next 
step.
  What started as a small family business quickly expanded into two 
large companies. As President and Secretary of both Willson Farming and 
Sunnyland Farms, Mrs. Willson orchestrated the global expansion that 
continues to make both companies successful. Because of Mrs. Willson's 
business savvy, people in countries around the world now enjoy a 
variety of nuts and nut products from Georgia, which has contributed 
greatly to the state's economy.
  Mrs. Willson put as much, if not more, love and effort into serving 
her community as she did into her businesses. She served as board 
chairman of the Albany-Dougherty Inner City Authority and the United 
Way of Southwest Georgia. She also served on the Albany Area Chamber of 
Commerce Executive Board; the Albany Technical College Board; the 
Albany State University Foundation; and the Darton State College 
Foundation. She was the first woman to serve on the Board of Directors 
of Bellsouth Telecommunications.
  In addition, Mrs. Willson's service as President of the Board of 
Directors for the Boys & Girls Club of Albany has left a lasting mark 
upon the organization. She not only served on the Board for many years, 
but also donated the funds to build the Jane Willson Unit. This year, 
the Boys & Girls Club of Albany will be presenting its first ``Harry 
and Jane Willson Partner of the Year'' award to an organization that 
best emanates the couple's spirit of philanthropy.
  An avid supporter of the arts, Mrs. Willson also helped with the 
establishment of the Albany Museum of Art, and later, the museum's Jane 
and Harry Willson Auditorium. Her drive to help her community further 
resulted in the creation of the Willson Hospice House. Because of her 
$1 million donation, the Willson Hospice House is able to provide 
inpatient care to people who have been diagnosed with a terminal 
illness. Yet her generosity has not been confined to Southwest Georgia. 
Mrs. Willson donated millions of dollars to the University of Georgia, 
where she served as a UGA Foundation Trustee and as a board member of 
the UGA Research Foundation. She also made a $1 million donation in 
honor of her daughter, Jane, to Valley Children's Hospital in Madera, 
California.
  Mrs. Willson's generosity and altruism served as an inspiration to 
all who knew her, myself included. She donated more than just funding 
to every organization to which she was connected--she was a prominent 
part of the fabric of each institution.
  George Washington Carver once said, ``No individual has any right to 
come into the world and go out of it without leaving behind distinct 
and legitimate reasons for having passed through it.'' We are all so 
blessed that Mrs. Jane Willson, an inspirational human being of 
incredible compassion and integrity, passed our way and during her 
life's journey did so much for so many for so long. She leaves behind a 
great legacy in service to her beloved family and to all those whose 
lives she touched through her kindness and generosity. She will truly 
be missed.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues in the House of Representatives to 
join me, my wife Vivian, and the Albany, Georgia community in honoring 
Mrs. Jane Seddon Willson for her outstanding contributions to the 
community. We extend our deepest sympathies to her family, friends and 
loved ones during this difficult time and we pray that they will be 
consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the 
days, weeks and months ahead.

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