[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 138 (Tuesday, September 13, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO LINDA RAWL SHEALY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 13, 2016

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, September 10, 
2016, a memorial service was conducted for Linda Rawl Shealy by Dr. 
Mark S. Bredholt. Eulogies were provided by former Columbia television 
news anchor Cheryl Irwin and myself I was honored to provide the 
following tribute:

       Family and friends of Linda Rawl Shealy, this is a loving 
     service honoring a dear lady, but, additionally, it is 
     fitting for me to participate as this is also a reunion of 
     former staff members of my predecessor, the late Congressman 
     Floyd Spence, who was a Patriot, Statesman and Southern 
     Gentleman.
       Congressman Spence was a good judge of character and 
     integrity, selecting talented young people for his staff. 
     Especially extraordinary was Chief of Staff Craig Metz, along 
     with District Director Sammy Hendrix. Sammy was perceptive 
     enough to recommend his fellow Lexington High School 
     classmate, Linda Rawl Shealy, to the Congressman.
       In 1984, Congressman Spence was the Ranking Member of the 
     House Ethics Committee and Linda Shealy was selected to be a 
     Staff Assistant for the Committee--a tough job for a 
     Committee which is Solomonic as issues were presented 
     equivalent to counting the number of angels who danced on a 
     pin.
       She served with young attorneys Mark Elam and John Hoefer, 
     who were counsels to the committee, fresh out of law school, 
     and today are among the most highly respected attorneys of 
     Charleston and Columbia, with Mark as Director of State and 
     Local Relations for Boeing and John as a Partner in the law 
     firm of Willoughby and Hoefer.
       In 1995, Linda shifted to become Special Assistant to Floyd 
     Spence as he was elected Chairman of the House Armed Services 
     Committee, where she faithfully served dependably and loyally 
     until his death on August 16, 2016.
       I was grateful that Linda led transition efforts for the 
     Second Congressional District Office upon my election on 
     December 18, 2001, and, in June 2002, she was selected as the 
     second staff member of the House Office of Emergency 
     Planning. This important office was established following the 
     September 11th attacks by Islamic Terrorists.
       Current Director Joe Lowry praised Linda as the ``First 
     Lady of the Emergency Planning Office,'' through her 
     retirement in January 2014, as the longest serving employee 
     of the Office.
       Linda's achievements reflected well on her heritage with 
     the Rawl Family being among the earliest German-Swiss 
     families to settle here in the Saxe Gotha Region.
       Welcoming attendees were other original families of Shealy, 
     Addy, Meetze, and Price, who established a positive community 
     where they are a tiny percentage of Lexington County, one of 
     America's fastest growing, with transplants from the 
     Northeast and Midwest along with worldwide residents. It was 
     also fitting to be at the Caughman-Harman Funeral Home, 
     established by original families Virl and Steve Caughman with 
     Daisy Wilson and Harry Harman.
       As we reflect on the dedicated life of Linda Rawl Shealy, 
     it can clearly be established that she made a positive 
     difference for a better community and nation.

                          ____________________