[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 28 (Tuesday, February 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF SHIRLEY SPELLERBERG

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 13, 2018

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Shirley 
Spellerberg, former Mayor of Corinth, Texas as she prepares to relocate 
to North Carolina after almost three decades of service to her home 
State.
   Born and educated in Waco, Texas, Shirley married her late husband, 
USAF pilot Herman R. Spellerberg while he was on leave from PanAm 
Airlines. When Herman came home from his tour of duty in Korea and 
returned to PanAm, he and Shirley resided in Pasadena and Miami for 
several years each. During this period, Shirley honed her speaking and 
leadership skills as a passionate conservative activist, hosting a 
conservative talk radio program ``Speak Out Miami'' and on television 
as a conservative counterpoint to her liberal feminist co-host on the 
weekly show ``To The Point.''
   Shirley and Herman returned to Texas in 1979 when Herman retired 
from PanAm. A Life Member of the NRA and active with the Eagle Forum, 
Shirley soon reengaged as a conservative activist in Denton County, 
quickly joining several local Republican Party organizations and 
serving from 1998 to 2006 as part of the statewide party as SREC.
   Shirley is also known for her steadfast leadership to the City of 
Corinth. Except for a break between 1989 and 1990, she served the City 
as Mayor from 1983 to 2001. Shirley's leadership shaped the City as its 
population grew tenfold from approximately 1,200 to 12,000 during her 
terms as Mayor. It was also during this period that Shirley influenced 
the long-term direction and economic development of the community with 
the adoption of the City's Home Rule Charter in 1999 and the 2000 
opening of North Central Texas College's Corinth campus.
   Shirley Spellerberg is a Denton County institution. I have 
appreciated her counsel and opinions provided throughout my service in 
Congress and I have sought-out and appreciated her wisdom and 
experience when facing particularly thorny legislative decisions. While 
we have not always been in agreement, I have always respected her 
faith, commitment to community service and her dedication to 
conservative principles. On behalf of the 26th Congressional District, 
I wish her much happiness in the support of family and I value our 
shared commitment in leaving a strong, proud and stable country as a 
legacy for our grandchildren.

                          ____________________