[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E758-E759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE ROGER CLECKLEY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 2019

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated public 
servant and dear friend, Roger Cleckley. Roger is a man driven by 
faith, duty and honor. He has spent most of his career in public 
service and all of us are the beneficiaries of his tremendous 
commitment to building a better community, state and nation.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, ``everybody can be great . . . 
because anybody can serve . . . you only need a heart full of grace and 
a soul generated by love.'' By that definition, Roger Cleckley is among 
the greatest among us.
  Roger is a native of the Cope-Cordova community of Orangeburg County, 
South Carolina. He was the third of four children born to Solomon and 
Celia Mae Cleckley. He attended G.W. Carver High School and Voorhees 
College both in Denmark, South Carolina. He has also earned a 
Certificate of Leadership Training from the University of South 
Carolina.
  He began his commitment to service by joining the United States Army. 
He served a tour of duty in Vietnam as a combat infantryman. His 
distinguished service earned him numerous awards and medals. After two 
years on active duty, Roger received an honorable discharge with the 
rank of Sergeant (E-5).
  A veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, Roger never shies away from 
standing up for what he believes is right. After returning from Vietnam 
and a year in Washington, D.C., he took a job with Tepeck Industries in 
St. Matthews, South Carolina, and quickly discovered that racial 
injustice in his home state were still prevalent. He fought against 
these injustices in his workplace, which ultimately resulted in his 
dismissal from the company.
  Undeterred, Roger found work selling insurance at the A.L. Williams 
Insurance Company and became active in the NAACP. In 1986, he felt the 
call to public service and ran for Orangeburg County Auditor. His hard-
won victory made him the first African American elected to serve in 
this capacity in South Carolina since the post-Reconstruction era. When 
I offered for Congress in 1992, Roger and his wife hosted my maiden 
community event in their home and he became my Orangeburg County 
Chairman. When Roger retired he held the distinction as the longest 
serving local elected official in Orangeburg County.
  Over the years, Roger has tirelessly worked for his church and 
community and has been a relentless voice for the voiceless. He is 
presently Chairman of the Forfeited Land Commission, Secretary of the 
Orangeburg County Fiscal Education Commission, and Chairperson of the 
County Democratic Party Nominations Committee.
  Roger has held many positions in the African Methodist Episcopal 
Church from Sunday School, Steward Board, Class Leader, and the Lay 
Organization. He is currently the outgoing Seventh Episcopal District 
Lay Organization President, which comprises the entire state of South 
Carolina.
  His wife, Bessie Idella Cleckley, has been his partner and soul mate 
for fifty years. She has always been a tremendous source of 
encouragement to him as he served the people of South Carolina. They 
are the parents of sons, Roger ``Al,'' Adrian, and Kendrick, and the 
grandparents of five.
  Madam Speaker, I ask that you and my colleagues join me in offering 
congratulations and sincere gratitude to Mr. Roger Cleckley on the 
occasion of his retirement. His extraordinary work has had a profound 
impact on all who have been touched by his selfless service. I believe 
he exemplifies the sentiment found in Matthew 25:23, ``well done, my 
good and faithful servant,'' and I offer my best wishes as he embarks 
on this new phase of his life.

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