[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 115 (Wednesday, July 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN MEMORY OF MR. HILTON R. SEGLER

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 10, 2019

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
dedicated public servant and dear friend of longstanding, Mr. Hilton R. 
Segler. Sadly, Hilton passed away on July 4, 2019, at the age of 82. 
His passing marks the close of a long and prolific life, and his 
departure leaves a void in the hearts of many Georgians. He leaves 
behind an impeccable legacy of service that will never be forgotten. A 
funeral service was held on Saturday, July 6, 2019, at 11 a.m. at 
Kimbrell-Stern Funeral Directors in Albany, Georgia.
  Mr. Hilton Ray Segler was born in Ozark, Alabama, on April 26, 1937, 
to the union of the late Mr. William Foy and Mrs. Willie Clyde (Dunn) 
Segler. In 1948, his family moved to Albany, Georgia, where he went on 
to graduate from Albany High School and pursue several correspondence 
degrees in Law and Business.
  In 1957, Hilton started working for Southeastern Liquid Fertilizer in 
Albany, Georgia, before serving as the Assistant to the President of 
Planters Chemical Company in Virginia. He then moved back to Albany in 
1964 to work for the Thompson/Hayward Chemical Company and was 
appointed Regional Manager for the company in 1981. Hilton also has 
served as a salesman for the TIDA Farm Service Center where his sales 
exceeded $1.5 million in his first year and $3 million in his second 
year, thus proving his acuity as a salesman. In the early 1990s, he 
purchased a pecan farm and farmed over 1,900 acres of pecan trees for 
almost six years. He later started a nickel nutrient supplement 
company, Nipan, LLC, in 2003. Products from his company have gained 
tremendous popularity in the last few years and are shipped all over 
the United States.
  In 2002, Hilton, along with Bucky Geer and James Lee Adams, testified 
before the Risk Management Agency on behalf of pecan growers. His 
undying efforts helped pecan growers across the United States attain 
crop insurance. Hilton also testified before the House and Senate 
Committees on Agriculture in an effort to obtain larger provisions for 
the pecan industry in the 2008 Farm bill. Consequently, pecans were 
included in the Country of Origin labeling requirements and also in the 
crop insurance program.
  Hilton continued to work on expanding pecan exports to China and 
other agricultural economies, by partnering with the United States 
Department of Agriculture and Georgia Department of Agriculture, and 
pushing for pecan farmers' participation in the Market Access program, 
a program that helps finance promotional activities for U.S. 
agricultural products.
  In 2004, Hilton championed efforts to obtain ``clean up'' assistance 
for pecan farmers who were hurt by hurricanes that devastated parts of 
Georgia and Alabama. In 2010, he testified before the House Agriculture 
Committee on the future of the pecan industry and the importance of 
nutrition and trade to this industry, for the 2010 Farm bill.
  Hilton accomplished much throughout his life, but none of this would 
have been possible without his enduring faith in God and the love and 
support of his wife, Faye; his children, Rhonda, Scott, and Jamie; and 
a host of family and friends who will miss him deeply.
  On a personal note, Hilton was my friend. I will miss his sage advice 
and wise counsel. He never told me what I wanted to hear; he always 
told me what I needed to hear. The state of Georgia and our Nation have 
been truly blessed to benefit from Hilton's leadership and advocacy.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me, 
along with the almost 730,000 people in Georgia's Second Congressional 
District and countless others across America in paying tribute to Mr. 
Hilton R. Segler for a life well lived and in extending our deepest 
sympathies to his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult 
time of bereavement. Moreover, we pray that they will be consoled and 
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks, 
and months ahead.

                          ____________________