[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 157 (Friday, September 11, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        APPRECIATING BILL RISER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 11, 2020

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, the Midlands of South 
Carolina is appreciating the extraordinary service of the late Bill 
Riser, as so well revered by The Times and Democrat of Orangeburg on 
August 21, 2020:

                           John W. Riser Sr.

       West Columbia--On Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, John William 
     ``Bill'' Riser Sr., loving husband, father, grandfather and 
     great-grandfather, passed away at the age of 86 after a short 
     illness.
       Bill was born on Jan. 4, 1934, in Bowman, to the late 
     Thomas ``Doc'' Riser Sr. and Nell Weathers Riser. He received 
     a BS degree from Clemson University in 1957, where he played 
     basketball from 1952-56. He was on the first Clemson team to 
     play in the first ACC Conference in 1954. He worked for the 
     Clemson University Extension Service in Aiken, Saluda and 
     Richland counties retiring in 1989. In 2015, he was in the 
     first class of inductees to be inducted into the A. Frank 
     Lever County Extension Agent Hall of Fame for service to S.C. 
     and the farming industry.
       Bill also served in the South Carolina House of 
     Representatives from 1991-2002 for House District No. 69, 
     Lexington County. His tenure in the House included effective 
     membership on the critical Ways and Means Committee and on 
     the budget subcommittee for Higher Education, TECH, and 
     Cultural, as well as his vital chairmanship of the 
     legislative Personnel and Benefits Subcommittee. He was also 
     a member of the Agricultural, Natural Resources and 
     Environment Affairs Committee for four years.
       Bill served his community well, and never met a stranger. 
     When he became Richland County's top agent, he became a media 
     star, hosting the Early Riser show from 1976-89, and was a 
     columnist for The State. A longtime farmer and extension 
     agent, he never refused to share plant and garden tips as he 
     traveled the countryside. Bill was a former Jaycee, Lion's 
     Club member, and worked with the youth in the 4-H program in 
     Saluda County.
       He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Peggy Ann Gwinn 
     Riser. They raised three children, Deborah A. Riser of 
     Columbia, Karen R. Roof (Robert) of Eastover and John W. 
     Riser Jr. (Jennifer) of Atlanta; four grandchildren, Caldwell 
     Roof, Kirsten McClam, Emma Riser and Chloe Riser; as well as 
     one great-grandchild, Drakeford McClam.

                          ____________________