[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 9, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H1128-H1129]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND MEMORY OF WILLIAM QUARLES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Virginia (Ms. Spanberger) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. SPANBERGER. Madam Speaker, I stand here to honor the life and 
memory of William Edward Quarles, Jr.
  Mr. Quarles was a pillar of the Goochland County, Virginia, 
community, and he constantly worked to make Goochland stronger. He 
encouraged his neighbors to get involved in local decisionmaking, and 
he cared about improving public safety and protecting the families that 
called Goochland home.
  William was a dedicated leader with a heart for public service. He 
served on the Goochland County Board of Supervisors for 8 years, 
serving as chairman three times. He served for 6 years on the Goochland 
Planning Commission, including two times as chairman. He also served on 
the State EMS Advisory Board and as a representative for the

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Virginia Association of Counties. In these roles, he was skilled at 
finding consensus and preventing divisiveness.
  William was also a fierce champion of public education. Throughout 
his life, he fought to make sure that every child in the Goochland area 
could access quality education and new opportunities. He was a 
cofounder of the Goochland Education Foundation, and he was serving on 
the Goochland County School Board at the time of his death.
  William took on each day's new challenges with an unforgettable 
vigor, a bright smile, and a contagious laugh and enthusiasm. He always 
remained positive. His enthusiasm was contagious.
  People talked about how you couldn't talk to William without him 
pulling you into some sort of volunteerism, some level of civic 
engagement, some plan that he was working on. He helped people become 
their better selves, their more engaged selves, their more community-
focused selves.
  Madam Speaker, last month, William passed away at the age of 68. He 
left a community mourning. A bright spot, a bright man, and a man who 
would bring such kindness to every endeavor, William liked to use a 
simple acronym, one that his father-in-law had also used. The acronym 
is SMILE:
  S--Seek to understand before being understood;
  M--Make the other person feel important;
  I--It is not about me;
  L--Listen twice as much as you speak;
  E--Enthusiastically and quickly admit it when you are wrong.
  Madam Speaker, when I began running for Congress, William gave me 
these lessons, this acronym SMILE. He said: ``Remember this. This is 
how you best serve people.''
  As our Commonwealth and our Nation face new challenges, we would do 
well to follow William's advice as we seek solutions and work to come 
together.
  Madam Speaker, today, my thoughts are with his wife, Ruth; his sons, 
William and Christopher; his friends and family; and the greater 
Goochland community. William was a friend to everyone, and he 
considered everyone a friend.

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