[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 86 (Monday, May 22, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E475-E476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE AND LEGACY OF SELMA MAYOR GEORGE 
                             PATRICK EVANS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 22, 2023

  Ms. SEWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life 
and legacy of a trailblazing public servant and educator, former Selma 
Mayor George Patrick Evans, who passed away at the age of 78 on May 15, 
2023.
  A native of Selma, Mayor Evans was a proud product of the Selma City 
School System. He began his higher education at St. Mary's College in 
Dodge City, KS, earning his Bachelor of Arts in speech and physical 
therapy in 1962. Shortly after graduation he returned to Selma, where 
his passion for education led him to teach at Tipton High School in 
Dallas County. He continued his education while teaching, receiving a 
Master of Education in Educational Administration from Livingston State 
University and an Educational Specialist Certification in Educational 
Administration from Troy State University
  Dedicating over 40 years to the Dallas County School System, Mayor 
Evans held many roles, including Principal, Assistant Principal, Coach, 
and Right to Read Coordinator. Transitioning from the classroom into 
upper management, he served as the Dallas County Board of Education 
Federal Program Coordinator for 9 years and served as Superintendent 
for 5 years. Mayor Evans' impactful career as an educator led him to 
break barriers as the first African American Superintendent of Dallas 
County public schools and Chief Academic Officer of the Alabama State 
Department of Education.
  Bringing the same passion and tenacity into his career in electoral 
politics, Mayor Evans blazed trails in the Selma City Council, becoming 
its first African American City Council President. In his words, ``good 
things kept happening at that time,'' making history as the second 
African American Mayor in the City of Selma's 192-year history. As 
Mayor for two terms, he showed his skill as a public servant leading 
the Queen City through the recession of 2008, a 12-percent municipal 
salary cut, and boldly addressing the lingering impact of segregation 
within Selma's communities. His foresight propelled Selma forward, 
implementing the City's optic fiber network and ``butterfly park'' to 
allow tourists an unobstructed view of the Alabama River and the 
historic Edmund Pettus Bridge.
  As a trusted leader in the Selma community, Mayor Evans served on the 
board of numerous organizations, including a member of the Executive 
Committee of the Alabama League of Municipalities, Chairman of the 
Alabama Department of Archives and History Board of Trustees, Wells-
Fargo, then Wachovia Bank Board of Directors and AMFund Board of 
Directors. A man of faith he worshiped at the Reformed Presbyterian 
Church in Selma, and served as an Elder and Clerk of Session. His 
additional civic affiliations include the SeLma Exchange Club, Twelve 
High Club, Chesterfield Club, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, 
Incorporated.
  Mayor Evans was known for his love of basketball and received 
numerous awards for his contribution to expanding the sport in Alabama. 
From 1979 to 2010, he served as the men's basketball official and 
officiating coordinator for the Southwestern Athletic Conference, 
leading him to an induction into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of 
Fame. He served on the AHSAA Bryant-Jordan Student Athletic Program 
Scholarship Committee and the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame 
Selection Committee.
  Mayor Evans is survived by his beloved wife, fellow educator, and 
nurse Jeannie Evans; sons, Patrick, Duane, and Byron; and

[[Page E476]]

grandchildren, Erin, Pailee, Pilar, Eden, Paxson George, Patrick Jr., 
Kelly, and Tremaine.
  On a personal note, as a native of Selma, I have known Mayor Evans 
all my life and even worked as the family babysitter during my youth. 
Mayor Evans has always been a man of great character and honor, whose 
love of God, family, and community has been his guiding principle. From 
being Dallas County's first Black school board superintendent to his 16 
years of public service as President of the Selma City Council and then 
as Mayor, Evans led by example through his hard work, perseverance, 
grit, and kindness.
  During his tenure as Mayor, he partnered with my office to bring 
vital federal resources home to Selma and Dallas County. From his 
demonstrated efforts to revitalize downtown Selma to his dedicated 
commitment to making our community stronger and safer, Mayor Evans 
fought hard to improve the lives of the people he served. His public 
service has left an indelible imprint on Selma, and he will be missed. 
Let us find comfort in knowing his incredible legacy will live on in 
the many people he touched. May he rest in peace and power.
  On behalf of Alabama's 7th Congressional District, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in celebrating the extraordinary life and legacy 
of an exceptional public servant, Selma's former Mayor, George Patrick 
Evans, for his decades of service to the City of Selma, Dallas County, 
and the entire State of Alabama.

                          ____________________