[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 67 (Thursday, April 16, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                RECOGNIZING COMMANDANT JAMES EMORY MACE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 16, 2026

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, Carolinians are grateful 
to express appreciation for the life of Commandant James Emory Mace, 
Sr., of Hampton County. He not only served our Nation as a decorated 
Army Officer but was the beloved father of Congresswoman Nancy Mace. I 
include in the Record the following obituary provided by The Citadel 
Alumni Association:

                        J. Emory Mace, Sr., '63

       James Emory Mace, Sr., of Mount Pleasant, the decorated 
     Army officer who led The Citadel through a dramatic 
     transition from an all-male institution to a co-ed military 
     college, has died. He was 85.
       Mace, a Vietnam War veteran, was among the most decorated 
     graduates in The Citadel's history. He served as the school's 
     commandant from 1997 to 2005--a period marked by cultural 
     upheaval, internal reforms and national scrutiny.
       Mace took over the role in February 1997, months after the 
     first woman, Shannon Faulkner, enrolled at the formerly all-
     male military college following a protracted legal battle 
     that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
       While Faulkner's stay was brief, his daughter, now-U.S. 
     Rep. Nancy Mace, would eventually succeed in becoming the 
     school's first female graduate.
       She confirmed his death on the night of April 14. A cause 
     was not immediately announced.
       ``Rest in peace, Dad. I love you and I'll see you again,'' 
     she wrote on social media the following morning.
       As commandant, Mace moved quickly to reshape cadet life. 
     Known for his blunt, disciplined leadership style, he 
     implemented sweeping reforms: prohibiting harassment during 
     meals and study periods, eliminating sophomore rank authority 
     over freshmen, banning physical contact with first-year 
     cadets, limiting ``knob knowledge'' requirements and 
     shortening the military orientation period.
       In 1997, cadets lived by a new Citadel creed written by 
     Mace. It read, in part: ``I will always endeavor to uphold 
     the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of The Citadel 
     and the South Carolina Corps of Cadets . . . Under no 
     circumstances will I ever embarrass The Citadel and the South 
     Carolina Corps of Cadets.''
       The changes marked a significant shift in the school's 
     culture as it worked to integrate women into a traditionally 
     rigid system, including his daughter.
       He would hold the role as third-in-command at the school 
     for eight years.
       When he told the school's board of visitors he was stepping 
     down, he said he had accomplished what he came to do--help 
     men and women cadets coexist at the college.
       ``I feel I made a small difference in the life of The 
     Citadel,'' Mace said in 2005 when announcing his retirement.
       That year, when state lawmakers recognized Mace for his 
     contributions at the state's military college, the resolution 
     noted that under his leadership some 95 women had graduated 
     from the Corps of Cadets.
       The year Mace retired as commandant, the 1,900-member body 
     included about 120 women.
       Born in Hampton County, Mace attended The Citadel and 
     earned the nickname ``Bulldog.'' He graduated in 1963.
       He became something of a living legend. In her memoir, 
     Nancy Mace wrote that her father built a near-mythic 
     reputation at The Citadel for his extreme backwoods antics, 
     including poaching alligators to pay for school and using 
     them to intimidate freshmen.
       In one story, he allegedly threw a live alligator into a 
     cadet's room to make a point about discipline, while in 
     another, he chained a gator to the parade field overnight, 
     leaving officers scrambling to remove it the next morning.
       The stories, she wrote, cemented his image as both feared 
     and legendary among cadets.
       The persona he cultivated as a cadet was later reinforced 
     by his record in combat.

                          ____________________