[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 10372]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                    PASSING OF W. BAIN PROCTOR, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MAC COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 12, 2002

  Mr. COLLINS. Mr. Speaker, on June 5th, Spalding County and the City 
of Griffin, Georgia lost a dear friend and public servant. W. Bain 
Proctor, Jr. tirelessly worked for the betterment of the people of 
Griffin, serving as a City Commissioner, County Commissioner, and on 
the boards of the Griffin-Spalding County Recreational Board and the 
Georgia State Recreational Board.
  Mr. Proctor was a servant of the people in the true sense of the 
word. He never regarded praise for his actions or sought credit, often 
working behind the scenes to get things done. Bain was a consistent 
force for positive government action. Often he would call or write to 
me to let me know how people in his area felt about a particular issue. 
Nothing in that is unusual. As Members of Congress, we hear from 
hundreds of constituents on a regular basis. What made Bain's contacts 
memorable and effective was that he seldom tried to influence your 
decision on legislation in a particular way, based on any bias he may 
have had. He was simply satisfied to make sure that I knew how the 
people of Griffin felt. As such, whenever he did have a position to 
advocate, I made sure to listen.
  In addition to his steady influence on local public policy, Bain was 
involved in the more charitable side of his community, serving on the 
boards of the Salvation Army and the American Cancer Society, he was a 
member of the Rotary Club, and a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War who 
helped to build a memorial to the brave men and women who laid down 
their lives in that conflict.
  Not only did Bain lead by example, he did a great job of instilling 
his love of community and service to those close to him. During Bain's 
funeral, his daughter Heather implored the filled-to-capacity room to 
pick up the torch her father had passed. ``On behalf of Dad and the 
rest of the family, I ask you to be a part of this community. Get 
involved and remain involved. He would not have gone on if he did not 
have faith in us,'' Heather urged.
  Bain Proctor lived a life of silent leadership. He was a steady force 
in a turbulent world. He will be missed by his community, his family, 
and those of us who were close to him. I thank him and commend him for 
his efforts on behalf of the people of Griffin and I thank him for his 
insights and advice to me as a lawmaker. I ask God's blessing on Bain's 
family during their time of grief, and urge everyone who hears this to 
follow Heather's urging and pick up Bain's torch of community service.

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