[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12268]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        IN MEMORY OF BILL ROWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 2009

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, on May 6th, the 
community of Lexington County lost a long time leader and friend with 
the passing of Bill Rowell. As a fellow Republican growing up in South 
Carolina in the 1960s, I admired Bill and counted him as both a mentor 
and a friend. His dedication and contribution to the communities he 
served was an example to all those who will follow in his footsteps. He 
and his first wife, Bobbe, were founders of the modern Lexington 
Republican Party and his second wife, Dee, was an inspiration for his 
public service.
  Tim Flach of The State newspaper has thoughtfully penned the 
following fitting tribute to Mr. Rowell.

                     [From The State, May 9, 2009]

            Former Treasurer Remembered for Care, Principles

                             (By Tim Flach)

       Friends remember Bill Rowell as a soft-spoken, progressive 
     leader who helped make Republicans the political power in 
     Lexington County.
       Rowell, county treasurer from 1992-2007, died Wednesday at 
     age 76 after a long illness. A funeral service for Rowell is 
     set for 11 today at Saxe Gotha Presbyterian Church in 
     Lexington.
       ``He was quiet but he was firm,'' county Coroner Harry 
     Harman said. ``He stuck by the way he felt.''
       Friends credit him with investment improvements and 
     modernizing operations that benefited taxpayers.
       ``He laid a foundation that we are building on,'' current 
     Treasurer Jim Eckstrom said. ``I'm going forward on his 
     shoulders.''
       Rowell was in real estate sales before becoming treasurer. 
     He was a leader of the resurgence of local Republicans in the 
     1960s and was active in several civic groups.
       County political leaders called him an adviser who 
     preferred to work mostly out of the limelight.
       ``He was a lot like a father figure to me,'' Sheriff James 
     R. Metts said. ``He was a guy you could go to talk to, who 
     had quite an insight on things. I'm going to miss him as a 
     person I can contact and bounce things off of.''
       Rowell was commemorated for his courtesy, even to those who 
     strongly disagreed with him.
       ``He reminded me a lot of the Southern gentleman,'' county 
     public safety director Bruce Rucker said. ``As a public 
     official, he was always customer service first.''
       Others said he took time to talk with taxpayers frustrated 
     with bills and rules.
       ``He often took the blunt of ire for things others had 
     done,'' county Councilman Smokey Davis of Lexington said. 
     ``He had the patience to explain things again and again and 
     turn people around.''
       Away from politics, Rowell appeared in musical revues 
     during the early days of the Lexington County Arts 
     Association 30 years ago. He also was a fan of local theater.

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