[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4658]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF MR. MICHAEL L. FOWLER, SR.--MORTICIAN OF THE YEAR

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 29, 2012

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and honor to 
extend my personal and heartfelt congratulations to Mr. Michael L. 
Fowler, Sr., on being named Mortician of the Year for the 4th District 
of the Georgia Funeral Service Practitioners Association, Inc. A 
celebration will be held in his honor on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at 7 
p.m. at Albany Technical College in Albany, Georgia.
  Mr. Fowler was born in Columbia, South Carolina, to Roland and Rosie 
Fowler. Following his birth, Mr. Fowler's family moved to Georgia where 
he was educated in the Dougherty County, Georgia Public School System 
and graduated from Dougherty Comprehensive High School. After 
graduating from high school, Mr. Fowler would go on to earn a degree in 
Mortuary Science from Gupton Jones College in Atlanta, Georgia.
  A Certified Funeral Service Practitioner and a Licensed Funeral 
Director and Embalmer, Mr. Fowler performs Trade Embalming for many 
funeral homes in Georgia and Florida. He also founded and currently 
owns Fowler's Removal Service. As a retired Death Investigation 
Specialist for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, he holds numerous 
certifications in the fields of Medicolegal Death Investigation, Death 
Scene Reconstruction, and Grief Management.
  A strong leader with an exceptional work ethic, Mr. Fowler is the 
current President of the Georgia Funeral Service Practitioners 
Association. He also serves on the Georgia State Board of Funeral 
Service and is an active member of the Academy of Graduate Embalmers, 
Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice, Albany Chamber of 
Commerce and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People.
  Of his many commendable qualities, one of the things I admire most 
about Mr. Fowler is his altruistic willingness to volunteer his time 
and lend his professional services to needy families who have lost 
loved ones to tragic accidents and natural disasters. As a member of 
the National Disaster Medical System's Disaster Mortuary Team (DMORT) 
and Kenyon International Service, Mr. Fowler has assisted in the morgue 
operations of mass fatalities associated with the Albany, Georgia 
floods of 1994 and 1998; the 1997 crash of Korean Airlines Flight 801 
in Guam; the 9/11 World Trade Center terrorist attacks in 2001; the 
2004 tsunami in Asia; Hurricane Katrina; Hurricane Rita; and the 2010 
Haiti earthquake.
  In conjunction with his professional accomplishments, Mr. Fowler 
lives a life of service and faith. He has been a member of Evangelical 
Faith Ministries, Inc. for 45 years and has served as a Deacon for the 
last 33 years. Additionally, he founded the S.O.L.A.C.E. (Stretching 
Out Loving Arms Creating Encouragement) Program for impoverished and 
at-risk youth in Southwest Georgia. Moreover, he co-facilitates the 
Let's Stay Together Marriage Enrichment Program; is Board Chair of Love 
and Mercy Outreach Programs, Inc.; and serves on the Community 
Development Council for the City of Albany.
  Michael L. Fowler, Sr., has accomplished many things in his life but 
none of this would have been possible without the enduring love and 
support of his loving wife, Rosa, and wonderful children and 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to Mr. 
Fowler for his outstanding professional achievements, dedicated 
community service and many good deeds on behalf of families all around 
the world who have lost loved ones to unforeseen tragedies.

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