[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF MR. JAMES A. McMULLEN, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 28, 2015

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I 
rise today to pay tribute to a truly outstanding citizen of our 
community, Mr. James Allen McMullen, Sr. Mr. McMullen passed away on 
Sunday, July 26, 2015 at the age of 75 in his home in Columbus, 
Georgia. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 
31, 2015 at Beallwood Baptist Church in Columbus, Georgia.
  A Georgia man through and through, Mr. McMullen was born in Columbus, 
Georgia and after graduating from Jordan Vocational High School in 
Columbus in 1958, he attended Georgia Southwestern College, now Georgia 
Southwestern State University, in Americus, Georgia. Following his 
graduation from college, he joined the United States Army and served in 
Germany.
  Upon his return from Europe in 1961, Mr. McMullen began his career in 
funeral service, graduating from the Dallas Institute of Mortuary 
Science in Dallas, Texas in 1964. He worked locally for many years and 
in 1987, he and his family established the McMullen Funeral Home in 
Columbus.
  For more than 50 years, Mr. McMullen served thousands of families in 
the Columbus area through the difficult time that follows the loss of a 
loved one. In order to provide the best service he could, Mr. McMullen 
was a member of Selected Independent Funeral Homes, the Georgia Funeral 
Directors Association, and the National Funeral Directors Association. 
Despite battling cancer for the last three years of his life, Mr. 
McMullen continued to work at the funeral home until a month before his 
passing. To him, this was not just his job, but an opportunity to serve 
others at a time when they need it the most.
  A member of the Beallwood Baptist Church and the Lions Club for over 
40 years, Mr. McMullen proved himself a leader in the community as well 
as in the workplace. He was named Lion of the Year in 1973, District 
18-E governor of Lions International in 1976, and Chairman of the 
Georgia Sight Conservation Committee. His leadership extended to 
serving on the Board of Directors of the Georgia Lions Eye Bank and 
what is now known as the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. He also served for more than 
36 years as chairman for the educational trip to Washington sponsored 
by the Lions Club. This annual trip has carried more than 40,000 fifth- 
and sixth-graders to the nation's capital, demonstrating once more the 
grand impact Mr. McMullen had on countless lives.
  Dr. Maya Angelou once said, ``I've learned that people will forget 
what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never 
forget how you made them feel.'' The people of Columbus will never 
forget how Mr. McMullen heartened the brokenhearted and consoled the 
inconsolable. We are once again confronted with the loss of a loved and 
respected leader in this community, but we are comforted by his great 
legacy of service, which will endure for years to come.
  Mr. McMullen achieved much in his life but none of this would have 
been possible without the love and support of his wife of 52 years, 
Cecille; his children, Allen and Lisa; and his cherished grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian, and the 
Columbus community in honoring Mr. James A. McMullen, Sr. His 
leadership, wisdom, and skill aided thousands of people during the most 
difficult of times. Mr. McMullen was a truly outstanding individual and 
a blessing to the Columbus community. We extend our deepest sympathies 
to his family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time and we 
pray that they will be consoled and comforted by an abiding faith and 
the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks and months ahead.

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