[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8089-8090]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO FRED SHEHEEN

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 7, 2016

  Mr. CLYBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a legendary figure 
in South Carolina, Fred Sheheen, who recently died in an automobile 
accident. Fred, a former chair of the South Carolina Commission on 
Higher Education, spent his life advocating for South Carolina's 
colleges and universities. He was instrumental in breaking down 
barriers to quality education and promoting equality of opportunity for 
African American students.
  Fred graduated from Duke University in the late 1950s. After 
graduating, he worked as a reporter for The Charlotte Observer covering 
civil rights events. As a founding member of the Student Non-violent 
Coordinating Committee (SNCC), or ``Snick,'' as we became known, my 
fellow students and I made sure that Fred--as a young reporter--had 
plenty of news to cover.
  Fred later worked as an aide to South Carolina Governor and United 
States Senator Donald Russell. He served for a decade as Commissioner 
and Executive Director of the South Carolina Commission on Higher 
Education and later taught an honors course on South Carolina State 
Government for the University of South Carolina. Fred also served on 
the executive board of UNITED 2000, which was dedicated to bringing the 
Confederate battle flag down from the State House dome and out of the 
Senate and House Chambers.
  His family roots run deep in South Carolina's political community and 
state government. Fred's brother Austin was a long-time member of 
Kershaw County Council. Another brother Bob served as Speaker of the 
South Carolina House of Representatives, and his son Vincent, a twice 
Democratic nominee for Governor of South Carolina, currently serves in 
the South Carolina State Senate.
  Fred Sheheen's nearly eight decades on earth were dedicated to the 
betterment of his fellow South Carolinians and building a brighter 
future for their children and grandchildren. His untimely death is a 
tremendous loss for our state and our people, and to me personally. May 
he rest in peace.

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