[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3319]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO WIGGIE SHELL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN R. CARTER

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 1, 2017

  Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay special tribute 
to Wiggie Shell, a great American and a great Texan, on the occasion of 
his 60th birthday. I am honored to call this business and civic leader 
a friend.
  A fifth generation descendant of a Central Texas ranching family, 
William Carroll ``Wiggie'' Shell was born March 1, 1957 in Georgetown, 
Texas. His family has long been committed to his beloved home town. 
During the early 1950s to 1968, Wiggie's father owned and operated the 
only public swimming pool in Georgetown known as ``The Shell Pool'' 
which was a favorite place where young and old spent many of their 
summer hours.
  Wiggie graduated from Georgetown High School in 1975. A true child of 
Texas, Wiggie was a rodeo bull rider in his youth and used that 
knowledge to wrangle Donna, his wife and love of his life, marrying in 
1977. They have two children and three grandchildren.
  Wiggie started his railroad career as a carman at Georgetown Railroad 
Company, worked his way up to Chief Mechanical Officer, spending 20 
years with the railroad. Wiggie then started at a supplier company 
called Georgetown Rail Equipment Company (GREX) in the Operations 
department and worked his way up to President and CEO. Under his 
leadership, GREX doubled in size and revenue in just three years. 
Wiggie made GREX into an industry leader by pioneering high-technology 
solutions for thorny long-standing railroad problems. Under his 
direction, the company is now moving into international markets. His 
work as an innovator led to Wiggie being a respected railroad industry 
support spokesperson in Washington, DC and Austin, TX.
  Wiggie's contributions don't stop when the work day ends. He served 
in the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department for 28 years and volunteers 
with Sky Ball, the premier fundraising event for the Airpower 
Foundation, one of the oldest military support organizations in the 
U.S. When he's not working or volunteering, Wiggie relishes his family 
time, whether enjoying NASCAR races or fishing with his grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, I join Wiggie's friends, family, and colleagues in 
wishing him a happy 60th birthday. His has been a life of innovation 
and service. With Wiggie, the best is yet to come and I wish him 
nothing but success in all his future endeavors.

                          ____________________