IN HONOR OF THE REVEREND EARL WILLIAMS, JR.

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished
athlete, educator, spiritual leader, and dear friend of longstanding,
Reverend Earl Williams, Jr. A memorial service will be held in his
honor on Thursday, February 7, 2018 at 11:00 a.m. at Disciples of Jesus
Ministries located at 228 Augusta Avenue in Thomasville, Georgia.

Earl was born in Thomasville, Georgia in 1931, to the late Billy and
Flossie Adams-Williams. A product of Thomas County School System, he
graduated from Douglass High School in 1953 and went on to obtain a
Bachelor's Degree in Social Science from Fort Valley State University
(then College) and a Master's Degree in Administration from Valdosta
State University.

In 1953, he played baseball in the Negro National League with
Jacksonville Eagles before signing a professional contract with the
Brooklyn Dodgers in 1955, and playing in both the Mid-Western and
Pennsylvania Leagues. After retiring from baseball, he became the
assistant baseball coach at Fort Valley State University and a scout
for the Baltimore Orioles.

In addition to being an admired athlete, Earl was also an influential
educator. In 1971, he served as a teacher and later as the assistant
principal at Magnolia-Chappelle Middle School (then Magnolia Junior
High School), before being promoted to the role of principal in 1972.
After the closing of the campus in 1990, he transitioned to Central
Middle School, where he served as the principal, until his retirement
in 2000.

A trailblazer offirsts, Earl was the first African-American President
of G.A.E. (Georgia Association of Educators) of Thomas County, the
first African-American City Commissioner of Thomasville in 1982 (re-
elected in 1984), the first African-American Mayor of Thomasville in
1986 (re-elected in 1988) and the first African-American Chairman of
the Salvation Army. In addition to those milestones, when he served our
nation honorably in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) at Camp
Lejeune, he continued to play baseball and became the first African-
American to play on a USMC Base traveling team. He was also the Grand
Inspector General of the S.P. Jones Masonic Lodge No. 118 and a
longtime member of the Albany Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi
Fraternity, Inc.

Furthermore, he received numerous awards including G.A.E.
Administrator of the Year; Salvation Army Man of the Year; an Honorary
Doctor of Law Degree from Faith College; NAACP; inductions into the
Thomasville-Thomas County Sports Hall of Fame, the Fort Valley State
University Alumni Hall of Fame; a Distinguished Service Award from
Thomasville/Thomas County Chamber of Commerce and Outstanding Service
Award which I had the pleasure of presenting to him.

Earl accomplished much throughout his life, but none of this would
have been possible without the love and support of his late wife, Faye,
his five children, his nine grandchildren, and the countless others who
impacted his life over the years.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian, and the
more than 730,000 residents of the Second Congressional District of
Georgia in extending our gratitude for the life and legacy of Reverend
Earl Williams, Jr. and our sincere condolences to his family and
friends during this difficult time. I pray that we may all be comforted
by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks and months
ahead. He leaves behind a great legacy in service to his beloved family
and to all those whose lives he touched through his kindness and
generosity.