IN RECOGNITION OF MR. PASCHAL WARD

Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a beloved
educator and outstanding citizen, Mr. Paschal Ward. Mr. Ward will be
retiring from his post as the Director of Bands at Bainbridge High
School. He will be honored by the administration, faculty, students,
and supporters at a celebratory reception on Saturday, May 5, 2018 in
Bainbridge, Georgia.

The Prattville, Alabama native earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a
Master's degree in Music Education from Troy State University in
Alabama. Since 1985, he has served as the Director of Bands at
Bainbridge High School. He has built an impressive career, which began
when he enlisted in the U.S. Army, and served as the Director of Bands
in Goshen, Alabama. He later became the Director of Bands at Charles
Henderson High School in Troy, Alabama; the University of West Alabama;
and Livingston State University in Livingston, Alabama.

Under his direction, the Charles Henderson High School band program
received superior ratings in both marching and concert competitions for
eight consecutive years; the participation in the Livingston State
University Collegiate Band Program doubled; the Decatur County Band
program received numerous Proclamations and Senate Resolutions from the
Governors of Alabama and Georgia; and the Bainbridge High School
Symphonic Band has been awarded Superior Ratings by the Georgia Music
Educators Band Festival and Georgia Bandmasters Association for thirty-
three consecutive years.

The Second Congressional District of Georgia gained a compassionate
and able leader when Mr. Ward arrived in Decatur County in 1985. Mr.
Ward has also served on numerous community boards, and as Chairman of
the Alabama Band Association for District Eight; a member of the
Southern Association of Schools and Colleges Visiting Committee; the
National Band Association for District Eight; the Southeastern U.S.
Honor Band Clinic; and the Georgia Music Educators Association. He also
received an honorary membership into Kappa Kappa Psi National Band
Fraternity, Incorporated.

A talented and precise music director, Mr. Ward has received numerous
accolades and awards for his musical expertise. These honors include a
feature in the (``Who's Who among America's Teachers'' in 1992 and
1996; an Outstanding Alumni Award in Music Education by Troy State
University in 1993; a spot in the National Band Director Hall of Fame
as the Band Director of the Year in 1996; a Star-Teacher Award in 2001;
a Man of the Year Award in 2006 and an Outstanding Teacher Award in
2010 from the Bainbridge Kiwan is Club; a National Citizenship
Education Teacher Award in 2007; a Certificate of Special Congressional
Recognition in 2009, which I presented to him; and the title of Roastee
of the Year by the Bainbridge Pilot Club in 2011.

Dr. Benjamin E. Mays often said: (``You make your living by what you
get; you make your life by what you give.'' Paschal Ward has
established a legacy of musical distinction in Bainbridge where he has
done a tremendous job of educating students. A man of great integrity,
his efforts, his dedication, and his expertise in his field are
unparalleled.

Paschal has accomplished much in his life but none of it would be
possible without the love and support of his wife, Pamela, and their
children, Rachael and Emily.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me,
along with the more than 730,000 people of the Second Congressional
District, in extending our sincerest appreciation and best wishes to
Mr. Paschal Ward upon the occasion of his retirement from an
outstanding thirty-three year career in music education.