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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN MEMORY OF MR. HILTON R. SEGLER
______
HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
of georgia
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a
dedicated public servant and dear friend of longstanding, Mr. Hilton R.
Segler. Sadly, Hilton passed away on July 4, 2019, at the age of 82.
His passing marks the close of a long and prolific life, and his
departure leaves a void in the hearts of many Georgians. He leaves
behind an impeccable legacy of service that will never be forgotten. A
funeral service was held on Saturday, July 6, 2019, at 11 a.m. at
Kimbrell-Stern Funeral Directors in Albany, Georgia.
Mr. Hilton Ray Segler was born in Ozark, Alabama, on April 26, 1937,
to the union of the late Mr. William Foy and Mrs. Willie Clyde (Dunn)
Segler. In 1948, his family moved to Albany, Georgia, where he went on
to graduate from Albany High School and pursue several correspondence
degrees in Law and Business.
In 1957, Hilton started working for Southeastern Liquid Fertilizer in
Albany, Georgia, before serving as the Assistant to the President of
Planters Chemical Company in Virginia. He then moved back to Albany in
1964 to work for the Thompson/Hayward Chemical Company and was
appointed Regional Manager for the company in 1981. Hilton also has
served as a salesman for the TIDA Farm Service Center where his sales
exceeded $1.5 million in his first year and $3 million in his second
year, thus proving his acuity as a salesman. In the early 1990s, he
purchased a pecan farm and farmed over 1,900 acres of pecan trees for
almost six years. He later started a nickel nutrient supplement
company, Nipan, LLC, in 2003. Products from his company have gained
tremendous popularity in the last few years and are shipped all over
the United States.
In 2002, Hilton, along with Bucky Geer and James Lee Adams, testified
before the Risk Management Agency on behalf of pecan growers. His
undying efforts helped pecan growers across the United States attain
crop insurance. Hilton also testified before the House and Senate
Committees on Agriculture in an effort to obtain larger provisions for
the pecan industry in the 2008 Farm bill. Consequently, pecans were
included in the Country of Origin labeling requirements and also in the
crop insurance program.
Hilton continued to work on expanding pecan exports to China and
other agricultural economies, by partnering with the United States
Department of Agriculture and Georgia Department of Agriculture, and
pushing for pecan farmers' participation in the Market Access program,
a program that helps finance promotional activities for U.S.
agricultural products.
In 2004, Hilton championed efforts to obtain ``clean up'' assistance
for pecan farmers who were hurt by hurricanes that devastated parts of
Georgia and Alabama. In 2010, he testified before the House Agriculture
Committee on the future of the pecan industry and the importance of
nutrition and trade to this industry, for the 2010 Farm bill.
Hilton accomplished much throughout his life, but none of this would
have been possible without his enduring faith in God and the love and
support of his wife, Faye; his children, Rhonda, Scott, and Jamie; and
a host of family and friends who will miss him deeply.
On a personal note, Hilton was my friend. I will miss his sage advice
and wise counsel. He never told me what I wanted to hear; he always
told me what I needed to hear. The state of Georgia and our Nation have
been truly blessed to benefit from Hilton's leadership and advocacy.
Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and me,
along with the almost 730,000 people in Georgia's Second Congressional
District and countless others across America in paying tribute to Mr.
Hilton R. Segler for a life well lived and in extending our deepest
sympathies to his family, friends, and loved ones during this difficult
time of bereavement. Moreover, we pray that they will be consoled and
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks,
and months ahead.
____________________
