Floor SpeechNeutral2026-02-12

HONORING DAN DOLEMAN, JR.

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On 2026-02-12, Representative Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D-GA-2) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING DAN DOLEMAN, JR." in the House. The speech addressed healthcare and also covered taxes, the environment.

Full Text

HONORING DAN DOLEMAN, JR.

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E133-E134] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING DAN DOLEMAN, JR. ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Thursday, February 12, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a grateful heart to honor a man whose life reads like a prayer answered in service--my dear friend Dan Doleman, Jr. Mr. Doleman will be honored at a Black History Month Celebration with the Living Legend Award at Holsey Monumental CME Church on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Born in Columbus Georgia in 1941 to Dan Doleman, Sr. and Maggie Jackson. Dan's story began in a home that taught responsibility and love. A 1960 graduate of William H. Spencer High School, he answered his country's call in the United States Air Force, continuing his studies at American University and the University of Maryland while in uniform. After his honorable discharge he pursued higher learning at Savannah State and, in 1970, earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University at Buffalo--the start of a 56-year career spent healing bodies and restoring hope. Mr. Doleman's hands have steadied countless lives--from Meyer Memorial Hospital in Buffalo to Pine/Oak Manor Rehab Center, to home health agencies across Georgia and Alabama, to the Cerebral Palsy Center and Easter Seals. In 1990 he opened Rivertown Rehab, Inc., the first African American rehabilitation service in Columbus--not for fame or fortune, but to fill a need and answer a calling. Patients left his care steadier in body and lighter in spirit because he treated every person as if they were family. His faith has been the compass of his life. For eight decades at Holsey Chapel C.M.E. Church he served in the music ministry, as a lay leader, and now as chairman of the steward board. The scripture he held close--Colossians 3:23--became more than words: ``Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.'' That verse was not merely a guide for Dan; it was the pulse of his days. Dan's professional and civic life reads like a ledger of quiet courage: appointment by Governor George Busbee as the first African American member of the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy; decades of teaching and supervising students at Tuskegee University and Georgia State; leadership on the Health Systems Agency of Central Georgia; service on boards from Synovus to the YMCA to the Historic Liberty Foundation; and serving on the Muscogee County School Board. Honors followed--Citizen of the Year, humanitarian [[Page E134]] awards, leadership citations--but he wore them softly, like well-earned shoes that carried him back to the work. Through every title and every plaque, Dan Doleman remained first and always a family man. For 60 years he and Deloris Porter Doleman built a marriage rooted in prayer and perseverance. They raised two daughters, Danita and Donna, and reveled in grandchildren--Shane, Shawna, A.J., Braylon, and Alexandria, now resting in God's care. As the eldest of seven, he learned early what it means to lead with tenderness. If one line could capture Dan's life--the steady covenant of his hands and heart--it would be this: ``Live to mend what is broken, and in doing so, heal the world a little at a time.'' That sentence was his quiet credo; his practice made it true. He taught us that healing is never only clinical--it is patience, listening, the willingness to stand in pain with another until they can stand alone. On a personal note, I have known Dan and Deloris Doleman for many years, and they have been close friends and confidantes. I will be forever grateful for their fidelity and support over the years. Mr. Speaker, there are people who make noise, and there are people who make a home of service. Dan Doleman, Jr. made the latter. When you needed someone to listen, to steady, to fight quietly for dignity and care, Dan was there. His life is a testament to humble excellence and abiding love. I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian and the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring Dan Doleman, Jr.--a healer, a leader, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a friend whose hands and heart made Columbus stronger. May we carry forward his lesson: to labor with our whole hearts, to repair what is broken, and to love without counting the cost. ____________________

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HONORING DAN DOLEMAN, JR. Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 30 (Thursday, February 12, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E133-E134] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING DAN DOLEMAN, JR. ______ HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR. of georgia in the house of representatives Thursday, February 12, 2026 Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a grateful heart to honor a man whose life reads like a prayer answered in service--my dear friend Dan Doleman, Jr. Mr. Doleman will be honored at a Black History Month Celebration with the Living Legend Award at Holsey Monumental CME Church on Sunday, February 15, 2026. Born in Columbus Georgia in 1941 to Dan Doleman, Sr. and Maggie Jackson. Dan's story began in a home that taught responsibility and love. A 1960 graduate of William H. Spencer High School, he answered his country's call in the United States Air Force, continuing his studies at American University and the University of Maryland while in uniform. After his honorable discharge he pursued higher learning at Savannah State and, in 1970, earned his Bachelor of Science in Physical Therapy from the University at Buffalo--the start of a 56-year career spent healing bodies and restoring hope. Mr. Doleman's hands have steadied countless lives--from Meyer Memorial Hospital in Buffalo to Pine/Oak Manor Rehab Center, to home health agencies across Georgia and Alabama, to the Cerebral Palsy Center and Easter Seals. In 1990 he opened Rivertown Rehab, Inc., the first African American rehabilitation service in Columbus--not for fame or fortune, but to fill a need and answer a calling. Patients left his care steadier in body and lighter in spirit because he treated every person as if they were family. His faith has been the compass of his life. For eight decades at Holsey Chapel C.M.E. Church he served in the music ministry, as a lay leader, and now as chairman of the steward board. The scripture he held close--Colossians 3:23--became more than words: ``Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.'' That verse was not merely a guide for Dan; it was the pulse of his days. Dan's professional and civic life reads like a ledger of quiet courage: appointment by Governor George Busbee as the first African American member of the Georgia State Board of Physical Therapy; decades of teaching and supervising students at Tuskegee University and Georgia State; leadership on the Health Systems Agency of Central Georgia; service on boards from Synovus to the YMCA to the Historic Liberty Foundation; and serving on the Muscogee County School Board. Honors followed--Citizen of the Year, humanitarian [[Page E134]] awards, leadership citations--but he wore them softly, like well-earned shoes that carried him back to the work. Through every title and every plaque, Dan Doleman remained first and always a family man. For 60 years he and Deloris Porter Doleman built a marriage rooted in prayer and perseverance. They raised two daughters, Danita and Donna, and reveled in grandchildren--Shane, Shawna, A.J., Braylon, and Alexandria, now resting in God's care. As the eldest of seven, he learned early what it means to lead with tenderness. If one line could capture Dan's life--the steady covenant of his hands and heart--it would be this: ``Live to mend what is broken, and in doing so, heal the world a little at a time.'' That sentence was his quiet credo; his practice made it true. He taught us that healing is never only clinical--it is patience, listening, the willingness to stand in pain with another until they can stand alone. On a personal note, I have known Dan and Deloris Doleman for many years, and they have been close friends and confidantes. I will be forever grateful for their fidelity and support over the years. Mr. Speaker, there are people who make noise, and there are people who make a home of service. Dan Doleman, Jr. made the latter. When you needed someone to listen, to steady, to fight quietly for dignity and care, Dan was there. His life is a testament to humble excellence and abiding love. I ask my colleagues to join me, my wife Vivian and the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in honoring Dan Doleman, Jr.--a healer, a leader, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a friend whose hands and heart made Columbus stronger. May we carry forward his lesson: to labor with our whole hearts, to repair what is broken, and to love without counting the cost. ____________________