Willie Gathrel Hefner (April 11, 1930 – September 2, 2009), was an American radio personality and Democratic U.S. Congressman from

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, serving between 1975 and 1999.

Life and career

Born in Elora, Tennessee, Hefner graduated from high school in Sardis, Alabama. He attended the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, and he became the president and owner of radio station WRKB in

Kannapolis, North Carolina Kannapolis () is a city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, Cabarrus and Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan Counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina, northwest of Concord, North Carolina, Concord and northeast of Charlotte, North Carolina, ...

. He was a member of the Harvesters Quartet, a group of

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

singers based in North Carolina, from 1954 to 1967, and was a television performer on numerous North Carolina TV channels. In 1974, he was elected as a Democrat to the

94th United States Congress The 94th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from January 3, 197 ...

; he served a total of 12 terms, from January 3, 1975, until January 3, 1999, when he retired from Congress. Hefner built a reputation as an advocate for veterans, and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in

Salisbury, North Carolina Salisbury ( ) is a city in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of North Carolina, United States; it has been the county seat of Rowan County, North Carolina, Rowan County since 1753 when its territory extended to the Mississippi River. ...

, was renamed in his honor on April 16, 1999. After retiring from Congress, Hefner moved with his wife, Nancy, to Alabama. He served from October 2001 until November 2002 as the District One commissioner for Marshall County, Alabama. He died in Huntsville, Alabama, on September 2, 2009, after suffering a

brain aneurysm An intracranial aneurysm, also known as a cerebral aneurysm, is a cerebrovascular disorder characterized by a localized dilation or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain due to a weakness in the vessel wall. These aneurysms can occur in an ...

References

There is an elementary school named after Bill Hefener in Fayetteville, NC. The school is in the city limits but sits on the edge of Ft. Bragg. The school serves students in prek-5th grade. Currently, as of 2022 the school is run by Dr. Donald Cahill and Jessica Cashwell.

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Hefner, Bill 1930 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American singers American gospel singers Entertainers from North Carolina Deaths from intracranial aneurysm Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina People from Lincoln County, Tennessee Southern gospel performers University of Alabama alumni 20th-century members of the United States House of Representatives