HJR16 Summary

• Records the death of William Jelks Cabaniss, Jr. of Birmingham, Alabama on February 2, 2025, at age 86, and honors his life and service.

• Recognizes his military service as a United States Army officer commissioned through Vanderbilt ROTC, serving as an Airborne Ranger for three years in Germany and receiving the Army Commendation Medal in 1964.

• Acknowledges his legislative career in Alabama state government, serving in the House of Representatives beginning in 1978 and the State Senate from 1982-1990, where peers voted him one of five outstanding state senators.

• Commemorates his service as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic from 2004 to 2006, appointed by President George W. Bush, and his business success building Precision Grinding, Inc.

• Extends condolences to his family, including his fiancée Linda Parker Johnson, daughters Mary Cabaniss Ballard and Frances Cabaniss Johnson, and surviving grandchildren and extended family members.