[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 143 (Wednesday, October 5, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                       TRIBUTE TO JAMES M. OAKES

  Mr. JOHNSTON. Mr. President, later this month, my State staff 
director, Jim Oakes, will become the new athletic director for 
Louisiana Tech.
  Jim joined my staff 15 years ago, in 1979, just a few years out of 
Louisiana Tech, with two all-consuming interests, his alma mater and 
politics. Jim is from Homer, and his roots are deep in north Louisiana. 
His father, ``Snap'' Oakes, was sheriff of Claiborne Parish for 24 
years before being sworn in as U.S. Marshall for the western district 
earlier this year. It is easy to see Jim learned a great deal from his 
father.
  He began his Senate career by directing my Shreveport office, but 
later came to Washington as my administrative assistant, and since 1990 
he has directed all of my State operations. He has been advisor, 
friend, campaign manager, and I can honestly say that I have never had 
a better informed, better organized, more loyal, and better liked staff 
member.
  If genius is the infinite capacity for taking pains, Jim is the 
Albert Einstein of Louisiana. He is a tireless perfectionist. For Jim, 
no detail of an event is too small, no legislative issue too 
peripheral, and no Louisianian is too unimportant for his urgent 
attention. He not only works hard and effectively himself, but 
persuades others to give their best efforts as well. Any event 
organized by Jim Oakes runs like clockwork because he has foreseen all 
the problems and ironed out all the glitches.
  Over the years, a number of those events seem to have involved 
Louisiana Tech. His lovely wife Tammie and their dog Homer come first, 
but Tech and its athletic teams run a close second in Jim's affections. 
He might have gone without sleep, but Jim would never miss a game by 
the three-time national champions, the Lady Techsters. By the way, the 
Lady Techsters have competed in 11 final fours and every single NCAA 
tournament for women. Jim would tell you that, and also that Karl 
``Mailman'' Malone of the Utah Jazz and P.J. Brown of the New Jersey 
Nets, came from Tech. In a sense, Jim has already been working for 
Tech--he is the hardest working and best informed Tech booster alive.
  I know that the energy and attention to detail that has characterized 
Jim's career in politics will now be directed to football, basketball, 
baseball, and all of Louisiana Tech's athletic programs. I have worked 
closely with Jim for 15 years now, and based on what I know of his 
character and drive, it is safe to predict a long string of winning 
seasons for Louisiana Tech.

                          ____________________