[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 30 (Thursday, February 25, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E287]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE LATE WILLIS PARKISON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 25, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I wish to 
take this opportunity to pay tribute to the remarkable life of my 
friend, Willis Parkison. Sadly, Willis died on February 5, 1999. Though 
friends and family will no doubt miss him greatly, everyone who has 
known Willis can take great solace in the memories of this truly 
exceptional individual.
  As those familiar with the area would surely testify, Willis Parkison 
was one of the ablest and most respected attorneys in Western Colorado 
during his over thirty years in the legal profession between 1938 and 
1978. In fact, except for being called into service during WWII as a 
Special Agent in the FBI, Willis practiced law in Glenwood Springs, 
Colorado continuously and with great distinction, specializing in 
probate work, wills and tax law.
  As the fourth of six successive generations of Parkisons living in 
the Glenwood Springs area, Willis was also a proud member and active 
participant in his community. What's more, as the proud husband of Ruth 
Parkison for 57 years, the father of Don, Susan, and Sarah, and the 
grandfather of Jessica and Amanda. Willis was, above all else, a family 
man. It is with these that our friend Willis' legacy now rests.
  Like his family, all of Willis' friends, including myself, feel a 
great sense of loss in this difficult time. Though family, friends and 
the community of Glenwood Springs are clearly worse off in his absence, 
I am hopeful, Mr. Speaker, that each of these will find comfort and 
strength in the knowledge that they are better off for having known 
Willis Parkison, a truly remarkable man.

                          ____________________