[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 68 (Tuesday, June 6, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E885-E886]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    HONORING HARLAND AND RUTH JACOB

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 6, 2000

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker. It is with great pleasure that I now wish 
to take this moment to honor two individuals that I am proud to call 
friends, Harland and Ruth Jacob. On June 4, 2000, Harland and Ruth will 
celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. As family and friends gather 
to celebrate this wonderful occasion, I too would like to pay tribute 
to the 50 year union of these great Americans. Harland and Ruth Jacob 
were married on June 4, 1950 in Bloomfield, Nebraska.
  Harland had been attending the University of Nebraska in the months 
prior, but was forced to return to Bloomfield to run the family farm 
when his father fell ill. While the illness was deeply unfortunate, it 
appears that Mr. Jacob's illness had something to do with a larger 
plan. You see, Mr. Speaker, had Harland not returned to Bloomfield 
because of his father's illness, he never would have met his bride-to-
be Ruth at a town barbecue in the fall of 1949. As fate would have it, 
Ruth and her three sisters would all later marry young men that they 
met for the first time at this fateful barbecue.
  Clearly smitten by Ruth, Harland didn't waste any time before seeking 
Ruth's hand in marriage--Harland asked Ruth to be his wife that 
Christmas. Six months later, they would start their new life together 
as husband and wife.
  After farming for about 3 years in Nebraska, Harland took a job with 
J.C. Penney's, where he would work for the next 20 years. Together, the 
Jacob family moved from town to town--J.C. Penney to J.C. Penney--all 
over the midwest, eventually settling in the great town of Grand 
Junction, Colorado. After retiring from Penney's many years later, 
Harland, with the support and able assistance of Ruth, started up his 
own carpet store in Grand Junction. Surviving a cycle of boom and busts 
that claimed the life of many a business in the Grand Valley, the 
Jacob's store is set to celebrate its 17th year in business. The 
business, and the years of hard work put into it by Ruth and Harland, 
is rightfully a source of great pride for the Jacob's and their many 
friends and family. In so many ways, Harland and Ruth Jacob's 
dedication to keeping their furniture store afloat--through good times 
and

[[Page E886]]

bad--embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that makes America so great.
  While the success of their carpet business speaks volumes about Ruth 
and Harland, their enduring legacy rests in their beautiful family. 
Harland and Ruth are the proud parents of four--Kathy, Mike, Jean, and 
Todd--the grandparents of 14--Kelly Paxton, Rachel Jacob, Jake 
Zambrano, Amanda Hamblin, Elissa Zambrano, Joey Pepper, Josh Zambrano, 
Megan Lawson, Greg Jacob, Matt Pepper, David Pepper, Manon Jacob, Luke 
Jacob, and Amelia Jacob--and the great-grandparents of six more--Alexia 
Zambrano, Jerika Hamblin, Alex Zambrano, Arianna Zambrano, Sydney 
Hamblin, and Josh Zambrano.
  As you can see, Mr. Speaker, the Jacob family has been very blessed 
over the course of the last 50 years. As my friends Harland and Ruth 
celebrate this wonderful occasion, I want to wish them congratulations 
and continued happiness on behalf of their many friends, family, and 
neighbors. Ruth and Harland, we are all very proud of you!

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