[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 23 (Wednesday, March 6, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E277]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF JAMES H. MCKENZIE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 5, 2002

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a close 
personal friend and a distinguished Arkansan who last week lost a 
courageous four and a half year battle with cancer. His name was James 
H. McKenzie.
  Jim McKenzie was born in my hometown of Prescott, Arkansas, in 1941. 
After graduating from Prescott High School, he attended the University 
of Arkansas and was a member of Arkansas Razorback baseball team and 
the Student Senate and president of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. He 
then went on to get his law degree from the University of Arkansas 
School of Law and served two years on active duty as a Captain in the 
U.S. Army.
  Upon his discharge from active duty, Jim returned to Prescott to 
practice law. As an attorney, he quickly earned the respect of the 
legal community and became a leader in the Arkansas Bar Association, 
serving in many capacities including president. He fulfilled 
appointments to several committees of the Arkansas Supreme Court and, 
in 1998, was named outstanding lawyer by the Arkansas Bar.
  In our hometown of Prescott, to say that Jim was a respected and 
notable citizen would be an understatement. He was a pillar in our 
community. Jim served as president or chairman of the local Chamber of 
Commerce, the hospital board, and the Kiwanis Club. He was a lifelong, 
active member of the First United Methodist Church, where he was my 
Sunday school teacher. He was also a youth sponsor in the church, and 
he even coached Little League baseball.
  Jim McKenzie truly exemplified the ideal of a public citizen. 
Throughout his life, he was a leader who never hesitated to give his 
time and energy to help others. For me personally, he was a role model 
growing up and an inspiration throughout my public service. I am 
grateful for all he did for our family and for his fellow citizens, and 
I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to call him a friend. His 
death is an enormous loss not only to those who knew him well, but also 
to our community and to our state.
  My heart goes out especially to Jim's wife, Betty, their two 
daughters, Kris and Miki, and their five grandchildren as they deal 
with the pain of this difficult loss, and I am keeping all of them in 
my thoughts and prayers. While Jim may no longer be with us, his legacy 
and his spirit will always live on in all those whose lives he touched.

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