[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 74 (Friday, June 7, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1000]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    A TRIBUTE TO ROBERT S. HARGRAVES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 6, 2002

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Robert 
``Bobby'' Hargraves, a distinguished Arkansan, attorney, and life-long 
Democrat who died on June 1st at the young age of 55.
  Bobby's notable career in law began after he graduated from the 
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1973. He then moved to Hot 
Springs with his wife, Joanie, to begin a 29-year law practice. In 
those 29 years, he has served as an Arkansas Bar Examiner and has twice 
served as a Special Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, in addition 
to serving as a special Circuit Judge and Chancery Judge.
  But Bobby did much more for his community than uphold and defend the 
law; he was an exemplary citizen who cared a great deal for children, 
and he focused much of his work to better their lives and their 
futures. He served as Garland County's first Juvenile Referee and 
President of the Arkansas Juvenile Judges Association. He established 
the juvenile justice program in Hot Springs, and he founded the 
Ouachita Children's Center dedicated to providing emergency shelter and 
support services for abused, neglected, and troubled youth.
  Bobby was an avid gardener and outdoorsman, a devoted family man and 
member of the Episcopal Church, and a pillar in the Hot Springs 
community. He was a close, personal friend of President Bill Clinton.
  I know this is a difficult time for Bobby's wife, Joanie, their sons, 
Lucas and Jacob, his mother, Jean, his brother and two sisters, and all 
of his many friends and relatives whom he loved dearly. I am keeping 
all of them in my thoughts and prayers.
  While Bobby Hargraves may no longer be with us, his spirit and his 
legacy live on in the many lives of those he touched.

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