[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 114 (Wednesday, September 11, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE HONORABLE WES WATKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. FRANK D. LUCAS

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 2002

  Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, today Oklahoma's delegation to 
the United States Congress pays tribute to our friend and colleague, 
the distinguished gentleman from Oklahoma, Wes Watkins.
  Following twenty years of service in the House, Wes Watkins is 
leaving Congress at the end of this term. His service on behalf of 
Oklahoma's Third Congressional District spans parts of four decades: 
From 1977 to 1991 as a Democrat, and from 1997 to the present as a 
Republican.
  Those of us who have had the honor to serve and work with Wes Watkins 
know him to be one of the hardest working and most dedicated members of 
the Congress.
  The Third District of Oklahoma has been one of the most rural, 
economically distressed areas of the nation, and Wes Watkins has made 
it his mission to lay the foundation for private sector economic 
development and job growth in his district.
  Whether he was recruiting potential employers or seeking federal 
funding for basic infrastructure that most of the country takes for 
granted--like paved roads and running water--Wes Watkins has always 
placed the needs of his constituents first on his priority list.
  When traditional financing couldn't be arranged for businesses to 
expand or locate in his district, Wes Watkins helped found Rural 
Enterprises of Oklahoma, a non-profit economic development organization 
that in the past twenty years has financed more than $200 million in 
business loans for rural Oklahoma. When a potential business recruit 
told him there was not an ample water supply to locate a coal-fueled 
electric power plant in his district, Wes Watkins obtained federal 
funding to raise the level of a local lake to accommodate the plant's 
needs.
  Wes Watkins led the effort to help fledgling rural businesses succeed 
by helping create the nation's first rural business incubators in his 
district. And he worked with Oklahoma's career and technology education 
system to create rural distance-learning centers to help bridge the 
digital divide between urban and rural areas by bringing technology 
training directly to his rural constituents.
  Thanks in large part to Wes Watkins' efforts, southeastern Oklahoma--
once known for its welfare dependency--is now developing into one of 
the fastest growing areas of our state.
  In addition to his economic development efforts in rural Oklahoma, 
Wes Watkins has earned a reputation as a strong supporter of our 
state's agriculture and energy industries. He has worked to improve 
rural health care and education. Wes Watkins has been an outspoken 
advocate for our nation's veterans and for a strong national defense. 
He has obtained funding for countless economic infrastructure projects 
like road construction, airport improvements, and water development in 
his rural district. And Wes Watkins' efforts to ensure Oklahoma's 
former Indian lands were eligible for federal Indian land tax 
incentives have provided Oklahoma with one of the best industrial 
recruitment tools in America.
  With twenty years of experience in the House, Wes Watkins is the dean 
of Oklahoma's House delegation. His leadership and wisdom will be 
greatly missed not just by his many admiring colleagues, but by his 
district, his state, and his nation.
  Thank you Wes, for your many years of service and for a job well 
done. Your friends in Oklahoma's congressional delegation wish you the 
best of health and continued success in the years to come.

                          ____________________