[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 24, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN LASTING MEMORY OF THOMAS McRAE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 24, 2004

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to rise in honor of the life and 
legacy of Thomas McRae III. He was a loving father and husband, a 
statesman, a leader, a public servant, and a tireless advocate of 
helping the less fortunate. He recently passed away at the age of 65 at 
his family's home in Arkadelphia.
  Tom McRae, who was deeply rooted in an affluent Arkansas political 
family, graduated from El Dorado High School in 1956, and went on to 
earn a History degree from the University of Arkansas and a law degree 
from the University of Arkansas Law School. Upon graduation, he 
volunteered to go to Nepal with the Peace Corps in 1964, a 2-year 
experience that would give him a new perspective on society and allow 
him to perform extensive social work on behalf of Nepalese villagers 
and farmers.
  Tom became a household name in 1990 when he ran in the Democratic 
primaries against Governor Bill Clinton in the face of overwhelming 
odds. He finished a strong second in a field of six, proving that odds 
are no detriment to a steadfast spirit and determination to fight for 
the causes and ideals in which you believe. It was a fight he would 
continue years later by directing nonprofit programs in Mississippi and 
Kentucky, helping the rural poor get loans and find jobs.
  Throughout his life, Tom distinguished himself through a sustained 
commitment to his ideals and his community. He devoted himself to 
uplifting society by helping those less fortunate. His character is an 
example of the values we, as parents, teachers, community members, and 
legislators, hope to instill in our next generation. Bill Clinton spoke 
for many of us when he said, ``I respected, admired and liked Tom 
McRae, and I will be forever grateful for the lifetime of service he 
gave to Arkansas.''
  I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Christine, his children, 
Catherine and Thomas, as well as all of those who knew and loved him. 
Although he may no longer be with us, his spirit and his legacy live on 
in the examples he set and the many lives he touched.

                          ____________________