[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 45 (Friday, April 2, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO LARRY McCOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MARION BERRY

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 2, 2004

  Mr. BERRY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an outstanding 
citizen; I am proud to recognize Larry Allen McCool in the Congress. 
His recent death was a great loss to his community, his family, his 
state and this nation.
  Larry McCool was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi. He earned an 
education degree and taught history in a Jackson, MS, high school. When 
he wasn't teaching, he traveled around the country buying and selling 
unusual antiques and collectibles. Mr. McCool ended his teaching career 
in the early 1970s to pursue his own dreams and opened a shop in 
Jackson where he realized his potential in appraising antiques.
  A four-time president of the Mississippi Auctioneers Association and 
president of the National Auctioneer's Association (NAA), Mr. McCool 
was a self-taught auctioneer who became one of the industry's foremost 
authorities on the appraisal and sale of antiques, fine arts and 
antebellum real estate. He continually pushed NAA to improve 
educational programs, increase its membership and revenues, and, most 
importantly, widen the charities NAA supported.
  Despite his drive and dedication to auctioneering, Mr. McCool will be 
most remembered for his passion for charity auctions. On the day of his 
passing, he had planned to conduct an auction for a children's cancer 
fund, one of the many charities for which he raised hundreds of 
thousands of dollars for more than 25 years. Mr. McCool was named 
honorary chairman for the Hinds County chapter of the American Cancer 
Society, worked for the American Heart Association and volunteered his 
time to numerous charitable groups over the years.
  On behalf of Congress, I extend my deepest sympathies to Mr. McCool's 
family and gratitude for the countless hours he spent serving others. 
He leaves a legacy of accomplishment in the industry as well as 
inspiring memories for those who knew him.

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