[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 139 (Wednesday, December 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12056-S12057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO HELEN CHAMBERS HUNT

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I wish to remember the life of 
one of Alabama's finest First Ladies, Helen Chambers Hunt, the wife of 
former Gov. Guy Hunt. Miss Helen, as she was known, was a gracious and 
caring woman, who carried out her duties as First Lady with charm and 
compassion, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved 
her.
  I was honored to get to personally know this wonderful lady. Governor 
Hunt told me once of a lady who had seen Mrs. Hunt walk across the 
stage. The lady said to him, ``I can tell she is a fine lady and you 
must be a fine person too.'' It was true. Her very countenance and 
carriage projected an aura of faith, compassion and humility. The 
Governor was so very proud of her and so were the people of Alabama. In 
all her gifts and graces she represented the highest of Alabama values.
  Miss Helen grew up in the Birdsong community in Cullman County. She 
met Guy Hunt, the future Governor of Alabama, during high school, when 
they started dating. They met at church and their first date was to a 
drive-in movie. They were married in 1950, when Helen was only 16 years 
old and Guy was 17. The Hunts were blessed with four wonderful 
children--Pam, Sherrie, Keith and Lynn.
  Miss Helen enjoyed cooking and sewing and also spending time with her 
husband at their Holly Pond home. She stood with him through two terms 
as Cullman County Probate Judge as well as his tenure as Governor from 
1987-1993. Although she did not seek the spotlight, as First Lady she 
embraced a campaign to reduce littering along Alabama highways that 
resulted in the creation of the highly successful Adopt-a-Mile Program. 
She also was a wonderful hostess at the Governor's Mansion, organizing 
numerous dinners,

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barbeques, and other social events. The Retirement Systems of Alabama 
recognized Miss Helen's service by naming a daycare center in 
Montgomery the RSA Helen Hunt Learning Center. She also devoted a great 
deal of her time to helping disabled children--a passion that grew from 
the fact that Pam, the Hunt's eldest daughter, was a special-needs 
child.
  Not only was Helen Hunt the wife of a Baptist minister, but she was a 
devoted Christian and her life was a witness to her faith. She will be 
remembered by all the people of Alabama who loved her dearly as a warm 
and gracious First Lady, and a devoted and loving wife.

                          ____________________