[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 132 (Tuesday, December 5, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2089]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO HAROLD STONES

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2006

  Mr. MOORE of Kansas. Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity today to 
bring to the attention of the Members of the House a recent tribute to 
Harold Stones, of Topeka, KS, that was published in the Topeka Capital-
Journal.
  The longtime former executive director of the Kansas Bankers 
Association, since retiring from that position in 1997, Harold Stones 
has served as special projects director for Kansas Senator Pat Roberts. 
As the Capital-Journal article details, at the age of 75, Harold 
continues to work diligently in the service of his fellow Kansans, 
working on economic development issues and serving as a liaison with 
Kansas military families.
  I commend Harold Stones to my colleagues and encourage all to take 
his example to heart!

               [From the Capital-Journal, Nov. 28, 2006]

                      Still a ``Political Junkie''

                             (By Jan Biles)

       Harold Stones retired as executive vice president of the 
     Kansas Bankers Association in 1997 after 30 years of service. 
     But instead of taking it easy, he embarked on a second 
     career--Kansas special projects director for Sen. Pat 
     Roberts.
       Stones, 75, of Topeka, said he had known Roberts for 
     several years before the senator asked him to join his staff 
     to work in the areas of economic development and military 
     affairs.
       ``I will do this job as long as he wants me to,'' he said.
       Stones grew up in a Smith County farming family who taught 
     him the importance of voting and never shied away from 
     politics.
       ``My great-grandfather was a probate judge. My grandfather 
     was a county treasurer, and my dad was a township 
     committeeman,'' he said.
       After attending Fort Hays State University for a year, 
     Stones taught in a county school for a year before joining 
     the U.S. Air Force. When his four-year stint was over, he 
     returned to Fort Hays State University, where he earned 
     bachelor's and master's degrees. He was hired by the 
     university to teach speech and coach the debate team and then 
     became director of alumni affairs and student placement.
       About a decade later, in 1967, he joined the Kansas Bankers 
     Association. When he celebrated his 25th year there, the 
     association set up a scholarship fund in his name at Fort 
     Hays State University. Each year, four students are awarded 
     scholarships.
       ``It's a general scholarship for a child of someone who 
     works at a Kansas bank,'' he said.
       Stones' experience at the bankers association gave him the 
     opportunity to learn more about the ups and downs of the 
     Kansas economy. The 1980s were particularly hard on the 
     state's farming, energy and banking businesses.
       ``Every time a farmer went (under), an ag bank went with 
     it,'' he said.
       Stones tapped into that experience when Roberts tapped him 
     for a staff position. He traveled throughout Kansas to meet 
     with local chambers of commerce and economic development 
     groups. He now is advising Roberts on how to build a high-
     tech job base in the state.
       When the Iraq war started, Roberts asked Stones to act as 
     the senator's liaison with Fort Riley, Fort Leavenworth and 
     McConnell Air Force Base. He has attended dozens of 
     deployment and welcome-home ceremonies at the military bases, 
     as well as memorial and funeral services.
       ``Senator Roberts writes a letter to each family (who has 
     lost a loved one in the war) and I hand deliver the letter 
     and talk to them,'' he said.
       One of the highlights of his years with the senator was 
     traveling to Bosnia in October 1997 as a volunteer to assist 
     in organizing a multi-ethnic, democratic Bosnia Bankers 
     Association.
       ``It was a slow process, but 18 to 24 months later Bosnia 
     established a Bosnia bankers group,'' he said.
       Stones said he exercises on a regular basis at a local 
     fitness center and continues to be a ``political junkie''--
     something that would please his office-holding ancestors.
       Above all, he is optimistic about where the country and 
     state are going.
       ``The past is gone,'' he said. ``Our best days are yet to 
     come.''

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