[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S11586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO J.B. HUNT

  Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I come to the floor today, joining my 
colleague Senator Pryor, as we pay tribute to the life of one of 
Arkansas's business and philanthropic giants: Mr. J.B. Hunt. The 
billion dollar trucking company that J.B. Hunt built can only by 
characterized as the very personification of the American dream, and 
the only thing more impressive than the trucking empire he has created 
is the life he led and the journey he took to get there.
  I am so grateful to have known this wonderful man and to have called 
him my friend. From the moment you met J.B. Hunt, you knew he was not 
your typical business mogul. He was much more. He was much like all of 
these hardworking Arkansans whom I reflect on this map.
  J.B. Hunt's formal education ended when he dropped out of school at 
12 years of age when, similar to many people of the Great Depression 
and that generation, he had to find employment to help his family 
survive. That is what we are talking about, we are talking about 
American families who are working hard to reach that dream. Here is a 
man who did.
  Every time I was able to be around J.B. Hunt, I always knew he never 
forgot that challenging period of his life, and its impact helped shape 
the character of the man who would put in the hard work and long hours 
to get the job done right. When I first heard the news of his passing, 
I reflect on our first meeting. He asked about me, came up to me, and 
he said: Now, Blanche, who are your people anyhow? Of course that 
meant, Who are your relatives? Who are your parents? Where do you come 
from?
  He immediately recalled that he had come to know my father from the 
time he spent personally hauling rice loads across the State of 
Arkansas. Mr. Hunt reminisced that those were back in the days when he 
had just one truck. And I thought then that not only was J.B. Hunt a 
man who was proud of what his company had become, but he appreciated 
the time and the hard work that had been required to get there. He knew 
more than just where his trucks traveled, he knew the people along the 
way. Although J.B. Hunt is considerably larger today--any of our 
colleagues who travel across the interstates will see a J.B. Hunt truck 
from Lowell, AK,--Mr. Hunt himself never changed who he was as an 
individual. His dedication reached well beyond his company to many 
philanthropic efforts that continue to greatly benefit our State of 
Arkansas.

  True to form, J.B. Hunt dedicated much more than millions of 
dollars--he dedicated considerable amounts of his time. Until his 
death, he remained a man who was willing to put in the hard work and 
the long hours to do the job right--and Arkansas is a far better place 
as a result.
  I am certainly grateful to have had his friendship and to pay tribute 
to the life he led so well. My thoughts and prayers and my deepest 
sympathies are with his family at this very difficult time, and my 
gratitude goes out to Mr. Hunt, who truly exemplified that it is not 
just the view at the top, it is truly the journey that gets you there 
that is worth more than anything that you could get in return.
  I yield the floor for my colleague, Senator Pryor, from Arkansas.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas is recognized.
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I wish to talk about the two same subject 
matters that the senior Senator from Arkansas talked about, in that 
order. I do want to talk about J.B. Hunt, but first I want to talk 
about the timber tax.
  Before I do, I ask unanimous consent for Senator DeWine to have 1 
hour to finish his remarks, after the conclusion of the remarks of the 
junior Senator from Tennessee, who I understand is the last speaker in 
this sequence this evening.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, let me notify the staff, Senator DeWine 
said he would certainly be flexible, if someone needed some time and 
needed to maybe cut in a little bit. He was certainly willing to work 
with whoever wanted to do that, but he did ask we seek unanimous 
consent for 1 hour.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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