[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 49 (Monday, March 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S2228]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO WILL ETTA ``WILLIE'' OATES

 Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I wish to honor the life of a woman 
reverend across the State of Arkansas as a humble public servant. Will 
Etta ``Willie'' Oates, affectionately known as the ``Hat Lady,'' passed 
away on March 4, 2008. She was loved for her active volunteerism and 
Arkansas pride.
  Although she was born in Kansas, she was an Arkansan through and 
through. Willie was born to Harry and Fern Long in Arkansas City, KS, 
on January 14, 1918. She graduated from the University of Arkansas at 
Fayetteville where she was a cheerleader and met her life-long husband, 
Dr. Gordon Oates. It was at the university that she earned the nickname 
Willie.
  After World War II, Willie began her career of volunteerism in Little 
Rock. She was selected as Little Rock Woman of the Year in 1955. In 
1959, she became the first woman elected to the Arkansas Legislature in 
more than 30 years.
  Yet, it was her ``hat skits'' that captured people's attention. She 
traveled across Arkansas and more than 40 States speaking, performing 
her hat skits, judging various competitions, and serving as a grand 
marshall at many parades. In 1989, she was officially designated by 
proclamation of the State legislature as ``Arkansas's Hat Lady.''
  During her lifetime, Willie belonged to over 50 national, State, and 
local organizations, served on over 25 boards, and was active in the 
First Presbyterian Church of Little Rock.
  Willie Oates was my dear friend and an inspiration to all that knew 
her. I pay tribute to this public servant of Arkansas and express my 
greatest condolences to her family. She will be missed.

                          ____________________