[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 89 (Monday, June 2, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S4891]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING J.R. SIMPLOT

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, Idaho lost one of her native sons on 
May 25, a man who put Idaho on the map and made ``Famous Potatoes'' 
synonymous with Idaho across the world. John Richard ``J.R.'' Simplot 
passed away at the age of 99, leaving a legendary legacy of hard work 
and shrewd business dealing--a pioneer in every respect. Who would have 
thought that a young man, with no more than an eighth grade education 
who used to hunt wild horses to feed hogs--his first business venture 
as a teenager--would put Micron on the global map some 50 years later? 
Among other things, J.R. can be credited with catapulting the 
ubiquitous McDonald's French fry to worldwide fame.
  By the reckoning of some, J.R. Simplot is responsible for the 
employment of 14,000 Idahoans today, as well as the establishment of 
many Boise retail and hospitality centers such as the Boise Centre on 
the Grove, the Boise Factory Outlet and the Qwest Arena.
  Those of us who knew him knew a man with a colorful personality and a 
resolute sense of self and what he believed in. He was a dogged 
businessman, as comfortable in his role in convincing President Reagan 
to support U.S. business interests as he was wandering into a 
campground near his cabin to visit with folks around the fire. His 
personality was as multifaceted as the organizations and institutions 
to which he gave millions of dollars. J.R. donated to multiple causes 
including millions of dollars to Boise State University and other Idaho 
institutions of higher learning, the Ronald McDonald House, the Boys 
and Girls Clubs, the arts, Idaho Public Television, the Boise 
Zoological Society, Boise area medical centers, the YMCA and public 
libraries. Being rated by Forbes as one of the top 100 wealthiest 
Americans, and the oldest living billionaire in the United States, 
didn't change J.R.'s outlook on life, nor his habit of driving to 
McDonald's to eat a few times a week. In his trademark pragmatic way, 
he outlined for Esquire Magazine, at age 92, what it takes to be 
successful in business. He compared business to playing a game of 
marbles: ``Each man has his own taw, and if he gets good with that taw, 
he can knock the hell out of some marbles. And he can win, but he has 
to have strong fingers and the right aim. It's like anything else: You 
got to work at it.''
  J.R. was a no-nonsense, down-to-earth, highly perceptive businessman, 
entrepreneur and philanthropist. Idaho can be proud of his incredible 
legacy.

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