[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 128 (Wednesday, September 22, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1712-E1713]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO DENNY JONES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 22, 2010

  Mr. WALDEN. Madam Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to share with 
you my admiration for a man who has deeply affected my life, and the 
lives of countless Oregonians, Denny Jones. Denny celebrated his 100th 
birthday yesterday. Denny crossing the century mark is a very special 
occasion, but more importantly is what he has done with those 100 
years. Denny was my father's close friend when they served together in 
the Oregon legislature in the 1970s. More than a decade later, I had 
the privilege of serving with him in the Oregon legislature. As House 
Majority Leader, I frequently sought Denny's advice and counsel and 
like so many others, relied on his deep sense of right and wrong, his 
clear commonsense philosophy and his thorough knowledge of water and 
western agriculture. He is a close friend and mentor, the

[[Page E1713]]

kind you want in this public life who will tell you when he thinks 
you're right and when he is convinced you are wrong. He sets the 
example for all of us to follow.
  Madam Speaker, Denny Jones came from humble beginnings to distinguish 
himself as a successful Oregon cattle rancher and 26-year state 
legislator. Denzil Eugene Jones was born on a wheat ranch between 
Heppner and Ione in Morrow County, Oregon on September 21, 1910. His 
mother passed away when he was five. Denny's father remarried, but his 
stepmother made him and his brother sleep outside in a tent, even in 
the winter. The family moved frequently through the years, as they made 
their way to Montana, back to Wheeler County, and then on to Crook 
County, where he finished 10th grade in Prineville.
  Honest labor and hard work have marked Denny's life. Learning how to 
ride horses from his father, he spent a short time as a jockey, 
traveling by boxcar from Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., to Tijuana, 
Mexico. But when his 106 pounds exceeded the weight limit, his three-
year contract was cut short and he was never paid for the job he did. 
He then worked for a sheep outfit, moving to Juntura in Malheur County 
when he was 18. There, he earned $50 a month plus room. After that, 
ranching became his focus throughout the 1930s. In 1939, his relative, 
Jim Jones, offered him a 10-year opportunity to share in running a 
cattle ranch. At the end of those years, he signed over his share of 
the cattle as a down payment on his ranch. Two years later, Denny owned 
it free and clear with 400 head of cattle. Life was particularly hard 
in the 1940s, when he broke his leg and dislocated his knee when he was 
thrown from a horse. He later broke his back slipping on a frozen cow 
pie.
  Ranch life continued until the 1970s, when the family moved to 
Ontario, Oregon. One year after the move, the local business community 
asked him to run for Oregon's 60th District House seat. Denny was 
elected in 1972, and served for 13 terms, the second-longest serving 
member of the Oregon Legislature. During those 26 years, he served on 
the Emergency Board, the Committees on Agriculture, Transportation, and 
Education, and was co-chair of the Joint Committee on Ways and Means. 
He brought his own brand of eastern Oregon conservatism to Salem and 
quickly earned a reputation as a fiscal hawk with a kind heart. The 
experience he gained as a high desert cattle rancher served him and 
Oregon taxpayers well.
  It was the values he learned in his youth to which he credits his 
success in the Legislature. ``It's the most important thing that you 
keep your word and that you're honest with everybody,'' he said.
  Madam Speaker, Denny truly has done a lot of good in his 100 years. 
In addition to serving in the Oregon Legislature, Denny became a 
charter member of the Public Lands Council; was director, lobbyist, and 
two-time president of the Oregon Cattlemen's Association; a member of 
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of 
America, and the Freemasons; received the Malheur County Cattleman of 
the Year Award and was the Malheur County Livestock Association's 
president; received the Harney County Livestock Association Citizenship 
Award; received the Ontario Jaycees' Citizenship Award; was president 
of the Malheur Pioneer Association; was Director of the Pacific 
International Livestock Exposition; and was a board member of the 
Malheur County Budget Board, Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the Juntura 
School District, the Malheur County Juvenile Council, and the Agri-
Business Council of Oregon. And, at the age of 97 he was still 
considered one of the best ropers at Fred Otley's branding.
  Colleagues, Denny Jones is loved and revered in his community and in 
our State. He is the type of individual who understands the potential 
of this great Nation and has worked tirelessly to build a State and 
country that lives up to its promise. In celebration of his 100 years, 
there will be a display honoring Denny and his many accomplishments. 
Long after the display is gone, Denny's accomplishments and 
contributions will remain. I am honored to call him my good friend, and 
invite all of you to join me in honoring his 100th birthday.

                          ____________________