[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 13 (Friday, January 27, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E81]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING LEON HELMS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TIM GRIFFIN

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 27, 2012

  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and 
recognize the life and work of one of my constituents, Mr. Leon Helms, 
who will retire at the end of this month.
  Leon received his B.A. degree from Henderson State University. From 
1954 to 1956, he served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Army at 
installations at Nuremburg and Munich in Germany, and Fort Benning, 
Georgia.
  Since that time, Leon has enjoyed a distinguished banking career, 
spanning 55 years. Leon, a graduate of the National Trust School and 
the Louisiana State University School of Banking of the South, began 
his career in the area of personal trust at Commercial National Bank. 
After this, he spent a number of years at First Commercial Bank where 
he was manager of the bank and the personal trust administration 
department.
  For the past 11 years, Leon has served as a senior advisor at Delta 
Trust. His service there has proved instrumental to the growth and 
success of the trust department.
  Leon is also a distinguished member of Arkansas's legal profession. 
He received his J.D. from the School of Law at University of Arkansas 
at Little Rock, and he is a member of the Arkansas State Bar 
Association as well as the Pulaski County Bar Association. He was the 
2005-2006 President of the Pulaski County Bar Association.
  Leon's dedication to his community is demonstrated through his 
volunteer activity with a number of organizations. He also serves on 
the boards for the American Lung Association of Arkansas, the Arkansas 
Lighthouse for the Blind, and the Central Arkansas Estate Council. He 
also serves on the advisory board of the Jones Eye Institute.
  Leon and his wife, Ardith, reside in Little Rock, Arkansas, which is 
in my Congressional district. It is here that they will enjoy Leon's 
retirement.
  It is an honor to represent Leon, and I congratulate him on his long 
and distinguished career, on his retirement, and for his dedication to 
his community and his nation.

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