[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 3, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S21]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                   REMEMBERING MARY ANN RITTER ARNOLD

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, today I wish to remember the 
life and service of Mayor Mary Ann Ritter Arnold who served as mayor of 
Marked Tree, AR, in Poinsett County. Mayor Ritter passed away Thursday, 
December 21, at the age of 90.
  Mary Ann was devoted to the town of Marked Tree and loved it as much 
as anybody. Her family has been a part of the town from its inception, 
and she would fondly remark about how she loved ``this little ol' 
town'' any chance she got.
  Earlier in life, she studied at the University of Missouri, where she 
graduated in 1948 with a degree in home economics and fashion design. 
She married her husband, Sidney, and later, they moved back to Mary 
Ann's hometown of Marked Tree. In 1976, Mary Ann became president of E. 
Ritter & Company, one of the most successful family owned businesses in 
Arkansas.
  A trailblazer in many respects, Mary Ann was the first woman elected 
mayor of Marked Tree when she won the job in 2013. She gave back to the 
community in so many ways, both through the business she helped lead, 
as well as through her own personal engagement and involvement with her 
neighbors and fellow citizens.
  Among her many notable accomplishments and activities, she was 
president of the Arkansas Telephone Association, president of the 
Arkansas Agricultural Council, was a longtime member and former 
president of the Marked Tree Rotary Club, served as a justice of the 
peace, and was on the Poinsett County Quorum Court for 22 years. She 
also served on the St. Francis Levee Board and with the Crowley's Ridge 
Girl Scout Council. In 2015, she was inducted into the Arkansas Women's 
Hall of Fame.
  A devoted wife and mother, an astute and successful businesswoman, 
and a dedicated public servant, Mayor Ritter is truly missed and 
admired. Her legacy lives on through her family and by way of the 
tremendous impact she had on so many in Marked Tree. I send my 
condolences to her loved ones and the community and join them in 
celebrating her remarkable life.

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