[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 169 (Thursday, October 24, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6144-S6145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING CHARLES T. JONES

  Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, I am here to recognize an unbelievable 
individual who contributed so much to my home State and to our country.
  My home State of West Virginia has lost a beloved family man, a noble 
veteran, a legendary businessman, a very proud West Virginian, and a 
very dear friend.
  President John Kennedy, when visiting our State during our centennial 
in 1963, said: ``The sun does not always shine in West Virginia, but 
the people always do.''
  Charles T. Jones, whom we called ``Captain Charlie,'' exemplified 
this, and his light will forever shine through the many people who knew 
and loved him best. He was truly one of a kind. He was one of the most 
warm, kind people I ever had the privilege of knowing.
  Last year, I had the privilege of submitting a Congressional Record 
statement for Charlie's 100th birthday. He credited his longevity to 
good genes, good luck, a great wife, and very supportive family, 
colleagues, and friends.
  Charlie was an innovator. He always had ideas for how to make 
something better or run more smoothly, making him a joy to work with 
and to work for.
  There is no greater reward in life than to be in a position to give 
back to the place that made you who you are. While he grew up on the 
banks of the Kanawha River in West Virginia, Charlie attended school in 
New Jersey, later earning a degree in business from Babson Institute in 
Massachusetts.
  Charlie then served his country in the U.S. Navy during World War II 
with the Navy Seabees in Guadalcanal and on a minesweeper as an 
engineering officer off the coast of Japan and the Philippines.
  After the war's end, Charlie came home to West Virginia and went to 
work for his family's coking coal business--Star Coal and Coke 
Company--which later became Amherst Coal Company in 1946. That was the 
company his grandfather started in 1893.
  Due to the downturn in production of and demand for coking coal, out 
of necessity, the company ventured into river transportation. In 1951, 
the family bought the Hatfield-Campbell Creek Coal Company, a business 
that operated steamboats, barges, and river terminals along the Kanawha 
and Ohio Rivers. He took over the river operations of the company and 
renamed them Amherst Barge Company. Along the way, the company became 
Madison Coal & Supply Company and is now known as Amherst Madison and 
still specializes in marine services like towing, construction, 
shipping, and equipment repairs. Amherst and its affiliated companies 
have proudly employed thousands of Virginians over the past 70 years.
  Charlie was one of the most hard-working, humble, and giving people 
the Mountain State has ever known and was a longtime supporter of many 
business, charitable, and community organizations throughout the 
Kanawha

[[Page S6145]]

Valley. Over the years, he served on numerous boards and committees, 
including the Yeager Airport Authority Board, Board of Trustees for the 
University of Charleston, Chairman Emeritus of the Inland Waterways 
Users Board, Trustee Emeritus of the West Virginia Chapter of the 
Nature Conservancy, Director Emeritus of the Mariners' Museum, past 
Chairman of the West Virginia Mining and Reclamation Association, 
former Director of the Charleston Area Medical Center Foundation, One 
Valley Bancorp, the Western Pocahontas Corporation, Ohio Valley 
Improvement Association, and so many more.
  In recent years, Charlie was honored as a Distinguished West 
Virginian by the Governor, entered into the Honorable Order of Kentucky 
Colonels by the people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, inducted into 
the West Virginia University College of Business and Economics Business 
Hall of Fame, and recognized as a West Virginia ``Who's Who'' by the 
State Journal.
  Additionally, he received previous honors, such as the Charleston 
YMCA's Spirit of the Valley Award, induction into the Coal Mining Hall 
of Fame, Charleston Gazette-Mail's West Virginian of the Year, Seamen's 
Church Institute Lifetime Achievement Award, and the National Rivers 
Hall of Fame Achievement Award, to name only a few.
  Put simply, Charlie was a regular Renaissance man. What stands out 
about Charlie's character was he that he was beloved by those who 
worked with him and knew him. He was compassionate and considerate and 
was also a strong leader and motivator with an unparalleled work ethic. 
It was an honor to call him a friend.
  Once again, Gayle and I send our deepest condolences to his children, 
Laura Jones Pray, C. Tandy Jones, and Jennifer Jones. I am honored to 
join each of you in remembering Charlie's legacy, as well as the 
unwavering love he had for his loved ones, community, and, most 
importantly, our home State.
  I know he and Mary Ellen and their son Nelson are looking down on 
each of them fondly today.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Florida.

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