[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 212 (Tuesday, December 15, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7485-S7486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                  Tribute to Henry C. ``Hoppy'' Shores

  Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to honor a good friend of 
mine and to thank Commissioner Henry C. ``Hoppy'' Shores for his many 
years of service to Kanawha County, WV, and America.
  Hoppy was born in Dunbar, WV, during the Great Depression. Hoppy lost 
his parents at a young age and moved in with his sister on the West 
Side of Charleston.
  In high school he attended a school which was then called Stonewall 
Jackson High School. Hoppy was a standout athlete. He played as a 
running back on the 1947 State championship team.
  In 1949, he won West Virginia's Kennedy Award, as the State's top 
high school football player of the year. It was also during his high 
school years that Hoppy got an interest in politics when he first ran 
for and won the senior class presidency.
  But the most important thing that happened during those formative 
years was on the first day of high school, when Hoppy first met the 
love of his life, Bronson Garcelon. They have been married since 1953, 
and I can personally attest--living in the same town--that they have 
been inseparable ever since.
  He repeated his high school success while he was in college at West 
Virginia University in the 1950s and again became the class president. 
He graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in business, 
and after college he enlisted in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of 
major.
  During the years after his service, Hoppy grew a very successful 
career in the insurance business.
  In 1966, Hoppy was recruited to run for the Kanawha County Commission 
by a prominent local attorney. After he

[[Page S7486]]

initially refused, he eventually said, OK, he would run. He won and 
served an initial term, and then decided, well, maybe that is it. He 
stepped out for a term, but he was pulled back into the political arena 
and served another 6-year term. After serving that second term, he then 
served and ran and won two separate terms for the West Virginia House 
of Delegates, representing Kanawha County, his home.
  In 1990, he decided to return to the Kanawha County Commission and 
was again elected to one of the three seats. Voters have sent him back, 
with my help, to the commission every year since, making him the 
longest serving commissioner ever in the entire State.
  During his 42 years on the Kanawha County Commission, Hoppy 
accomplished a host of successful initiatives on behalf of our 
citizens. Of particular interest and importance during his tenure, by 
the time Hoppy has left, or is leaving, 97 percent--and we have to get 
that to 100--but 97 percent of the county now has potable water. And I 
know that sounds like a given, but extending water service to some of 
the areas through rural West Virginia is not an easy task, but it was 
one that Hoppy always tackled.
  Hoppy always pushed for the health and well-being of others, and, as 
such, with his insistence, the commission instituted a program to 
provide free mammograms for county employees, leading to early 
detection of cancer and saving lives.
  Hoppy has always been a tireless advocate for the Kanawha County 
airport, now called the Yeager Airport, which was named after another 
famous West Virginian, whom we just lost, our aviator and American hero 
the late Chuck Yeager.
  I remember working closely with Hoppy in 2005, when the West Virginia 
National Guard's 130th Airlift unit was slated for closure in the 
Department of Defense 2008 BRAC. That is the Base Realignment and 
Cloture report. Of course, Hoppy won that battle, too, and the 130th 
proudly remains at Yeager Airport.
  Hoppy has accomplished so much during his time in office that I 
cannot possibly cover everything. However, I would be remiss if I did 
not mention his passion for parks; his passion for recreation; 
obviously, with his past, his passion for athletics; and, most 
importantly, the children in Kanawha County.
  Hoppy has advocated for public recreation. He has pushed for 
baseball, football, soccer fields, golf courses, tennis courts, county 
fairs, hiking trails, and modern park facilities. In fact, Coonskin 
Park in Kanawha County, which is the largest public park in our county, 
is one of the nicest in the State because of Hoppy's work.
  One of my favorite stories about Hoppy involves both Coonskin Park 
and Christmas. In the year 2006, when a small train that carried 
children and their families around Coonskin Park to see the holiday 
lights was in bad disrepair, Hoppy jumped in to save the day. He worked 
to find the money and a suitable replacement, lovingly dubbing it 
``Hoppy's Little Express.''
  And can you guess who the train conductor was? That is right--
Commissioner Hoppy Shores. At the time he said:

       When I look into a child's eyes, and see a smile, it warms 
     my heart to know I was able to help them with a new 
     playground, park, baseball field or a train ride at Christmas 
     on Hoppy's Little Express. It is all about the children.

  Hoppy Shores knows what public service is all about. It is about the 
children and providing a better future for all those you care about. 
Hoppy never forgot that, and for that, he will never be forgotten.
  I am sure that Hoppy has had difficult times in his life but, you 
know what, you would just never know it by looking at him or knowing 
him. He is always wearing his signature smile and always has a kind 
word to offer. I have never met someone who did not like Hoppy Shores, 
even if they disagreed with his politics.
  So after 42 years of service to the Kanawha County Commission, it is 
my honor to congratulate Commissioner Shores on his retirement, which 
will take effect at the end of this month. While I will certainly miss 
him, as I am sure many of us will--and those, particularly, in the 
Kanawha County courthouse--I know Hoppy and Bronson are looking forward 
to spending more time with their four children--Scott, Lynn, Sherry, 
and Henry, who I think is called ``Little Hop,'' and their four 
grandchildren and great-granddaughter.
  I am also looking forward to my frequent run-ins that Charlie and I 
have with Bronson and Hop at The Grill, while we eat hotdogs on a 
Saturday afternoon on the West Side.
  So on behalf of the State of West Virginia, it is my honor to extend 
my best wishes to my friend--all of our friend--a friend of Kanawha 
County and really a friend to West Virginia, Commissioner Henry C. 
``Hoppy'' Shores, on his retirement.
  Thank you, Hoppy, and congratulations.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to engage in a 
colloquy with my colleagues.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.