[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 93 (Thursday, May 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S3889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO PAUL HOLLIS

 Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Mr. 
Paul Hollis of Rollingi Fork, MS, for his service and contributions to 
the State of Mississippi while serving as the 85th president of Delta 
Council.
  Organized in 1935, Delta Council plays an important role in uniting 
the agricultural, business, and economic development leadership to 
solve problems and promote greater opportunities in the Mississippi 
Delta region, which encompasses 19 counties in Northwest Mississippi.
  Mr. Hollis has selflessly committed himself this year to the standing 
priorities of Delta Council's agenda, namely flood control, among other 
major issues the council addresses. As the owner and operator of Hollis 
Farms in Anguilla, MS, for over 30 years, he knows all too well the 
unjust history and devastation the incomplete Yazoo Backwater Pumps 
flood control project has brought to his community. There are few 
proponents of the Yazoo Backwater Pump Project who have volunteered the 
time, loyalty, attention, and leadership as fervently as Paul Hollis.
  Mr. Hollis assumed the role of Delta Council president in a 
nontraditional fashion by way of the first-ever virtual meeting of 
Delta Council, due to the unprecedented challenges we faced during the 
COVID-19 global pandemic. Despite the hardships the virus brought upon 
our State and Delta Council, Mr. Hollis led this organization admirably 
through the rest of 2020 to restore the traditional Delta Council Day 
at the 86th annual meeting, at which I am honored to serve as the 
keynote speaker.
  Outside of his time spent working on his farm and serving Delta 
Council, Mr. Hollis contributes his leadership skills to many valuable 
community organizations. He serves as commissioner for the Mississippi 
Levee Board and chairman of the Delta Council Flood Control Committee. 
He is president of his local Rotary Club, president of the Sharkey 
Country Club, serves on the board for Sharkey-Issaquena Academy, as 
well as Sharkey County School Board, chairman of the Board for Central 
Mississippi Walk to Emmaus, and a board member for the Lower Delta 
Partnership. He has also served as past chairman of Farm Service Agency 
for Sharkey County and is chairman of Trustees for Rolling Fork United 
Methodist Church.
  It is my pleasure to join the citizens throughout the great State of 
Mississippi in offering congratulations to Mr. Paul C. Hollis and 
sharing our appreciation with his wife Laura Boykin Hollis, their four 
adult children, and six grandchildren. His input over his year of 
service has undoubtedly contributed to the overall success of this 
highly respected 86-year-old organization, Delta Council.

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