[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 44 (Monday, March 10, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H1043-H1044]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               RECOGNIZING LORIE TUDOR ON HER RETIREMENT

  (Mr. Hill of Arkansas was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise to wish Lorie Tudor, the 
former director of the Arkansas Department of Transportation, a very 
healthy and happy retirement.
  Lorie was with the Department of Transportation for over four decades 
and served as the director for the last 5 years.
  She began her career at the department as a clerk-typist back in 
1982. After taking time away to earn an engineering degree from the 
University of Memphis, she returned to the department as a civil 
engineer in 1998.
  In 2014, she was promoted to deputy director and chief operating 
officer, and she became the agency's first female director in early 
2020.
  Lorie guided the department through the challenges of COVID-19, 
played a pivotal role in the Connecting Arkansas Program, which 
included over 30 State highway construction projects and helped 
modernize the Natural State's transportation infrastructure.
  She has left a lasting mark on the department and our State, and she 
has proven to be a tireless and effective leader.
  I thank Lorie for her lifetime of dedication and her terrific 
perseverance to accomplish her personal goals and those of the 
department.


                        Recognizing Austin Booth

  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Austin 
Booth, an exceptional Arkansan who recently completed his service as 
the director of our Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
  A native of Scott, Arkansas, the outdoors and a passion for public 
service were integral to Austin's upbringing.
  After witnessing the 9/11 attacks from his classroom at Catholic High 
School in Little Rock, Austin was determined to serve his country, 
ultimately becoming a Marine Corps officer and deploying to 
Afghanistan.
  After his tour in Afghanistan, Austin came to Washington, D.C., where 
he would go on to work as an advocate for the corps on Capitol Hill 
and, later, a judge advocate.
  He returned to Arkansas to serve in the Arkansas Department of 
Veterans Affairs and then as a director of the Arkansas Game and Fish 
Commission. Under his leadership, the commission launched its strategic 
5-year plan and Austin was instrumental in conservation projects that 
will benefit hunters, anglers, and conservationists for generations to 
come.
  I thank Austin for his leadership, for our friendship, and for his 
unwavering commitment to Arkansas' natural treasures, and wish him all 
the best in his future endeavors.


        Recognizing Bart Likes, Owner of Ol' Bart Southern Eats

  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bart 
Likes, the owner of Ol' Bart Southern Eats.
  What started as a job at a hunting lodge has become a successful 
multilocation restaurant and catering business that serves customers 
across our State. Yet, Bart's contributions to his community are not 
confined to his successful business.
  Since the tragic passing of his mother, he has been serving others in 
our State, including sponsoring local sports teams, feeding healthcare 
workers, and providing free meals to victims of domestic abuse.
  Bart's story should remind us all that life has twists and turns but 
following your passions will never steer you wrong. It should also 
remind us that there is no greater obligation in life than to help 
those in need.
  Madam Speaker, I applaud Bart for his success and thank him for his 
dedication to helping others.


                         Celebrating John Gill

  Mr. HILL of Arkansas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate a 
truly remarkable gift to higher education in Arkansas and honor the 
legacy of John Gill, whose name will now grace the newly renamed prelaw 
program at Hendrix College in Conway.
  Thanks to a generous $250,000 donation from George and Sallie Gill in 
honor of their brother and brother-in-law, this endowed program will 
help prepare Hendrix students for a legal career.
  As a former president of the Arkansas Bar Association and member of 
the

[[Page H1044]]

American College of Trial Lawyers, John Gill has left an indelible mark 
on our State's legal landscape over his six-decade career.
  From serving as a delegate to the 1969 Arkansas Constitutional 
Convention and shaping the Arkansas Supreme Court's Rules of Civil 
Procedure, John's legacy is one of integrity and mentorship.
  Through this endowment, Hendrix will continue to enhance its already 
impressive prelaw program, which boasts an 87 percent law school 
acceptance rate.

  Madam Speaker, I commend Hendrix College and the Gill family for 
their commitment to advancing legal education in Arkansas, and I look 
forward to seeing those students thrive in law school and beyond.

                          ____________________