[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11580]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          HONOR OF THE WOMAN'S BOOK CLUB OF HARRISON, ARKANSAS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ASA HUTCHINSON

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 20, 2000

  Mr. HUTCHINSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Woman's 
Book Club of Harrison, Arkansas. This month marks the one-hundred-year 
anniversary of the club's founding.
  On June 25, 1900, twelve women in Harrison, Arkansas, founded a small 
book club, each contributing a single book. Soon after, a small 
library, consisting of a few shelves in the back of a newspaper office 
opened to members on Saturday afternoons. From these humble beginnings, 
the Woman's Book Club opened the first public library in north central 
Arkansas in 1903.
  With support from the Woman's Book Club, the Harrison Public Library 
continued to grow and expand, moving several times to keep up with the 
demand for library services. In 1944, it became one of the first 
regional libraries in Arkansas and today contains over 58,000 volumes.
  Mr. Speaker, the Woman's Book Club of Harrison is one of the largest 
private civic contributors to education and good works in my state. 
Over the past century, thousands who might not otherwise have had the 
opportunity to learn have been touched by its work. On behalf of all 
Arkansans, I would like to commend each of the many women who have been 
involved in the Harrison club. I look forward to another century of 
service.

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