[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 27383]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  GOVERNOR SID McMATH, A MAN OF HONOR

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 5, 2003

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, today, I would like to acknowledge the life 
and legacy of former Arkansas Governor Sid McMath, a statesman, a 
leader, a veteran, and a true gentleman who passed away recently in 
Arkansas at the age of 91. 1 was honored to have known Governor 
McMath--a man who, in deed and action, distinguished himself as someone 
who changed Arkansas for the better.
  Governor McMath was a man dedicated to public service. Born in 1912, 
just outside of Magnolia, Arkansas, in Columbia County, Governor McMath 
knew he wanted to do great things from an early age. His life of 
service began in school with student council positions, which led him 
to be an organizer and the second president of Young Democrats of 
Arkansas from 1946 to 1947. In 1947, Governor McMath was elected as 
prosecuting attorney for Garland and Montgomery counties.
  Elected as our State's 34th Governor, Governor McMath worked from 
1949 to 1953 to improve Arkansas. His leadership left us with an 
enhanced public education system, a new teaching hospital, improved 
welfare-assistance programs for elderly Arkansans, dams, and new 
highways and roads. During a time when African Americans struggled for 
civil rights, Governor McMath ensured equal facilities and educational 
opportunities for African Americans in Arkansas. He provided Arkansas' 
only historically black college, AM & N, now the University of Arkansas 
at Pine Bluff, with sufficient resources to become accredited by the 
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
  After serving two terms as Governor, Governor McMath built an 
impressive law practice as one of the State's leading attorneys. For 
more than five decades, Governor McMath became known as the ``people's 
lawyer,'' continuing to fight for the causes so important to him and to 
the people of our great state.
  His service went far beyond civilian life, Governor McMath also 
served in the United States Marine Corps in World War II. He served our 
Nation eagerly and rose to the rank of Major General before he retired.
  Arkansas will be forever grateful that such a visionary leader came 
along, at the time he did, to lead us into a new era. Those who had the 
honor to know Governor McMath would describe him as a great orator and 
one of the most intelligent and genuine people they had ever met; he 
was truly an asset to our State.
  While Governor Sid McMath may no longer be with us, his spirit and 
his legacy live on by the way he improved the quality of life for all 
Arkansans. I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Betty Dorth 
Russell McMath, sons Phillip, Sandy and Bruce; and daughters Patricia 
and Melissa, and all of his family and friends.

                          ____________________