[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Page 4910]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE AND ACHIEVEMENTS OF LOUIS L. RAMSAY, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 27, 2003

  Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a distinguished 
constituent and leader in my district, whose professional and civic 
contributions have helped to shape the business climate in Pine Bluff, 
Arkansas, and throughout the state.
  Louis Ramsay, Jr. was born in 1918 in Fordyce, Arkansas, in rural 
Dallas County. He grew up attending the Fordyce public schools, and 
went on to earn pre-law and law degrees from the University of 
Arkansas. After law school, he joined the Law Firm of Coleman and 
Gantt, where he became a Partner in 1948. For the past 54 years he has 
been with the firm now known as Ramsay, Bridgeforth, Harrelson & 
Starling, where he continues to serve as ``Of Counsel.'' He was elected 
President of Simmons First National Bank in 1970 and served as Chairman 
and CEO from 1973-1983. He currently serves as Chairman of the 
Executive Committee of Simmons First National Corporation. He is the 
only person in the state's history to have served as President of the 
Arkansas Bar Association and the Arkansas Bankers Association.
  Louis Ramsay was recently honored with an induction into the Arkansas 
Business Hall of Fame, and I cannot think of a more worthy businessman 
for this distinction. Ramsay has made it a personal mission to use his 
standing in the business community to better the entire community. He 
has worked to improve the state's higher education system through 
service to the University of Arkansas's campuses, including Pine Bluff. 
He has served as President of the Pine Bluff Chamber of Commerce, the 
Pine Bluff Rotary Club, Fifty for the Future of Pine Bluff, and 
countless other organizations aimed at improving the quality of life in 
the area.
  If we can learn one lesson from the exemplary life and career of 
Louis Ramsay, it is the value of service. He has served the community 
of Pine Bluff and the state of Arkansas, he has served our country with 
distinction in World War II as a pilot in the D-Day invasion of 
Normandy, and he has served his family and his neighbors as well. I 
thank Mr. Ramsay for his commitment to improving our state, and I 
congratulate him on this prestigious distinction.

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