[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 31835]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF RAY SMITH, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. MIKE ROSS

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 15, 2007

  Mr. ROSS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of my dear 
friend Ray Smith, Jr., of Hot Springs, Arkansas, who passed away 
November 1, 2007, at the age of 83.
  Ray Smith, Jr., spent his lifetime dedicated to his family, his 
country and to public service. After returning from World War II where 
he served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps, Smith completed law school 
and began practicing in his hometown of Hot Springs.
  Smith decided in 1955 to run for public office, which began his 
whirlwind career in politics that has left a lasting impression upon 
the Hot Springs region and the State of Arkansas. After he was elected 
to the Arkansas House of Representatives, Smith rose through the ranks 
and became majority leader, majority whip and chairman of the House 
Education Committee. However, it was prior to these accomplishments in 
which Smith's name will forever be remembered. During the 1958 special 
session called by then-Governor Orval Faubus, Smith cast the lone 
dissenting vote on a Faubus bill to close any schools that were ordered 
to be integrated. It was this belief in equality and opportunity for 
all Americans that led Smith to vote his convictions even when his 
colleagues could not.
  During his 27 years representing Hot Springs in the Arkansas State 
Legislature, Smith continued to play a key role in the community. His 
belief in the importance of education led him to sponsor legislation 
creating the Garland County Community College, where he would go on to 
serve as chairman of the board of trustees. His dedication to local 
organizations such as the Boys Club of Hot Springs and the Hot Springs 
National Park Rotary Club displayed his deep commitment to giving back 
to the community.
  In addition to his civic leadership, Ray Smith, Jr., was also a man 
of devout faith. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church 
where he served on the board of trustees and as chairman of the 
Official Board of the First United Methodist Church.
  I send my deepest condolences to his wife, Patricia Floyd Smith of 
Hot Springs; his 3 sons, William Randolph Smith of Washington, DC, 
Scott Floyd Smith of New York, New York, and Steven Bryan Smith of Hot 
Springs; his 2 daughters Patricia Carol Smith of Arkadelphia and 
Suzanne Smith Palmieri of Silver Spring, Maryland; his brother William 
Y. Smith of Falls Church, Virginia; his sister Betty Mildred Pierce of 
Pine Bluff; and to his 9 grandchildren and numerous friends. Ray Smith, 
Jr., will be greatly missed in Hot Springs, Garland County and 
throughout the State of Arkansas, and I am truly saddened by this loss.

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