[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17542]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING JACK EBERSPACHER

 Mr. JOHANNS. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to a 
leader in American agriculture.
  Jack Eberspacher, president and chief executive officer of the 
Agricultural Retailers Association, passed away on July 5, 2009, in 
Reston, VA. He had been courageously fighting cancer since April.
  Jack was a dynamic leader and was admired throughout the industry as 
a strong and effective advocate for agriculture.
  Jack was born in Seward, NE, in 1954. He earned an animal science 
degree at the University of Nebraska and completed coursework toward a 
master's degree in business administration at Texas Tech University.
  After several years working in various agribusiness positions 
throughout the United States, Jack was named the chief executive 
officer of the National Grain Sorghum Producers Association in 1989. 
His colleagues there remember him as a creative man who loved pushing 
the envelope and emphasizing new ideas. He focused the Association's 
efforts on the needs of the producers and bringing stakeholders 
together.
  In 1998, Jack accepted a new challenge as the chief executive officer 
of the National Association of Wheat Growers in Washington, DC. With 
his leadership, the association achieved a positive financial 
turnaround.
  In 2001, Jack was appointed president and chief executive officer of 
the Agricultural Retailers Association, where he served until his 
death. He worked tirelessly to build the association into a strong 
voice for agricultural retailers and distributors in the Nation's 
Capital.
  Jack was an active member of the Bennett Roundtable of the Farm 
Foundation of Chicago, Illinois, and recipient of the Alpha Gamma Rho 
Fraternity Brother of the Century Award. He also served as a member of 
the Bush-Cheney Agricultural Transition Team.
  Jack is survived by his wife Jinger and their two children Sam and 
Maggie; his parents Max and Lois Eberspacher; his sister and brother, 
as well as nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
  I am personally thankful for his contributions and service to 
American agriculture. His legacy will be remembered, and he will truly 
be missed by many. My prayers are with his family during this difficult 
time.

                          ____________________