[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Pages 13900-13901]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING HENRY SMITH, JR.

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to ask my colleagues to 
join me in honoring the life of Mr. Henry Smith, Jr. The people of 
Louisiana lost a giant of a man when Henry A. ``Buster'' Smith, Jr. 
passed away on Friday, September 9, 2011, at age 82 after a lengthy 
illness.
  Born in St. Charles Parish and raised in an area outside of New 
Orleans known as the River Parishes, Mr. Henry, as we affectionately 
knew him, was a confident and self-made man who had an optimistic 
outlook on life that would lift you when you were in his presence. He, 
and others like him, helped build this Nation.
  Mr. Henry was a product of the River Parishes whose people draw their 
strength and sustenance from the Mississippi River, and whose ingenuity 
and hard work built the incredible industrial complex along the river 
that fuels so much of our Nation's energy and commerce. He was the 
guiding force in the development of what became the Magnolia Companies, 
a multicompany conglomerate in the fields of construction, housing, 
material sales, real estate, finance, disaster recovery and consulting. 
He traveled the world in order to help people recover from disasters on 
six continents, but always returned home to Louisiana and his beloved 
River Parishes. Mr. Henry assisted with securing the futures for 
hundreds of families by creating opportunities for meaningful and 
rewarding work for them to pursue.
  Mr. Henry was a champion for his community and the surrounding 
region. He supported numerous charities, churches and schools in and 
around the New Orleans area, including the Ursuline Academy, Sacred 
Heart Catholic Church, First Baptist Church of Norco, and the Mahalia 
Jackson Early Childhood Development Center. He was a leader who was 
sincere and steadfast in his drive to help others. He truly believed in 
the spirit and generosity of mankind and thought that everyone deserved 
a chance.
  He was very passionate about politics and immersed himself in 
supporting candidates for local, State, and Federal office. I was 
fortunate enough to have Mr. Henry's support and counsel through my 
years in politics. Even though Mr. Henry was opinionated, he always 
said that no matter what, there were two sides to every story. He was a 
Democrat but was always more interested in the merits of a debate 
rather than partisanship. He believed most of all in moving his 
community, State, and Nation in a positive direction. We could 
certainly use more people like Mr. Henry.
  Above all else, Mr. Henry was devoted to his family his sons, Glen 
and his wife Marilyn and Gary and his wife Pam, along with his 
grandchildren, Representative Gary Smith, Jr. and his wife Katherine, 
Rebecca Smith Tassin and her husband Justin, and Madison Elizabeth 
Smith-just as they were to him and each other. The Smith family is one 
of the most loving families I have ever known. Mr. Henry worked 
joyfully with his two sons Glen and Gary every day for more than 40 
years. Never have I seen two sons more devoted to their father.

[[Page 13901]]

  Today I ask my colleagues to join me along with Mr. Henry's family in 
honoring and celebrating the life of this most extraordinary son of 
Louisiana.

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