[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6741]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF SMITH WILDMAN BROOKHART, III

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Bridenstine) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take some time this 
morning to celebrate the life of a remarkable American, the late Smith 
Wildman Brookhart, III.
  Mr. Brookhart was born on January 22, 1935, and passed away last 
month. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gail Anderson Brookhart; 
three sons and their wives; and 10 grandchildren. One of Smith's sons, 
Tom Brookhart, and his wife, Debra Brookhart, are my constituents and 
good friends in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
  Let me talk for a moment about Smith Brookhart's life. After 
graduating from East High School in Duluth, Minnesota, Smith attended 
Iowa State College in Ames, Iowa, receiving his degree in 1957. He 
served our country in uniform as an ensign in the United States Navy. 
His service included two Antarctic expeditions. As a Navy pilot myself, 
I can tell you Antarctic expeditions are not something that are 
friendly; I will just say that.
  Ultimately, Smith moved his family to Branson, Missouri, where he 
became the CEO of Ozark Mountain Bank. He served in that capacity for 
over three decades. He was very involved in the development of Branson, 
Missouri. My family and I have had occasion to visit Branson. It is a 
very family-friendly town where Christians are very welcome. I know 
that Smith's Christian faith was very important to him.
  At age 69, Smith received a heart transplant and was given a new 
lease on life.
  There is a beautiful line I read in Smith's obituary, which I would 
like to read:
  ``Smith would not want to be remembered for the accolades of his 
efforts, but for a life rich with friendships.''
  Mr. Speaker, today, I honor Smith Brookhart, a remarkable American, 
father, grandfather, community leader, patriot, and servant of Christ.
  I would like to close with Romans 8:38:
  ``For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor 
demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither 
height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to 
separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.''
  May God bless Mr. Brookhart.

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