[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 11599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            MORNING BUSINESS

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                         REMEMBERING JIM GASTON

 Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, today I recognize the life and 
legacy of Arkansas outdoorsman, tourism advocate, and business owner 
Jim Gaston.
  Jim spent his life as a champion of the Arkansas outdoors--sharing 
his passion of Mother Nature's landscape, wildlife and recreation, and 
helped paved the path for the Arkansas tourism industry.
  Jim inherited the family business, Gaston's White River Resort, in 
his early 20s when his dad passed away. He saved the property from 
foreclosure and turned the six cottages and six boats into the premier 
destination for anglers and tourists that it is known as today. Under 
Jim's leadership, the resort grew into a 400-acre property with 79 
cottages along 2 miles of river frontage in addition to a restaurant, 
conference center and other amenities.
  As a regular fixture on the White River for more than seven decades, 
he saw a lot of improvements, often because of his own contributions. 
His advocacy of minimum flow helped provide a steady stream of water in 
the river and create the habitat trout need to survive--boosting 
Arkansas's trout fishing and tourism industry.
  Jim was a strong voice for Arkansas tourism locally, regionally, and 
statewide. He was a lifetime member of the Arkansas Department of Parks 
and Tourism Commission. He served in numerous leadership positions to 
promote tourism throughout the State including president of the 
Arkansas Tourism Development Foundation and Arkansas Hospitality 
Association. In 2010, Jim Gaston was named the Arkansas Business 
Executive of the Year and will be awarded the Legacy Award at this 
year's Arkansas Game & Fish Foundation Outdoor Hall of Fame Awards.
  Jim truly transformed Arkansas. His contribution is commemorated in 
the James A. Gaston Visitor Center, a multi-million dollar facility 
that teaches about the rivers he loved his entire life.
  My thoughts and prayers go out to Jim's wife Jill and the entire 
Gaston family. I humbly offer my appreciation and gratitude for his 
contributions to the State of Arkansas, his friendship, and many great 
memories that I will cherish forever.

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