[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 261-262]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING DALE BUMPERS

  Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I am here today with my colleague 
Senator Cotton to honor Dale Bumpers, a longtime advocate of Arkansas, 
who passed away on January 1 at the age of 90 after a long life of 
dedicated public service.
  He was a soldier and a statesman who came from the small town of 
Charleston, AR. He did things not because of political pressure but 
because he believed they were the right things to do. He had a good 
foundation to understand the needs of Arkansans. He was a businessman, 
taking over operations at his father's former hardware, furniture, and 
appliance store, and he was a rancher and an attorney in Charleston, 
serving, as his memoirs indicate, as ``the best lawyer in a one-lawyer 
town.''
  Following the Supreme Court's decision in the 1954 case Brown v. 
Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in schools, he advised 
compliance with the ruling, making it the first school district in the 
South to fully integrate.
  He ran against incumbent Governor Winthrop Rockefeller to become the 
38th Governor of the State of Arkansas. Four years later, he defeated 
longtime Senator William Fulbright in a primary before winning a seat 
in the Senate, a position he held for 24 years. He served as the 
chairman of the committee on small business from 1987 to 1994 and has a 
long list of accomplishments.

[[Page 262]]

  While he ended his Senate service more than a decade before I started 
serving in this Chamber, my colleagues who served alongside him 
regularly recall their memories of Senator Bumpers, a legendary orator 
who had a true gift for public speaking and who would tell stories in a 
way only a Southern gentleman with a keen sense of humor from smalltown 
Arkansas could. He was passionate about his convictions and spoke from 
his heart about matters that he believed in. In tributes to him on the 
floor during the last days of the 105th Congress, his colleagues 
described him as one of the most respected Members of this body. He was 
a champion of the environment, a supporter of the National Institutes 
of Health, funding the fight against HIV and AIDS, and a constant 
proponent for Arkansans. You could tell by all of the things that bear 
his name--the White River National Wildlife Refuge, the Dale Bumpers 
National Rice Research Center. His impact on Arkansas agriculture was 
recognized by the University of Arkansas board of trustees, who renamed 
the college of agriculture the ``Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, 
Food and Life Sciences.'' These are just a few of the many things in 
Arkansas that reflect his dedication and commitment to our State.
  Senator Bumpers leaves behind a legacy of public service, civic 
responsibility, and accomplishments that has undoubtedly made Arkansas 
a better place to live.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas.
  Mr. COTTON. Madam President, today I am proud to join my fellow 
Senator from Arkansas, John Boozman, in recognizing Senator Dale 
Bumpers' service, as well as our majority leader and other Senators who 
are reminiscing about Senator Bumpers, who passed away earlier this 
month. Arkansas lost one of its most distinguished public servants when 
former Senator and Governor Dale Bumpers died at the age of 90. As both 
a Governor and Senator, Dale Bumpers' tireless dedication to our State 
began before I was born and spanned many decades.
  As someone who grew up with Dale Bumpers already in the Senate and 
who was unable to ever vote for him, I asked my mom Avis about her 
memories of Senator Bumpers. Like so many, she was quick to remember 
the oratory skills for which he was so famous--not only in Arkansas but 
also in Washington and in the Senate, which has had its share of famous 
orators over its history. But she also had fond memories of him on a 
personal scale as well from the Mount Nebo Chicken Fry, an annual event 
just outside my hometown of Dardanelle. In the early 1970s, as a young 
Governor, Senator Bumpers--then Governor Bumpers--always made it to our 
chicken fry. And if it weren't for a few obvious clues--such as a State 
trooper or local photographers taking pictures--you wouldn't have even 
known he was the top executive of our State, so humble and friendly was 
he to all the fairgoers. He spent time with each person there and made 
everyone feel like they had his full attention--the full attention of 
our Governor.
  It is an honor to stand here today in the same institution from which 
he did so much great work for the State of Arkansas. Senator Bumpers 
was an Arkansas institution himself, and his legacy has outlived his 
tenure in office. We are grateful for his service and commitment to 
Arkansas. My thoughts and prayers are with the Bumpers family and with 
all Arkansans, whom he so faithfully served.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. HOEVEN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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