[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3274]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING WILLIAM KIRKMAN FOR BEING AWARDED THE SPRINGFIELD AREA 
            CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S 2016 SPRINGFIELDIAN AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 15, 2016

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize business leader 
William Kirkman for recently being named winner of the 2016 
Springfieldian Award at the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce's 
annual meeting.
  As the Springfield Chamber of Commerce's most acclaimed decoration 
for more than 50 years, the annual Springfieldian Award honors an 
individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership and dedication 
to the Springfield, Missouri, community.
  As the first in his family to attend college, Kirkman graduated from 
Missouri State University in 1969. He was hired by Baird, Kurtz & 
Dobson (BKD) accounting firm out of college and rose through their 
ranks; He climbed from associate to partner and eventually became the 
firm's Chief Operating Officer in 2004.
  Described as a man with a heart of gold, Kirkman was admired and 
respected by his peers. He demonstrated a passion for helping those who 
worked under him to blossom professionally, and is considered to have 
been an early pioneer in helping women to break into the accounting 
profession.
  In addition to his impressive professional career, Kirkman has served 
in numerous leadership roles for Springfield area organizations. 
Currently, he holds the Chair position of the Board of Directors of 
City Utilities of Springfield but, in the past, he served at the Chair 
positions of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce board of 
directors, the Springfield/Branson National Airport board of directors, 
and Springfield's Center City Development Corporation. He also served 
as President of the Springfield Business Development Corporation in 
1995, and received the Outstanding Alumni Award from Missouri State 
University in 2004. Lastly though, and certainly not the least of his 
accomplishments, Kirkman also achieved the rank of Captain while 
serving in the Marine Corps.
  Mr. Speaker, William Kirkman--who I consider a personal friend--is 
not only a pillar of the Springfield community, but has been a mentor 
and inspiration for countless individuals that he has interacted with 
along his storied career. I urge my colleagues to join me as I extend 
my appreciation for his service to Missouri's Seventh Congressional 
District.

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