[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9365-9366]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARION FLETCHER

  Mr. COTTON. Mr. President, I would like to recognize Marion Fletcher 
of Hot Springs, AR, as this week's Arkansan of the Week, for 53 years 
of service to agriculture education in Arkansas. Marion recently 
retired, and I would like to take a few moments to recognize his legacy 
and his impact.
  Arkansas is a rural State, and for Arkansans agriculture isn't just 
an industry. It is a way of life. Over the last five decades, Marion 
has been a fixture in the Arkansas agriculture community, serving in 
dozens of roles in countless organizations, impacting every person he 
met.
  To say he is passionate about agriculture education is an 
understatement. Since 1997, Marion worked as the

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State supervisor and program manager of agricultural education at the 
Arkansas Department of Workforce Education, and before that he spent 30 
years in numerous roles with the Arkansas Department of Education, 
Vocational and Technical Education Division. He also had a 3-year stint 
as an ag instructor at Desha Central Schools. Locally, he has been a 
dedicated board member of the Garland County Farm Bureau for over 30 
years.
  But Marion's service isn't just limited to Arkansas. He has also 
played an important role in the National FFA, where he has been a 
member of the board of directors, served as national treasurer, and has 
been a part of various task and action force committees. To quote 
longtime friend Keith Stokes, ``there is not a young person who went 
through the FFA program that was not influenced in a positive way by 
Mr. Fletcher.''
  His hard work hasn't gone unnoticed, and he was honored with the 
first-ever National FFA Advisor's Golden Owl Award. He has also 
received the FFA VIP Award, recognition in the Arkansas Agriculture 
Hall of Fame, Arkansas's ``service to citizens'' award, and a litany of 
others on a long list of well-deserved commendations.
  The honors, distinctions, and accolades earned by Marion are endless. 
Like those before me, I am proud to honor Marion's work and legacy. He 
is an outstanding Arkansan, and our State agriculture industry is 
better because he committed his life to agriculture education.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. 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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