For eight years, I had the privilege of serving in the Arkansas General Assembly with a distinct public servant and a champion for our schools, state representative Ode Lee Maddox. Rep. Maddox was a lifelong resident of a small town called Oden, Arkansas, where he represented the people in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1957 through 1998. 

    While I served across the state capitol building in the Senate, I like so many of my colleagues, held the highest respect and admiration for Rep. Maddox. 

    Rep. Maddox loved politics and loved serving in the state legislature. More importantly, though, he loved education. He spent 42 years working for the Oden School District, including 31 as superintendent of the school district. He started his career as a bus driver and coached two state champion basketball teams in 1948 and 1954. 

   In the state legislature, colleagues affectionately referred to Rep. Maddox as ``Mr. Education.'' In fact, one of his former colleagues recently noted, ``He supported all of the education bills, if they were good bills.'' In 1983, Rep. Maddox helped secure funding for the Rich Mountain Community College in nearby Mena, Arkansas, which became one of his proudest accomplishments. 

    Known for his quiet, easygoing personality, Rep. Maddox gained the respect of his peers through his ability to bring people together on important issues, such as education. Away from work, he loved being outdoors--hunting and fishing--and spending time with his family. 

    Those of us who knew and loved him will remember Rep. Maddox for his devotion to his family and his community, and to seeing that our young people are provided the best education possible. 

    Mack Lee Taylor, of Magnolia, Arkansas, was also a leader in his community as well as the banking industry. He, too, was a lifelong resident of Arkansas. 

    Born in Warren, Arkansas, Mack moved with his family to Magnolia as a teenager. After graduating from Magnolia High School, he earned his bachelor's degree at Southern State College--now Southern Arkansas University--and graduated from the Southwest Graduate School of Banking at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, before starting his career at First National Bank in Magnolia. 

    During his career, Mack helped organize the Metropolitan National Bank of Little Rock, where he served as executive vice president and director. He later returned to Magnolia to serve as executive vice president and director and, eventually, as president and chief operating officer of Farmers Bank and Trust. 

    Mack served on the boards of directors for several prominent organizations including the Southern Arkansas University Foundation, Arkansas Children's Hospital Foundation and Arkansas Council on Economic Education. He was an active member of numerous civic groups such as the Magnolia Rotary Club and the Magnolia Economic Development Corporation and was a leader in organizations like the Arkansas Bankers Association, the Southern Arkansas University Board of Governors, the South Arkansas Development Council, the Chamber of Commerce and others. 

    In 1994, he was honored as a distinguished alumnus of Southern Arkansas University. 
 Mack Taylor was a pillar in his community. His death is a great loss not only to his friends and loved ones, but to the people of Magnolia and all of Arkansas. 

The people of Arkansas also lost a distinguished veteran and outstanding citizen in Robert C. (Bob) McWilliams III. 

    Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Bob was raised and educated in Little Rock and Jonesboro, Arkansas. After graduating from Arkansas State University in Jonesboro with a bachelor's degree in military science, he received his master's degree in human resources from Central Michigan University and attended the Army Command and General Staff College. 

    Commissioned into the Army in 1964, Bob served two tours in Vietnam, where he flew helicopters as an Army aviator. During his service to our country, he received numerous awards and decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and senior aviator wings. 

    Bob spent 30 years as a government employee, during which time he served as Provost Marshal and Chief of Security at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and president of the local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) at Pine Bluff Arsenal. 

    He was also pastor of the Sherill United Methodist Church. Throughout his life, Bob dedicated himself to serving God and our nation, and to helping his fellow citizens and working families. He will be long remembered by all those whose lives he touched. 

    Today, I honor these three individuals--Ode Lee Maddox, Mack Lee Taylor, and Robert C. (Bob) McWilliams--for their commitment to giving back to their neighbors, their communities, and their country, and I hope that their lives will serve as an example to future generations.