PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 107th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION |
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House of Representatives |
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July 10, 2001 | |
JESSIE WARD |
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Mr. ROSS. Mr. Speaker, It is
with honor and great pride that I wish to recognize and congratulate the
new Miss Arkansas 2001 Jessie Ward, who was crowned Saturday, June 16th,
in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Jessie is a native of my hometown of Prescott,
and I have watched her grow up since she was a little girl. Jessie has
always been a caring, talented, and hard-working young lady.
At her first press conference following her crowning as the new Miss Arkansas, Jessie said that during the competition she wanted to be different--to stand out, if you will--while remaining true to herself. I think it's safe to say she succeeded. In the talent competition, she performed an energetic tap-dance routine to ``The King of Pop,'' a medley of hits by the world famous pop singer, Michael Jackson. Her performance earned her preliminary talent winner honors as well as the coveted $1,000 Coleman Dairy Talent Scholarship. During an on-stage interview, Jessie explained to the crowd that she enjoys not only bass fishing with her father, but also a rather unique hobby, taxidermy. In her words, she said, ``to me, taxidermy is an art form, and everyone needs a little art in their life.'' In addition to her hobby, Jessie is also co-authoring
a book with her mother, Karen Ward, on perseverance, which is something
I think we could all use a lesson on from time to time.
Jessie is affiliated with the National Center for the Prevention of School Violence, and her goal, she says, is to rally the state and national governments for funding of preventative programs and to reach at least two schools in every school district in Arkansas with her school violence prevention message. I know this is an issue that she cares very
deeply about, and I want to applaud her for her interest and leadership
in helping to make our schools and communities safer.
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Floor Statement List |