Political Quotes

“Mr. President, my Arkansan of the week is Jack Shatford, and the recognition is both honorary and, sadly, posthumous. Jack passed away last month during one of his many hunting trips to Arkansas. He loved our State and its people, and we all miss him badly. Jack first got to know Arkansas on the other side of the world in Vietnam. Jack and my dad Len served together in the same infantry squad in Vietnam in 1969 and 1970. They became closest of friends, a friendship that only grew over nearly a half century. Jack was from Missouri, so he and Dad were able to see each other regularly, often on deer-hunting trips in Arkansas and duck- and goose-hunting trips in Missouri. He became like the brother my dad never had, a second son to my grandparents and Aunt Pood. Jack also got to know my mom Avis, just as my mom and dad got to know Jack's wife Joy. Over time, my sister and I came along and Jack and Joy became like an aunt and uncle to us, just like my parents felt about Kurt, Jack and Joy's son. Some of my oldest memories are traveling to Missouri to see the Shatfords at places like Six Flags, Silver Dollar City, and Branson and seeing how happy and excited my dad was in the days leading up to Jack's visits to Arkansas. Jack was a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. He worked for 34 years at the Missouri Department of Conservation. If it flew, ran, or swam, you can pretty much bet that Jack knew how to find it, track it, kill it, and cook it.…”