Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a lifelong Tennessean and a good friend of mine, Jim Ayers, who recently passed away on April 1. Throughout his life, Jim Ayers wore many hats: a loving husband and father, a successful businessman, and a generous philanthropist. Originally from rural Decatur County, which is just outside of my district, Jim's father was a lumberman and a farmer. His mother ran a fabric shop and managed duplexes. They were a family of very modest means. From an early age, Jim and his siblings learned the value of hard work. At the age of 8, Jim decided that he was an entrepreneur. He shined shoes for 10 cents a pair and drove a tractor on the family farm. In 1961, Jim began college at Memphis State University, which is now the University of Memphis. It was there that he got married and started a family. In the years after graduation, Jim started working in finance and accounting at a nursing home company in Memphis called Care Inns. He quickly rose through the ranks and was eventually named as president. After selling the company, Jim started a nursing home in Parsons, Tennessee. American Health Centers grew from 40 nursing homes across the Volunteer State. By the mid-1990s, Jim decided to sell the nursing home business to focus on his new growing interest: community banking. Jim partnered with his friend to buy the Farmers State Bank in Scotts Hill, Tennessee, and eventually would go on to acquire First National Bank in Lexington.…”