Tribute to Henry C. ``Hoppy'' Shores

Floor Speech

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Mrs. CAPITO. Madam President, I rise today to honor a good friend of mine and to thank Commissioner Henry C. ``Hoppy'' Shores for his many years of service to Kanawha County, WV, and America.

Hoppy was born in Dunbar, WV, during the Great Depression. Hoppy lost his parents at a young age and moved in with his sister on the West Side of Charleston.

In high school he attended a school which was then called Stonewall Jackson High School. Hoppy was a standout athlete. He played as a running back on the 1947 State championship team.

In 1949, he won West Virginia's Kennedy Award, as the State's top high school football player of the year. It was also during his high school years that Hoppy got an interest in politics when he first ran for and won the senior class presidency.

But the most important thing that happened during those formative years was on the first day of high school, when Hoppy first met the love of his life, Bronson Garcelon. They have been married since 1953, and I can personally attest--living in the same town--that they have been inseparable ever since.

He repeated his high school success while he was in college at West Virginia University in the 1950s and again became the class president. He graduated from West Virginia University with a degree in business, and after college he enlisted in the U.S. Army, attaining the rank of major.

During the years after his service, Hoppy grew a very successful career in the insurance business.

In 1966, Hoppy was recruited to run for the Kanawha County Commission by a prominent local attorney. After he initially refused, he eventually said, OK, he would run. He won and served an initial term, and then decided, well, maybe that is it. He stepped out for a term, but he was pulled back into the political arena and served another 6-year term. After serving that second term, he then served and ran and won two separate terms for the West Virginia House of Delegates, representing Kanawha County, his home.

In 1990, he decided to return to the Kanawha County Commission and was again elected to one of the three seats. Voters have sent him back, with my help, to the commission every year since, making him the longest serving commissioner ever in the entire State.

During his 42 years on the Kanawha County Commission, Hoppy accomplished a host of successful initiatives on behalf of our citizens. Of particular interest and importance during his tenure, by the time Hoppy has left, or is leaving, 97 percent--and we have to get that to 100--but 97 percent of the county now has potable water. And I know that sounds like a given, but extending water service to some of the areas through rural West Virginia is not an easy task, but it was one that Hoppy always tackled.

Hoppy always pushed for the health and well-being of others, and, as such, with his insistence, the commission instituted a program to provide free mammograms for county employees, leading to early detection of cancer and saving lives.

Hoppy has always been a tireless advocate for the Kanawha County airport, now called the Yeager Airport, which was named after another famous West Virginian, whom we just lost, our aviator and American hero the late Chuck Yeager.

I remember working closely with Hoppy in 2005, when the West Virginia National Guard's 130th Airlift unit was slated for closure in the Department of Defense 2008 BRAC. That is the Base Realignment and Cloture report. Of course, Hoppy won that battle, too, and the 130th proudly remains at Yeager Airport.

Hoppy has accomplished so much during his time in office that I cannot possibly cover everything. However, I would be remiss if I did not mention his passion for parks; his passion for recreation; obviously, with his past, his passion for athletics; and, most importantly, the children in Kanawha County.

Hoppy has advocated for public recreation. He has pushed for baseball, football, soccer fields, golf courses, tennis courts, county fairs, hiking trails, and modern park facilities. In fact, Coonskin Park in Kanawha County, which is the largest public park in our county, is one of the nicest in the State because of Hoppy's work.

One of my favorite stories about Hoppy involves both Coonskin Park and Christmas. In the year 2006, when a small train that carried children and their families around Coonskin Park to see the holiday lights was in bad disrepair, Hoppy jumped in to save the day. He worked to find the money and a suitable replacement, lovingly dubbing it ``Hoppy's Little Express.''

And can you guess who the train conductor was? That is right-- Commissioner Hoppy Shores. At the time he said:

When I look into a child's eyes, and see a smile, it warms my heart to know I was able to help them with a new playground, park, baseball field or a train ride at Christmas on Hoppy's Little Express. It is all about the children.

Hoppy Shores knows what public service is all about. It is about the children and providing a better future for all those you care about. Hoppy never forgot that, and for that, he will never be forgotten.

I am sure that Hoppy has had difficult times in his life but, you know what, you would just never know it by looking at him or knowing him. He is always wearing his signature smile and always has a kind word to offer. I have never met someone who did not like Hoppy Shores, even if they disagreed with his politics.

So after 42 years of service to the Kanawha County Commission, it is my honor to congratulate Commissioner Shores on his retirement, which will take effect at the end of this month. While I will certainly miss him, as I am sure many of us will--and those, particularly, in the Kanawha County courthouse--I know Hoppy and Bronson are looking forward to spending more time with their four children--Scott, Lynn, Sherry, and Henry, who I think is called ``Little Hop,'' and their four grandchildren and great-granddaughter.

I am also looking forward to my frequent run-ins that Charlie and I have with Bronson and Hop at The Grill, while we eat hotdogs on a Saturday afternoon on the West Side.

So on behalf of the State of West Virginia, it is my honor to extend my best wishes to my friend--all of our friend--a friend of Kanawha County and really a friend to West Virginia, Commissioner Henry C. ``Hoppy'' Shores, on his retirement.

Thank you, Hoppy, and congratulations.

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