Harvey and Bernice Jones Post Office Building
HARVEY AND BERNICE JONES POST OFFICE BUILDING -- (House of Representatives - September 07, 2004)
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4381) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2811 Springdale Avenue in Springdale, Arkansas, as the "Harvey and Bernice Jones Post Office Building."
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to introduce legislation to my fellow colleagues to name the post office at 2811 Springdale Avenue in Springdale, Arkansas, after Harvey and Bernice Jones. Harvey and Bernice Jones are known throughout Arkansas for their amazing generosity and compassion for their community. Harvey Jones first started the Springdale Transportation Company in 1919 and soon changed the name to Jones Truck Lines, Incorporated, which later became one of the largest privately owned trucking companies in the United States. In 1938 the couple married and together used their success to further the improvement of their community and their home State of Arkansas.
The Joneses were instrumental in the development of Springdale's first hospital, and in 1992 Bernice Jones continued their support for the hospital by pledging $25 million to the Northwest Medical Center of Washington County. Furthermore, the couple provided a wing of the hospital for family members who want to stay close to their loved ones.
Harvey Jones was chairman of the Springdale Memorial Hospital Board, president of the Springdale School Board, president of the Springdale Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the board of the First National Bank of Springdale.
After her husband's death in 1989, Bernice Jones continued the couple's philanthropic interests. She paid for the computers and Internet access for the entire Springdale School System and was a lead supporter for the children's library fund. As an eye doctor in Arkansas, I was gratified by her donation of $11.5 million for the 56,000 square foot Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute at the University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
I could go on and on with the extensive list of their contributions and achievements, but probably their most memorable gift to the community is the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families in Springdale, Arkansas. Established by Mrs. Jones in 1995, the Jones Center is a 235,000 square foot facility dedicated to the intellectual, cultural, and spiritual enhancement of families throughout the community.
The center offers ice skating, swimming, and numerous other sports activities. There is a beautiful chapel for services and weddings. An ever-widening array of family classes are offered, including a senior center, a teen arts program, CPR, cancer screening, and many, many more. All of this is free for the community use as long as they behave like ladies and gentlemen. This was Bernice's only rule for the center. The Joneses are still honored extensively throughout the State for their accomplishments. We can continue to honor them by naming the Springdale Post Office after the Joneses. They selflessly rose to answer the call of their community time and time again and will continue to be an inspiration for Arkansas for years to come.