A resolution honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Representative Walter Beamon Jones, Jr.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 108 Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Representative Walter Beamon Jones, Jr. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 13, 2019 Mr. BURR (for himself, Mr. TILLIS, and Mr. PAUL) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Honoring the life, accomplishments, and legacy of Representative Walter Beamon Jones, Jr. Whereas the passing of Walter Beamon Jones, Jr. (in this preamble referred to as ‘‘Walter B. Jones’’), on February 10, 2019, was a monumental loss to his wife, JoeAnne, and their daughter, Ashley, as well as a deep loss for the Third Congressional District of North Carolina and the entire Congress; Whereas Walter B. Jones was born on February 10, 1943, in Farmville, North Carolina, to Walter B. Jones, Sr., and Doris Long; Whereas Walter B. Jones attended Hargrave Military Acad- emy in Chatham, Virginia, and went on to Atlantic Chris- tian College, where he received his degree in history in 1966; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Mar 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR108.ATS SR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 108 ATS Whereas, also in 1966, Walter B. Jones married his wife of more than 50 years, JoeAnne Whitehurst, and they later welcomed their only child, Ashley Elizabeth; Whereas Walter B. Jones went on to serve for 4 years in the North Carolina National Guard, beginning his long ca- reer of serving the people of North Carolina; Whereas, in 1982, following in his father’s footsteps, Walter B. Jones was elected to serve the Ninth District in the House of Representatives of North Carolina, ultimately serving 5 consecutive terms; Whereas, in 1994, Walter B. Jones was elected to represent the Third Congressional District of North Carolina in the House of Representatives of the United States, where he served for 12 full terms; Whereas, although Walter B. Jones began his political career as a Democrat and later switched to the Republican Party, he always voted with his constituents of Eastern North Carolina in mind, regardless of party position; Whereas Walter B. Jones worked tirelessly on the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives to ad- vocate for members of the Armed Forces and their fami- lies; Whereas Walter B. Jones was a staunch advocate for peace and began a letter-writing campaign to the loved ones of the fallen soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, personally sending more than 11,200 letters; Whereas Walter B. Jones worked for 14 years to finally re- store honor to and clear the names of 2 deceased Marine pilots who had been wrongly blamed for a military acci- dent that took the lives of 17 other Marines; VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Mar 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR108.ATS SR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 108 ATS Whereas the heritage of Eastern North Carolina held an im- portant place in the heart of Walter B. Jones, moving him to protect the Shackleford Banks Wild Horses and to work to extend protections to the Corolla Wild Horses that have freely roamed the beaches of North Carolina for centuries; Whereas Walter B. Jones worked closely with Government agencies in his district, particularly the National Park Service, to ensure his constituents and guests in the dis- trict were able to enjoy the natural beauty of the coast- line of North Carolina; Whereas Walter B. Jones had an outstanding working rela- tionship with the fishermen and beach communities in the Third Congressional District of North Carolina, al- ways advocating on behalf of the marine industry and maintaining continuous engagement on coastal issues; Whereas, in 2004, Walter B. Jones was voted by congres- sional staffers as the nicest Member of Congress, a testa- ment to his ever-gracious and humble demeanor; Whereas Walter B. Jones, always a man of the people, built an outstanding record in constituent services, ensuring every person in his district would have access to him and his office; and Whereas Walter B. Jones is survived by his wife of 53 years, JoeAnne, and daughter, Ashley Elizabeth: Now, there- fore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) honors the life, accomplishments, and legacy 2 of Congressman Walter B. Jones, Jr.; and 3 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Mar 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR108.ATS SR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •SRES 108 ATS (2) extends its warmest sympathies to the fam- 1 ily, friends, and loved ones of Congressman Walter 2 B. Jones, Jr. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Mar 13, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR108.ATS SR108 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS