Honoring James Huff

HONORING JAMES HUFF-HON. CHARLES W. "CHIP" PICKERING (Extensions of Remarks - February 24, 2004)

HON. CHARLES W. "CHIP" PICKERING
OF MISSISSIPPI
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2004

Mr. PICKERING. Mr. Speaker, this month James Huff retires-again. A mentor, a confidant, a family friend, and a counselor since before I ran for Congress, Jim represents the best Mississippi has to offer and will be irreplaceable on my staff.

Jim and Marilyn Huff reared two children and proudly claim 5 grandchildren. For 32 years he worked at the Masonite Corporation in Laurel. As operations manager at Masonite, he was one of the leading businessmen in Jones County, where I grew up and first appreciated his wisdom, wit, and integrity.

President George H. W. Bush put Jim's knowledge and expertise to work, appointing him Mississippi's state director of the Farmers Home Administration. Excelling as administrator and leader, Jim was next asked by President Bush to come to Washington DC and serve as the national administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration.

Years later, Jim's political knowledge of Mississippi and Washington DC benefited my work both in my first campaign for Congress and then as I worked to serve the constituents of Mississippi's Third District. Few freshman Congressmen could boast of such unique experience on staff. His guidance was exceptional; his advice, outstanding.

Jim continues to be a servant in his community. He is a leader at the Hebron Baptist Church where his abilities as a sunday school teacher and work as a deacon are well known and appreciated. Active in the Kiwanis Club, people in Jones County know they can come to Jim for advice and assistance during life's struggles.

The pages of Mississippi record a lifetime of public service and private engagement from Jim Huff. He will never fully retire. He may have more time now to work his cattle farm and relax at his favorite fishing hole, and more time to spend with his loving family.

When I think of Jim Huff, I think of honesty, service, humor, and experience. I thank him for his service to this office and to Mississippi. I join the rest of my staff in saying we will miss him, but I know I will see him often because he is more than a colleague and assistant. He is family and will remain near in my heart, constant in my thoughts, and always in my prayers.

END