[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 41 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E509]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT OF THE NORTH AMERICAN
INTERFRATERNITY CONFERENCE, MR. JAMES R. ESTES
______
HON. PETE SESSIONS
of texas
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the work of an
outstanding individual, Mr. James R. Estes of Columbia, Missouri as he
concludes his second term as the volunteer International President of
the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC). Professionally,
Jim is President of Gaslight Gundaker GMAC Real Estate, which is one of
the nation's 500 largest real estate firms.
Jim Estes graduated from the University of Missouri, where he was
initiated into the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity in 1960. Jim served his
chapter as undergraduate president and was also a member of the
University of Missouri football and baseball teams. He played in the
1961 Orange Bowl and was an All-Big 8 selection, while his work on the
baseball team helped his Missouri Tigers earn three trips to the
College World Series.
Jim Estes' commitment to the moral development of young men has
extended to working with college fraternities, the organizations that
build the character and leadership skills of tens of thousands of
college men every year. Mr. Speaker, it is Jim's exceptional work for
fraternity men nationwide that I rise to recognize today.
Jim Estes has had an exemplary record of service to Kappa Alpha Order
fraternity and the interfraternal world. He served as a province
Commander for the State of Missouri and was first elected to the Kappa
Alpha Executive Council in 1995 and served as Vice President. In 1997,
he was elected to the first of two terms as Knight Commander or
National President of Kappa Alpha Order. He has also served as a member
of the Kappa Alpha Order Educational Foundation, including two years of
service as the Foundation's president.
Jim Estes has not been content to serve just his own brothers for he
has had a larger mission of improving the collegiate experience of all
men and women who join a college fraternity. For that reason, Jim Estes
has served the interfraternal community as well, serving on the board
of the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) for the past
several years, including the past two years as the National President
of the NIC. The NIC is the umbrella group for 66 national fraternities
that have 350,000 undergraduate members and 4.2 million living alumni
worldwide.
Mr. Speaker, it is hard to explain Jim Estes' contribution to the
fraternity world without explaining what fraternity life is all about.
Nine million Americans are proud fraternity and sorority alumni and
their experiences in these organizations helped them become better
students and better citizens of our great nation. While only three
percent of the nation's population has been a member of a fraternity or
sorority, these organizations are proven leadership laboratories for
developing the next generation of American leaders. For proof, you need
look no further than this Congress itself, where 155 current Members of
the House of Representatives and the Senate are alumni of fraternities
and sororities.
College fraternities and sororities are one of the most successful
leadership development programs available to college students today,
helping members graduate with the management and interpersonal skills
needed to excel in today's society. These fraternities are the nation's
largest networks of student volunteers, providing 10 million hours of
service a year and preparing members for a lifetime of community
involvement. Fraternity housing is the largest not-for-profit housing
market outside of the host colleges and universities themselves. The
250,000 students living in fraternity housing today at 8,000 chapter
houses nationwide have an unparalleled opportunity to live and work
together on a daily basis with students from different cultures,
religions and life experiences. Fraternities are now the largest, most
visible, and most active values-based organizations on college campuses
today. The men and women who are fraternity members today learn how to
incorporate the principles and values of their organization into their
daily lives to form the moral foundation for their future actions.
Jim Estes has served the NIC as President during challenging times
and he has helped foster a number of national initiatives to improve
the standards that fraternity men live up to in their daily lives on
campus. He has continued the NICs fight for freedom of association on
campus and he has continued to champion passage of the Collegiate
Housing and Infrastructure Act, which today is sponsored by almost 100
of my colleagues in the House. If that bill becomes law, it will allow
all student associations on college campuses to use a private market
approach to upgrade and replace their facilities in the future, thus
making it possible for these student groups to continue to thrive for
decades to come.
Mr. Speaker, at the end of April, Mr. Marc Katz of Alpha Epsilon Pi
Fraternity will be sworn in as the new National President of the North
American Interfraternity Conference. I welcome Mr. Katz and look
forward to the opportunity to work with him to improve the fraternal
experience for today's college students. As I welcome Mr. Katz to his
new position of responsibility, I ask this chamber to join me in
recognizing Jim Estes for his outstanding decades of service to the
college fraternity world. I know he will continue to be an active and
visible part of the fraternity movement in the future, but now is the
moment to thank Jim Estes for his dedication and service in leading the
fraternal community to better days.
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