TRIBUTE TO PAUL HOLLIS
Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 93
(Senate - May 27, 2021) PDF
Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Mr. President, I am pleased to commend Mr.
Paul Hollis of Rolling Fork, MS, for his service and contributions to
the State of Mississippi while serving as the 85th president of Delta
Council.
Organized in 1935, Delta Council plays an important role in uniting
the agricultural, business, and economic development leadership to
solve problems and promote greater opportunities in the Mississippi
Delta region, which encompasses 19 counties in Northwest Mississippi.
Mr. Hollis has selflessly committed himself this year to the standing
priorities of Delta Council's agenda, namely flood control, among other
major issues the council addresses. As the owner and operator of Hollis
Farms in Anguilla, MS, for over 30 years, he knows all too well the
unjust history and devastation the incomplete Yazoo Backwater Pumps
flood control project has brought to his community. There are few
proponents of the Yazoo Backwater Pump Project who have volunteered the
time, loyalty, attention, and leadership as fervently as Paul Hollis.
Mr. Hollis assumed the role of Delta Council president in a
nontraditional fashion by way of the first-ever virtual meeting of
Delta Council, due to the unprecedented challenges we faced during the
COVID-19 global pandemic. Despite the hardships the virus brought upon
our State and Delta Council, Mr. Hollis led this organization admirably
through the rest of 2020 to restore the traditional Delta Council Day
at the 86th annual meeting, at which I am honored to serve as the
keynote speaker.
Outside of his time spent working on his farm and serving Delta
Council, Mr. Hollis contributes his leadership skills to many valuable
community organizations. He serves as commissioner for the Mississippi
Levee Board and chairman of the Delta Council Flood Control Committee.
He is president of his local Rotary Club, president of the Sharkey
Country Club, serves on the board for Sharkey-Issaquena Academy, as
well as Sharkey County School Board, chairman of the Board for Central
Mississippi Walk to Emmaus, and a board member for the Lower Delta
Partnership. He has also served as past chairman of Farm Service Agency
for Sharkey County and is chairman of Trustees for Rolling Fork United
Methodist Church.
It is my pleasure to join the citizens throughout the great State of
Mississippi in offering congratulations to Mr. Paul C. Hollis and
sharing our appreciation with his wife Laura Boykin Hollis, their four
adult children, and six grandchildren. His input over his year of
service has undoubtedly contributed to the overall success of this
highly respected 86-year-old organization, Delta Council.