|
Command Historian
During his career, he was instrumental in the movement
of the Army rocket and guided missile mission to Redstone Arsenal and
continued to be a staunch supporter of the missile and space programs
here throughout his career. He
authored the first Rural Housing Act in 1949 under which the first house
built was in Jackson County, Alabama. Representative
Jones was an ardent champion of public works as an instrument for the
creation of essential community and regional facilities. Some of his
more significant achievements are his principal sponsorship of the
landmark Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 and the Economic
Development Act and the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. He
was a major moving force in the creation of the Federal aid highway
program. This included the Interstate Highway System, hailed as the
greatest single public works project in history. Representative Jones
was the co-author of this bill and the Accelerated Public Works Act of
1959. In 1984, the Legislature of Alabama passed a resolution to “express deep gratitude to Congressman Robert E. Jones for outstanding service both to the Fifth Congressional District and to all of Alabama.” He died in June 1997. Below
are some accolades from those who knew Bob Jones and the tremendous
positive impact that he had not only on this area but the nation as
well: MG
John G. Zierdt (retired MICOM Commander)
– “I feel that you did
far more for the State of Alabama than you ever got credit for.” Eberhard
Rees (Former Director of MSFC)
– “I believe that without your
untiring efforts and your support in Congress our Area here in North
Alabama could not have developed to the extent so necessary and vital
for the growth of Redstone Arsenal and the Marshall Space Flight
Center.” John
McDaniel (Former Director of MICOM RD&E Laboratory)
– “Those
of us connected with Redstone Arsenal and the Missile Command have been
direct beneficiaries of many of your actions. We have been privileged
over the years to make some very solid contributions to the national
defense, and a few which could conservatively be termed spectacular.
Although we are justifiably proud of these accomplishments, we are
acutely aware that none of these would have been possible without your
dedicated support which resulted in the necessary legislative action.” The
Honorable Carl Albert (Former Speaker of the U.S. House of
Representatives)
– “I do not know how you would classify men who
have served in a representative capacity in this country, but I am sure
that if you picked the upper 5 percent of this generation, of all
generations, Bob Jones name would be high among them.” Senator
John J. Sparkman
– “Bob Jones has been an outstanding
Congressmen. Bob’s retirement from Congress will be a great loss not
only to his congressional district and the State of Alabama, but to the
Nation as a whole. I regret exceedingly to see him leave Congress.” Senator
John Allen (Alabama)
– “He [Bob Jones] is one of the most
outstanding and most influential Members of the House of
Representatives, and his mark has been placed on some of the most
important legislation passed by Congress in the past 30 years. His
understanding of the needs of the people has been written into almost
every public works bill signed into law during his 15 terms as
Representative from Alabama’s great Tennessee Valley.” From The Huntsville Times, 10 February 76 – “The Tennessee Valley of North Alabama has blossomed over the past 40 years; and no individual deserves more credit for the transformation the Bob Jones…” Site Features
Back
to
|
