Senate Floor Speech
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
April 10, 2002 -- Page: S2451

MRS. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, since we are at a lull in the debate on this very important bill, I take this opportunity to congratulate a company headquartered in Texas that is celebrating its 100th anniversary: the J.C. Penney Company.

I think it is incredible, when you think of a company that was started in 1902, that it is still going strong today. I think it is worthy of note.

The founder of J.C. Penney, James Cash Penney, was fond of saying to his workers that they were not building a business but a community. This is the kind of business philosophy I hope more businesses in America will adopt because businesses supporting communities means people are supporting communities, and that is what makes our country so strong.

J.C. Penney encourages its employees to volunteer in the community. They contribute to the local United Way across the country, which is so helpful in the quality of life for every community.

They are especially doing something that I want to point out because I know so many working parents worry about what happens with their children from the time school is out until they can get home. J.C. Penney has made a tremendous effort to ease their employees' fears and anxieties by providing more places and more opportunities for children in afterschool programs across our country. This is the kind of thing that really makes a contribution to our way of life in America.

So I thank the employees of J.C. Penney for their commitment to building America's communities and for making a place for Americans to work to be a good place to work. I wish them the best and not only congratulate them on the last 100 years but for another 100 years of making the quality of life better for families throughout America.

Mr. President, I will yield to my friend, the Senator from Wyoming, where J.C. Penney actually started until they had the good sense to move to Texas to make their headquarters.