Need a speech or article written?

Here is a sample of speeches and articles I have written.

From GOVERNOR HUCKABEE’S STATEWIDE RADIO ADDRESS

March 27, 1998

Following the shootings at the Westside Middle School near Jonesboro

        ... We can’t change what happened Tuesday at Westside, and we can never bring these five beautiful people back. What we can do is work to make sure they did not die in vain.

        The Bible says that there’s no greater love than when someone lays down his life for friends. Shannon Wright showed that kind of love to the student she saved. Now, it’s up to all of us to show that kind of love to the children who remain – at Westside and throughout Arkansas. Let’s make sure the 2-year-old Shannon Wright left behind grows up in a world where children feel safe no matter where they are. Let’s be ready with a helping hand for those in need, a shoulder to cry on for those in mourning, and ears ready to listen to the questions the children will ask. Let us pray for the injured, the grieving and, yes, even the accused, knowing full well that God is loving and just. And in honor of the victims of this terrible tragedy, let us move forward to a day when all Arkansas children are given so much love that they never learn to hate.

From SECOND CHANCE

Originally published in The Benton Courier

March 25, 1997

        Brad Parker walks into a probation office carrying three handmade posters and hugs the judge who threw him in jail for 30 days.

        “I should have got worse. I really should have. I’m just glad they had faith and believed in me throughout all that,” he says, a little intimidated by the newspaper reporter and a little nervous about the presentation he’s about to make.

        At 19, Parker has been in court three times on driving under the influence charges – twice as a 17-year-old. It all came to a head last April when Parker climbed into his truck after visiting a couple of bars.

        “I remember seeing headlights, and the next thing I remembered seeing was shattered glass,” he says. “I remember lying in the hospital room. I hurt so bad I thought I was going to die.” ...

MISS ARKANSAS

Originally published in the Malvern Daily Record

      ...  Rankin has spoken to schools, churches and conventions as part of her dual full-time job: being Miss Arkansas and being Miss Beth Anne Rankin. The two, of course, can’t be separated, and her life is her message: “Work while you dream.”

        That’s because it took Rankin seven long years and four trips to the Miss Arkansas Pageant before she finally won the title. She considered quitting after her third unsuccessful try, but, she said, “I knew I could not live the rest of my life looking back thinking, ‘What if I’d have only given it one more shot?’”

        Looking back, her losses gave her more time to become Miss Beth Anne Rankin, and thus a better Miss Arkansas. Her message to kids – and adults – is to find a goal and pay the price it takes to reach it. “It’s great to have a dream, it’s great to have a goal, but you’ve got to be willing to put out the effort to achieve that,” she said. “You have to keep trying, no matter what.. You can’t give up. You’ve got to keep going.” ...

From AMATEUR PLUMBER TURNS TRICKLE INTO FLOOD

Originally published in the Malvern Daily Record

February 6, 1996

      ...  I fiddled with the faucet, messed with the water heater, even flushed the toilet, but the water kept coming. The tub, being clogged, began to fill. This was a developing problem, until I tried to solve it. Then it became a disaster. ...

        Two Philips screws fastened the handle into the wall, which meant that the only tool I know how to use would remove it. I decided to get out my trusty screwdriver and have a look.

        I’m not sure what the technical term is, but laymen would refer to that as a really big mistake. And only then in mixed company. The force of the water coming out of the hole in my wall nearly tore my arms off. Ever seen kids playing around an open fire hydrant in the summer? That was happening in my bathtub, which you will recall, was clogged. ...

From SAYING GOOD-BYE TO SINGLE STEVE

Originally published in The Benton Courier

April 8, 1997

        Our courtship wasn’t just the story of us falling in love; it was the long, slow process of me saying good-bye to Single Steve. …

        For a while, being single was like being in the cereal aisle at the grocery store with a few of his best friends. There were so many choices – though some were out of his price range – and the fun was in picking and choosing while sharing the experience with his buddies.

        Unfortunately, Single Corey and Single Lance and Single Jeff and Single Scott – they all got married. Single Adam went off to “find himself,” and Single Bill, well, he just went off. And then it was just poor old Single Steve, staring at a half-empty row of cereal boxes and hearing the Big Three-O creeping up behind him. ...