STUMP, Bob

Bob Stump, Former US Congressman, (Arizona) passed away Friday, June 20, 2003. Congressman Stump was born in Phoenix, Arizona, April 4, 1927. He was a U.S. Navy World War II Combat Veteran, serving on the USS Tulagi during the Battles of Luzon, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He graduated from Tolleson High School in 1947 and Arizona State University in 1951. A cotton farmer, Bob served four terms in the Arizona House of Representatives, 1959-1967, and five terms in the Arizona Senate, 1967-1976. He served as President of the Arizona State Senate, 1975-76, and was elected to Congress on November 3, 1976, where he served until his retirement on January 2, 2003. Bob is survived by his wife, Nancy Stump, three children, Karen, Bob, and Bruce, five grandchildren, Sara, Robert Patrick, Britt, Morgan and Bailey, and his sister, Patricia. As a long time member of the House Armed Services Committee, Mr. Stump was influential in the Reagan-era rebuilding of our national defense, and was an early and persistent advocate of the technological advances which have come to characterize the United States military. Later, as Chairman, he introduced and secured passage of landmark legislation establishing a World War II Memorial on the National Mall and was honored with the naming of the annual defense bill - The Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2003 - in recognition of his longtime support of our national defense and the men and women who serve in uniform. One of the few Members of Congress to have led two Congressional Committees, Congressman Stump also chaired the House Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1995 to 2001, where he gained a reputation as an outspoken supporter of our Nation's veterans. Among the many honors he earned from his advocacy of veterans issues on Capitol Hill were the prestigious "Lone Sailor" award and the AMVETS Silver Helmet Congressional Award. In 1996 he was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Vietnam Veterans Association and in 2001 he received the Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Legion. Congressman Stump is the only Member of Congress who will have a street in Arlington National Cemetery named after him in recognition of his service to veterans. While one of Congress' most senior members, Bob Stump never forgot his Arizona roots and the values he learned from a lifetime of farming: honesty, integrity, and hard work. He opened and read his constituents' letters and preferred to work alongside his staff, sharing the duties of operating a busy Congressional office. He was known to personally welcome visitors and constituents to his office, taking particular interest in meeting with students as they learned about their government. Bob was equally at home working with the people of his largely rural district as he was meeting with world leaders or chairing Congressional committees. No matter how influ-ential or powerful he became, he never forgot his responsibilities to the people of Arizona, and remained humbled by the high honor of representing them in Congress. Visitation will be 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Mortuaries, 710 W. Bethany Home Road in Phoenix. Funeral services will be held at 11a.m. Wednesday at Glendale Seventh-day Adventist Church, 6801 N. 43rd Ave. Burial with full military honors will follow at Greenwood Memory Lawn Cemetery. The Stump family suggests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Bob Stump Endowed Chair at ASU West, P.O. Box 37100, Phoenix, AZ 85069, or to the Project Challenge Foundation, 5636 E. McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ, 85008. Published in The Arizona Republic on 6/24/2003.