Jay Dickey

It was way back there when the Echo Book came out that somehow I read it. Two things that I can remember about it: one, it allowed me to fit my principles into the conservative movement and that influence had not been so categorized for me before; and two, I wondered what type of mom a person could be who was being so effective nationwide? I know what she wrote persuaded me to run for office for the first time in 1992.

From those first impressions I have marveled how she has remained so consistently passionate about the conservative cause for so many years. She stayed on top of the issues and traveled wherever she needed to encourage others at the state and national levels all across the nation. One her activities that so impressed me was how she stayed in touch with Paul Weyrich of D.C., one of the greats in the conservative movements. When she could not be at weekly luncheons that Paul had she sent a representative each week and I can remember observing that one of those representatives was exactly as I considered Phyllis to be: always prepared, outspoken, never wavering and unafraid. Also in Arkansas I can remember two representatives who were staunch conservative fighters and example to us all. It was so easy to work with the Eagle Forum at either level!

Her stellar career has not only been done without loss of family development but it has done a very positive thing: set out a standard for her family of the need for smart, intelligent, principled people to give themselves over to public service so that we can all be better off.

by Jay Dickey, Congressman from Arkansas, 4th District, 1993-2000 (sponsor of the Dickey Amendment that prohibits federal spending on work that involves the destruction of humane embryos)