Photo of then-Representative Robert "Marion" Berry from the Congressional Pictorial of the 110th Congress published in June of 2007.
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS
| WHEREAS:    Robert Marion Berry, born on August 27, 1942, in Stuttgart, Arkansas, was a former United States Representative from Arkansas. He was deeply loved by his family and many friends; he died May 20, 2023. He was a beloved statesman and servant of the people;  WHEREAS:    Before serving in public office, he demonstrated his dedication to our nation and the Arkansas way of life by building a business as a farmer in Arkansas’ Delta region that still carries on today;  WHEREAS:    He served in local government in Gillett, Arkansas, and for the state, showing a strong commitment to improving conditions in the Delta for farmers and residents alike;  WHEREAS:    He served with distinction on President Bill Clinton’s Domestic Policy Council as an expert in agriculture and the difficulties facing many rural Americans. His work on agricultural trade is imprinted on every piece of major trade legislation from President Clinton’s administration and continues to affect Arkansans to this day;  WHEREAS:  Marion Berry was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996 and served his constituents for over a decade, gaining prominence on several committees that had a major impact on Arkansas agriculture and life. He remained loyal to his constituents even when it required bucking national trends and forever considered the Delta his home; and  WHEREAS:    Marion Berry was a man of strong convictions and deep morals, who stayed a servant of the people even when he climbed the highest reaches of national politics.  NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, Governor of the State of Arkansas, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the State of Arkansas, in tribute to the memory of Robert Marion Berry and as an expression of public sorrow, do hereby direct that the United States flag and the state flag of Arkansas be flown at half-staff from sunrise May 22, 2023 to sunset on the day of internment.  IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 22nd day of May, in the year of our Lord 2023. |