Arkansas Highway Commission Vice Chairman Robert S. Moore, Jr.
(on behalf of himself and fellow Commissioners Alec Farmer, Philip Taldo, and Keith Gibson)

“Tom Schueck was a visionary, a self-made success story. His ability as a leader is
evident by the successful companies he founded, and he brought that leadership to the
Commission. Tom was never short on having opinions – and he voiced them. He could be
tenacious, he could be stubborn, but he coupled that with a long-term vision and goal that,
quite honestly, almost always resulted in success.

“Tom always described himself as a fighter – he loved to argue and debate. And as
Commissioners Farmer, Taldo, and Gibson will attest, we had some very ‘direct’ conversations
on the Highway Commission; that’s just the nature of the job. Tom reveled in that, he wasn’t
afraid to push hard to make a point. But we all knew that coming from Tom, it wasn’t
personal, it was business. He had that unique ability to cuss you and buy your lunch all at the
same time.

“Tom will be missed in so many ways – his directness, his humor, his laugh, his
leadership, his generosity, just his presence in general. He could have this gruff outward
demeanor, but he was as soft as they come on the inside. Tom has left his own unique positive
mark on this state, this Commission, and each of us individually. We’ll get a new Commission
member, but there was only one Tom Schueck.”

Statement from Arkansas Department of Transportation Director Scott Bennett

“On the Commission, Tom combined the intelligence of an engineer with the
inquisitiveness of a schoolchild. He had a great depth of knowledge, but he never quit asking
questions. Let’s just say the Commission meetings got longer once Tom became a member. But
he kept all of us on our toes, constantly challenging us to make sure we were getting the best
possible outcomes.

“I owe a lot to Tom. My time as Director coincided with his time on the Commission –
we kind of came into our roles together – and it was a new experience for both of us. But I
learned a lot from Tom about leadership and how to handle tough situations. Whether he did
it on purpose, I don’t know, but he was a great teacher and mentor.”

20-073