Dr. Lee Lee Doyle
Dr. Doyle praises Jay's "practical idealism."
Finding a description for Jay is a tough task as he has so many wonderful qualities that it’s hard to reduce them all to a “sound byte.” Despite the fact that Jay is contemporary and definitely “with it,” I finally decided that the Jay I know best fits the old fashioned phrase “a gentleman and a scholar.” I’ve been on boards with Jay, and worked on projects with him and even when discussions became heated, Jay was always gentle in his dissents, listening to and respecting the opinions of his opponents. Perhaps this is because he is truly a scholar who realizes that in order to win your point, you have to know the thinking of those who oppose you, and this is only learned by listening to them. He speaks well, but he listens better – qualities desirable in a legislator.
Jay is a practical idealist – he has the vision, but he also has the ability to put it into action.
Jay is a practical idealist – he has the vision, but he also has the ability to put it into action. As a political scientist by education, he understands the theory while as a college teacher he can explain and give life and practical application of all those theories to his students. I’ve been a guest in his class and it’s clear that while his students respect him as a teacher, they genuinely like him as a person.
While all of the above may make him sound a bit pedantic and possibly a tad dull, that is definitely not the Jay I know. Witty, warm, caring are the first words that come to my mind when I think of Jay. He’s equally at home at a board meeting or a party. He’s fun, he’s funny, and he seems to have that rare ability to relate to everyone he meets. He has the potential to be a truly outstanding legislator, and even though he’s not in my district, I will be campaigning for him.
Dr. Lee Lee Doyle
Professor Emeritus, Dept. of OB/Gyn, UAMS
