[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 68 (Wednesday, April 26, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5725-S5726]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       IN MEMORY OF MARY BINGHAM

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments to 
express my sadness over the passing of Mary Bingham, philanthropist and 
former owner of the Louisville Courier-Journal.
  It has been said that ``we are defined by those we have lost,'' and 
this could not be more true than with Mary Bingham and the city she 
called home for over 60 years.
  Her husband, Barry Bingham Sr., brought her to Louisville, and though 
they forged a partnership that gave the city a spark it had not known 
before, her personal contributions both to the newspaper and to the 
community at large, stood alone.
  The Louisville Courier-Journal wrote that ``for those who understood 
the remarkable partnership that shaped this region's intellectual, 
political and cultural climate for a century, Mary Bingham's own 
stature and contributions were never in doubt.''
  And while Mary Bingham was not a native Kentuckian, she quickly 
embraced the place she would live out her life and we were proud to 
call her our own.
  Throughout the years, she was always the picture of grace and 
loveliness, a charming hostess and much-in-demand guest. But Mary 
Bingham was not afraid to reveal the fierce fighter within, when it 
came to battles on issues most important to her from the environment to 
high education standards.
  And if those passionate beliefs placed her at odds with the powers 
that be, than so be it--whether they were foes 
[[Page S5726]] of civil rights or President Roosevelt himself.
  But mostly, a woman who had experienced so much personal loss in her 
own life, wanted simply to care for others. So much so, that I am sure 
that upon hearing the news of her death, an entire city grieved not 
only for the loss of a great philanthropist, but also for a close 
friend.
  In the days following her death, you often heard those describe her 
as being of a different era. Let us hope not. Her grace, her intellect, 
her sharp wit, and perhaps most important, her deep sense of 
compassion, are qualities desperately needed in these confusing times.
  I know her life of accomplishment, commitment, and kindness will set 
a standard for generations of leaders to come in a city she led so 
well.


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