[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 18, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1106-E1107]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF JEANETTE RUDY

                                 ______


                            HON. BOB CLEMENT

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 18, 1996

  Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a distinguished 
member of the Nashville community, Dr. Jeanette Cantrell Rudy. Dr. Rudy 
is a generous philanthropist, a nationally accomplished sportswoman and 
a beloved friend to many in the music city and across the country.
  Jeanette Cantrell and her twin sister Geneva were born to Felix and 
Edna Cautrell on October 27, 1927, in Sheffield, AL. After graduating 
from Sheffield High School, she enrolled in the St. Thomas Hospital 
School of Nursing. Jeanette received her nursing degree in the summer 
of 1948 and served as a public health nurse for 7 years.
  On February 20, 1949, Jeanette married Daniel Clees Rudy, cofounder 
of the Rudy's Farm Sausage Co. The Rudys made their home in the 
Pennington Bend area on the Cumberland River, and they enjoyed an 
active life together until Mr. Rudy's death in 1984. In his memory, 
Jeanette helped to found and fund the Dan Rudy Cancer Center at St. 
Thomas Hospital.
  Mrs. Rudy has long been a devoted and tireless supporter of 
Cumberland University in Lebanon, TN. When the university and its board 
of trustees decided to expand the curriculum to include a bachelor of 
science in the nursing degree program, there were several obstacles in 
the way. Long-term debt was hindering financial stability, enrollment 
growth was minimal, and resources were strained. Jeanette helped reduce 
these obstacles, not only by providing much-needed financial resources, 
but also by giving her professional guidance in the development of the 
nursing curriculum. It is not an exaggeration to say that without 
Jeanette Rudy, the nursing program at Cumberland University would not 
exist. In 1990, Mrs. Rudy was recognized for her efforts with an 
honorary doctorate of humanities from Cumberland.
  Jeanette is as passionate about her hobbies as she is about her 
devotion to public service. She has assembled what is widely considered 
to be the finest privately held collection of State and Federal duck 
stamps, including the very first stamp issued in 1934. In 1992, Mrs. 
Rudy served as a judge of the Federal duck stamp competition in 
Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Institution has established the 
Jeanette Cantrell Rudy Duck Stamp Gallery at the National Postal Museum 
in her honor. The gallery will open on June 26, 1996.
  Mrs. Rudy is also an avid sportswoman and has held the title of 
Ladies State Trapshooting Champion for 9 years, and has been named to 
the women's all-American trap team twice. She sits on the boards of 
Cumberland University, the St. Thomas Hospital Auxiliary and Foundation 
and the Nashville Zoo, and she is a major supporter of the Nashville 
Police and Fire Department. Mrs. Rudy was also the major donor of the 
National Police Memorial in Washington, DC.
  Dr. Jeanette Cantrell Rudy is a living legend and truly an American 
original. Her generosity and warmth know no bounds, and her devotion to 
public service and humanity have enriched the lives of countless 
Tennesseans. It

[[Page E1107]]

is with tremendous pride and genuine affection that I salute the great 
spirit, intelligence, and wit of Jeanette Rudy. She honors us all daily 
with her friendship and love.

                          ____________________