[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 157 (Sunday, November 9, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12284-S12285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RETIREMENT OF HUMANA CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER DAVID E. JONES

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I'm honored today to salute one of 
Kentucky's and this nation's finest business leaders and statesmen, 
David A. Jones. David will soon be retiring as Chief Executive Officer 
of Humana Inc., the company he co-founded over 36 years ago.
  David is one of this country's all-time great business leaders. His 
career has been marked by a deep commitment to high principles and 
community service and he will leave behind a very distinguished history 
of service to Kentucky and the nation. Fortunately, Kentucky and the 
health care industry won't be losing his guidance entirely as David 
continues as chairman of the board of directors of Humana.
  A native of Louisville, David earned a bachelor's degree from the 
University of Louisville in 1954, where he won the outstanding senior 
award. He also became a Certified Public Accountant that same year. 
After three years of service in the U.S. Navy, he entered Yale 
University, earning a law degree (JD) in 1960, while also serving on 
the economics faculty from 1958 to 1960. David also holds honorary 
doctorates from the Chicago Medical School, the University of 
Louisville, Transylvania University and the Claremont Graduate School.
  In 1961, David and another young lawyer, Wendell Cherry, discussed 
ways to build and operate a new kind of nursing home--one that would 
treat its elderly patients not only with dignity and respect, but with 
a kind of personal attention rarely seen in nursing homes of that time. 
The nursing home was called Heritage House and was located in 
Louisville. The company began to grow and add additional facilities. 
Eventually, the company, then known as Extendicare, became the largest 
nursing home company in America with more than 40 facilities. As the 
company continued to grow, it eventually divested itself of all nursing 
homes to concentrate on the hospital business.

[[Page S12285]]

  To reflect the company's new direction, the corporate name was 
changed to Humana Inc. in January of 1974. During David's tenure as 
chief executive, Humana Inc. became one of the nation's leading health 
care companies. The company pioneered the measurement of hospital 
quality and productivity to achieve consistent care for every patient.
  In 1982, Humana established its Centers of Excellence program, 
designating hospitals that offered unsurpassed specialty care by 
combining research and education with state-of-the-art treatment. While 
the Humana Heart Institute International at Humana Hospital-Audubon 
became renowned for its pioneering research into the artificial heart, 
other Centers of Excellence were developed in the specialties of 
diabetes, neuroscience, orthopedics, and spinal injury care.
  David continued to lead Humana as dramatic changes occurred in the 
hospital industry in the 1980s. In 1984, Humana created a family of 
flexible health care plans. The health insurance side of the company 
grew and matured, and in 1993, Humana separated its hospital and health 
insurance divisions. Although no longer in the hospital business, 
Humana Inc. continues to be one of the leading health care companies in 
the nation.
  In addition to his outstanding business acumen, David is also a 
deeply committed humanitarian who created the Humana Foundation, a 
charitable organization committed to the arts, education and other 
causes around the world. In part because of that support, the Humana 
Foundation won the 1996 Business in the Arts Award given by the 
Business Committee for the Arts and Forbes Magazine.
  David has helped build affordable housing in marginal neighborhoods, 
put computers in schools, supported an international theater festival 
in Louisville, helped launch an African-American business venture fund, 
helped attract the Presbyterian Church USA headquarters to the river 
front, and for a brief time in the 1970s, brought professional 
basketball to Louisville. More recently, he helped raise nearly 
$750,000 in flood aid for Louisville residents and businesses by 
pledging to match contributions from local companies or business 
leaders.
  During his tenure as Chief Executive Officer of Humana, David worked 
hard for his employees, fought for his beliefs, and strived to make our 
nation an even better place. He has been a tireless promoter of 
business in Kentucky, and his efforts undoubtedly helped to make the 
state an important part of the burgeoning national economy.
  Nationally, his opinions and actions help set the direct for health 
care policy, not just in this country, but all over the world. He has 
been the architect of many initiatives in this country, but has also 
been a leader in improving and expanding health care delivery in 
Romania. In a joint venture with Baylor Medical Center in Texas, Humana 
is helping rebuild the health care system in Romania, which is 
struggling to survive as a new democracy.
  A compassionate heart has kept him humble and grounded, his path 
straight, his words true, and his conviction undiminished. The career 
of David Jones should be an model to all those who aspire to succeed in 
business. Indeed, David is a man of integrity, ability, and dedication, 
and we commend him for the great service he has rendered this Nation.
  Mr. President, I know that all the Members of the Kentucky 
delegation, and my colleagues in the Senate, wish David good health and 
great happiness in the years to come.

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