[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 73 (Tuesday, June 9, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S5779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




TRIBUTE TO THE 1998 RECIPIENTS OF THE PHOENIX AWARD FOR SMALL BUSINESS 
                           DISASTER RECOVERY

  Mr. FORD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to Ruby L. Wyatt 
and Dixie L. Owen of Falmouth, Kentucky, who have both been selected as 
Phoenix Award recipients for Small Business Disaster Recovery by the 
U.S. Small Business Administration. The Phoenix Award seeks to 
recognize outstanding individuals who overcome the odds in the face of 
disaster.
  Ruby is the President of Wyatt's Supermarket, Inc., and her daughter 
Dixie is the Secretary of this business which has been owned by their 
family for over 50 years. Ruby and her late husband Abe started in the 
grocery business in 1945 by selling food and supplies from the back of 
their Studebaker truck throughout the rolling hills of northern 
Kentucky. The Wyatt family soon expanded their operation and opened a 
full service supermarket.
  The business continued to flourish until a major flood hit Falmouth 
in March 1997. The supermarket Ruby and Dixie had just built only seven 
years earlier, was devastated by the flood. Ruby, at age 75, and Dixie 
decided to rebuild the store. In just 66 days, Wyatt's SuperValu 
reopened for business and all 52 employees were rehired. Today, Wyatt's 
SuperValu is the only grocery store serving Pendleton County.
  Ruby and Dixie's dedication did not end with rebuilding their own 
business. They worked to help secure federal funds to help rebuild the 
surrounding community in the aftermath of the flood. In addition, Ruby 
and Dixie participated in a fund-raiser with the Coca-Cola Company that 
raised money for the local public library damaged by the flood.
  There can be no doubt that Ruby and Dixie's drive and determination 
during the aftermath of the flood is worthy of the Phoenix Award. The 
community of Falmouth is lucky to have two business leaders who are 
dedicated to the well-being of their community. The actions of the 
Wyatt family serve as a role model for other business leaders who are 
affected by natural disasters. I congratulate them on their success and 
wish them many future years of success serving the people of northern 
Kentucky.

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