[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 54 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E694]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    QUOTES ABOUT MR. ALFRED McKETHAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KAREN L. THURMAN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2002

  Mrs. THURMAN. Mr. Speaker, U.S. Sen. Bob Graham: ``. . . a legacy 
unmatched by any other.''
  U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson: ``Alfred McKethan was not just a leader--he 
was a doer.''
  Gov. Jeb Bush, ``Alfred McKethan was larger than life, . . . a 
monumental contributor to this state.''--Hernando Today
  Congresswoman Karen Thurman, ``His mantle was sharing with everyone 
else. The mantle he left behind is the people he left behind.''--
Hernando Today
  Mr. Hjalma Johnson, Dade City banker: ``All of us will see farther 
because we stood on the shoulders of this giant. Mr. Chairman, you will 
be well missed and never forgotten.''--Hernando Times
  Mr. Colin Campbell of the Virginia Military Institute, where Mr. 
McKethan began his college career: ``Mr. McKethan loved to empower 
young leaders.''--Hernando Times
  Rev. Don Lawson, pastor of Brooksville's First Presbyterian Church: 
``Alfred McKethan was a powerful man of insight and vision. But from my 
perspective, he had a humble heart.''--Hernando Today
  Former University of Florida President John Lombardi: ``He 
represented the very best of the spirit of our alumni. . . . He's just 
one of our heroes.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Retired State Senator Ed Price Jr. from Bradenton: ``He was a very 
friendly person, but he could get hard-nosed when the occasion allowed 
for it.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Banker Marion G. ``Bubber'' Nelson of Panama City: ``He just had a 
good way of talking and enthusing somebody and developing ambition. 
There were no crazy things about him.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Former Brooksville State Rep. John Culbreath, now a Tallahassee 
lobbyist: ``Alfred for his lifetime was really the pulse and the 
heartbeat of Hernando County.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Chuck Smith, a former state lawmaker from Brooksville: ``Alfred 
McKethan was an excellent politician. You're not an excellent 
politician if you're mean to people or make them mad.''--St. Petersburg 
Times
  Jim Talley, editor of the defunct Brooksville Sun-Journal newspaper: 
Mr. McKethan ``by style and demeanor symbolized Brooksville's 
yesteryear, caught in the mid 20th century, though he prided himself on 
always looking `out yonder.' He left his mark, and it was a big 
one.''--St. Petersburg Times
  University of Florida's Athletic Director Jeremy Foley: ``His passion 
for the university and this program  . . . there was no bigger Gator. 
I'm going to miss him immeasurably . . . ''--St. Petersburg Times
  Norm Carlson, a longtime UF assistant director of media relations: 
``He had the ear of everybody.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Former Gators football coach Steve Spurrier once said: ``When you 
talk of Gator spirit and love for the university, Alfred McKethan 
embodies what that is all about.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Brooksville lawyer Joe Mason, Mr. McKethan's nephew: ``His influence 
is everywhere you look. Probably no one in the last half-century has 
had as much of an impact on the community as he has had.''--St. 
Petersburg Times
  Jim Kimbrough, who married Mr. McKethan's daughter, then took over as 
head of SunTrust Bank/Nature Coast, said: ``It's been a privilege to be 
at his side professionally.''--St. Petersburg Times
  County Commissioner Chairwoman Nancy Robinson: ``Alfred McKethan was 
an icon and a visionary. He'll be missed.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Robert Buckner, Mr. McKethan's oldest grandson: ``He kept up with 
what was going on in Hernando County.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Jane Padgett, an assistant principal at Hernando High and a distant 
relative: ``I think he has always been keenly interested in the welfare 
of this county and its place in the state.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Oma Lee Vance, worked with McKethan at the bank for nearly 40 years: 
``His door was always open. He was just a very compassionate person, 
considering his standing in life and the community.''--St. Petersburg 
Times
  Gene Manuel, owner of Coastal Engineering: ``He's one of the few 
people that I ever knew in my lifetime who would do something for you 
without expecting anything in return.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Dominick Cabriele, chairman of the Hernando County Democratic Party: 
``Mr. McKethan was a lifelong Democrat and a steadfast supporter of the 
Democratic Party and its principles. . . . His loss is 
irreplaceable.''--St. Petersburg Times
  Len Tria, vice president of Coastal Engineering and former Hernando 
County commissioner: ``He never forgot his roots. His motto was, `You 
build your community, you build your bank.' ''--St. Petersburg Times

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