[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 19 (Friday, January 30, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S1120]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN LOGAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor a well-respected 
Kentuckian, Dr. John Logan. Mr. Logan's outstanding dedication to 
Kentucky history is truly immeasurable as is his devotion to the 
Commonwealth itself.
  Recently the Gleaner in Henderson, KY, published a story highlighting 
Dr. Logan's new book about the extraordinary history of Methodist 
Hospital in Henderson, KY. The story highlights not only Dr. Logan's 
allegiance to the medical industry but his unknown talents as an 
archivist. Dr. Logan was able to compile such a vast amount of research 
for his new book because, as he says, he ``lived'' it. Having been 
involved with the hospital since 1962, Dr. Logan has certainly seen his 
share of history firsthand. Without Dr. Logan's remarkable efforts to 
preserve history, the triumphant story of this great Kentucky 
institution would be lost forever.
  Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Logan 
as a true patriot and Kentuckian whose legacy will forever be 
remembered, and I further ask unanimous consent to have the full 
article printed in the Congressional Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                   [From the Gleaner, Jan. 17, 2009]

  Time To Tell the Story: Local Physician Administers Dose of History 
                  With New Book on Methodist Hospital

                           (By Judy Jenkins)

       It wasn't so much a want as it was a need.
       And it wasn't so much a need as it was a deep conviction 
     that time wouldn't wait forever and something important could 
     be lost.
       That's why, five years ago, Dr. John Logan began a long-
     contemplated project that required the patience of a saint, 
     more than a few detective skills, and the excavation of 
     nearly half a century of his own memories.
       The result, just off the press, is the 192-page ``History 
     of Methodist Hospital, Henderson, Ky., 1948-2008.''
       The hardcover volume, published by McClanahan Publishing 
     House, Inc. of Lyon County, Ky., is chock full of photographs 
     and doesn't merely chronicle the development of the hospital 
     from a simple, one-story brick building with 12 doctors and 
     35 employees to the towering complex it is today.
       It also pays tribute to the legions of people of all ages, 
     races and socio-economic backgrounds who have done everything 
     from polishing the floors and baking the bread to utilizing 
     space age diagnostic technology and performing life-saving 
     procedures.
       ``I decided it was time to tell the story,'' says John, who 
     has served as the hospital's medical director for 22 years, 
     been president of the medical staff, and completed 19 terms 
     as chief of the medical staff.
       His thought, he said, was, ``If I don't tell it, it's 
     gone.''
       He couldn't let that happen because ``It's a great story. 
     That this hospital all these years has survived across the 
     river from hospitals twice our size. That says we're doing 
     something right.''
       Because he has been associated with the hospital since 1962 
     and has witnessed its growth and advancements, he didn't have 
     to spend all of his time in a basement room with dusty boxes 
     of scrapbooks and loose clippings.
       ``I've LIVED the research,'' he said, grinning.
       He came to this area as a brand new physician, hanging out 
     his shingle in Sebree in his wife Jackie's home county.
       Probably no one in his native Edmonson County had expected 
     him or his brother Tom to become doctors. Their family was 
     thick with attorneys, but the siblings opted to follow the 
     medical path.
       John's mentor was a country doctor named Sidney Farmer, who 
     hired him at age 14 to clean his offices. When John got a 
     driver's license, he drove Farmer to make house calls.
       A year after the youthful family practitioner came to these 
     parts, he was introduced to a dynamic 31-year-old named 
     Charles ``Chuck'' Jarrett, who had accepted the post of 
     Methodist Hospital executive director.
       Chuck, who was a former Marine and ``a dreamer'' who had 
     the unique ability to persuade others to dream with him, soon 
     was plotting a tall, gleaming modern hospital on that hill 
     off Twelfth and Elm Streets.
       When he died, far too young, in 1973, the institution had 
     four sprawling wings and was just as he had envisioned it.
       Since that time, his successors Ron Chapman and Bruce 
     Begley have kept the dreams alive and the hospital is flanked 
     by a North Tower and South Tower.
       In his book, John fleshes out what otherwise could be the 
     bare bones of history. For instance, he relates that in 
     addition to being a popular veteran pediatrician and hunter, 
     Dr. John Jenkins is a pig farmer.
       The author says Jenkins once told him, ``If I work very 
     hard practicing medicine, I can almost cover my losses in pig 
     farming.''
       John also writes about the late Dr. M.G. Veal, a fellow 
     with a well developed sense of humor and hobby sideline as a 
     trumpet player in several area bands. He smoked, though he 
     knew better, and ``His trademark was a cigarette with an inch 
     of ashes hanging.''
       (I can vouch for that mischievous sense of humor. Once he 
     passed me in the hospital lobby and loudly congratulated me. 
     When I, confused, asked why he was congratulating me, he 
     said, ``I just heard that you're expecting your tenth child, 
     Mrs. Jenkins!'' Heads turned, believe me. For the record, I 
     only had three kids at the time and the fourth and last was 
     born a year later).
       As I read the book, I was reminded of the tragic losses the 
     hospital medical staff has suffered over the years.
       Among them, the death of the young and much-revered Dr. 
     W.B. Blue, who practiced in Henderson's East End. He died in 
     a vehicular accident here.
       And there was Dr. Elton House, who was reaching the height 
     of his career when he drowned during an outing on Barkley 
     Lake.
       And Dr. Joe McGruder, who had brought so many babies into 
     the world, lost his life while scuba diving on vacation.
       John is proud of the fact that he unearthed photos of every 
     Methodist Hospital physician--but one--who was on the 
     original staff, or who had served at least 20 years.
       His only failure was Dr. Ira Cosby, an original staff 
     member who regularly made house calls and was never known to 
     drive faster than 35 mph.
       John and his faithful helpers searched high and low, 
     contacting relatives and doing everything possible to come up 
     with a likeness of the doctor, but had to admit defeat.
       There are numerous photos of hospital employees who have 
     made their own marks on the institution. They include the 
     late Bill Beck, director of materials management. He was a 
     soft-spoken man who never minded going above and beyond the 
     call of duty to honor a request.
       James ``Rip'' Van Winkle was like that too, and I don't 
     recall an instance when the late director of building and 
     grounds left a room without relating an anecdote or witticism 
     that had everyone laughing.
       John himself could fill a book, but because space is 
     limited we'll just say he played a major role in many things 
     we take for granted here, including the spacious YMCA, the 
     Henderson Fine Arts Center, the Depot/Tourism Center--and the 
     hospital's Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that makes 
     it possible to care for most of the tiniest and sickest 
     babies right here.
       He's not happy about everything related to the hospital. It 
     just irks him that while the facility regularly performs 
     cardiac catheterizations and has a staff of 24 cardiologists 
     as well as a dedicated telemetry unit, it hasn't yet been 
     able to obtain a state Certificate of Need to permit 
     angioplasty procedures or stent placements here.
       He'll keep pursuing that, no doubt, as he has, at 71, no 
     immediate plans to retire.
       Nor does he plan a sequel to the history.
       ``I've done the first 60 years. Somebody else will have to 
     do the next 60.''

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