[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 109 (Thursday, July 22, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S6191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEBERING FORMER GOVERNOR KENNY GUINN
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I have just learned of the loss of one of my
dear friends. He was an orphan. He was a stellar athlete. He came to
Las Vegas to be a schoolteacher, but he had such a dynamic personality
that soon they learned in that rapidly growing school district, which
is the fourth or fifth largest in the country, that they needed his
kind of leadership. He went from being a teacher to running that huge
school district in Las Vegas, the Clark County School District.
He had such a magnetic personality. Kenny Guinn was built like an
athlete. He was handsome as a movie star.
He left the school district after a number of years and became a bank
president. He became a big utility president in our major utility in
Nevada. Then he became president of the university. I think he worked
for $1 a year. He just did it to be nice.
Somebody said to him: What you should do is run for Governor. It was
a slam dunk. He was a very moderate Republican. He was elected Governor
twice very easily. He did an extremely good job as Governor.
We do not know what happened to Kenny today, but from reports we
received, he was in an accident. He was on the roof and fell. He is
dead now. I feel so badly about this. I talked with him a week or so
ago about my campaign and his wonderful, beautiful, charming wife Dema.
I feel so sad that Kenny is not with us anymore.
I join all of Nevada in mourning the loss of truly a great man, one
of Nevada's outstanding Governors, and a friend of mine about whom I
will always feel strongly.
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