[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 193 (Thursday, December 15, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8675-S8676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO HELEN HIERONYMUS

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I stand today to pay tribute to an 
exceptional Kentuckian, Helen Hieronymus of Somerset, KY. Helen, who 
recently celebrated her 85th birthday, has lived a full and successful 
life and still exhibits youthfulness far beyond her years.
  On October 20, 2011, her birthday, Helen decided to celebrate in a 
rather unconventional way--she went skydiving. For those who know her, 
however, her great leap wasn't all that surprising. Over the years, 
Helen has been a vibrant member of the local community--she has served 
as director of the local United Way, Cub Scout den mother, and 
president of the Junior Women's Club, all while always entertaining her 
adventurous appetite. Her travels have taken her fishing in Alaska, to 
the Great Wall of China, and to 80 different countries around the 
world.
  Going skydiving has been an unfulfilled desire of Helen's for many 
years. As a child, Helen dreamed of being able to fly. Then, about 9 
years ago, Helen was further inspired after witnessing a collection of 
paratroopers make their way to the ground while on a trip to Paris. ``I 
thought it would be fun,'' she says. And so it was.
  After ascending to 12,000 feet, Helen successfully completed a tandem 
jump followed by a safe landing. ``No problem at all,'' she explained. 
``When you come out of the plane, you do a free fall. You see the earth 
below you, and it's amazing down there. I would do it again.''
  Mr. President, Ms. Helen Hieronymus is a courageous woman who has 
experienced a lifetime of excitement and fulfillment. Helen's community 
involvement and adventurous spirit serve as an inspiration to 
Kentuckians everywhere, and it is my hope that she have many more 
adventures to come. The Commonwealth Journal, a Somerset-area 
publication, recently published an article highlighting Helen's life of 
journeys and daring parachute jump. I ask unanimous consent that the 
full article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

             [From the Commonwealth Journal, Oct. 30, 2011]

  Somerset Woman Celebrates 85th Birthday by Taking Plunge Out of an 
                                Airplane

                           (By Chris Harris)

       How does a woman who has traveled the world, ripped the 
     roadway on a Harley, and hunted big game celebrate her 85th 
     birthday?
       By jumping out of an airplane, naturally.
       Helen Hieronymus has lived a big life, no question about 
     it. Her name is familiar to many in Pulaski County, having 
     touched the community in many different ways--director of the 
     local United Way, Cub Scout den mother, president of the 
     Junior Women's Club, and so much more.
       You could say she's lived a full life . . . yet she's 
     always looking for ways to make it even more full.
       ``Of course,'' said Hieronymus. ``Why waste it?''
       Hieronymus turned 85 on October 20. She had a yen to try 
     her hand at skydiving.
       Why?
       ``God only knows,'' quipped her daughter, Janie Hail, known 
     to many Somerset High School alumni as their former English 
     teacher, now retired. ``Mine was the voice in the background 
     saying, Mother, are you sure you want to do this?'''
       In actuality, Hieronymus was inspired by a trip to Paris, 
     France, about nine years ago, where she witnessed a 
     collection of paratroopers descend to the earth from three 
     different heights, landing in a circle.
       Hieronymus's reaction? ``I thought that would be fun.''
       In fairness, Hieronymus had dreamed of being able to fly 
     since she was only a child. Of course, she was smart enough 
     not to try it herself without a little experimentation first.
       ``I tried to teach my brother to fly by tying a sheet to 
     his ankles and wrists and having him jump off the porch 
     railing,'' she recalled. ``I was just testing it in that one 
     (case).''
       By the time she reached her 85th birthday, she'd done 
     nearly everything else. Hieronymus reported having done a 
     ``bit of traveling.'' That's only if you consider visiting 80 
     different countries to be ``a bit.'' She's fished in Alaska, 
     hunted wild beasts in the field, and walked on the Great Wall 
     of China. Even recently, friend Tommy Cate took her for a 
     ride on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
       Hieronymus kept her adventurous spirit her whole life, but 
     wasn't able to fully explore it until years down the road.
       ``I had responsibilities to take care of, like three 
     children and a husband and things like that,'' she said. 
     ``Now they're big enough to take care of themselves.''
       Flying like a bird in the air, however, continued to elude 
     her. Hieronymus had mentioned to her granddaughter that she 
     would like to do a parachute jump. As a result, all of her 
     grandchildren decided to chip in and buy ``Granny'' an 
     opportunity to ``jump out of a perfectly good airplane,'' as 
     Hail put it.
       Hail wasn't a fan of the idea. She constantly tried to talk 
     her mother out of the idea, given the danger that falling to 
     earth from 12,000 feet in the air could present.
       ``I'd think I had her talked out of it, but then it would 
     come up again,'' said Hail, who

[[Page S8676]]

     characterized herself whimsically as the coolly pragmatic 
     complement to her mother's free-spirited daredeviling.
       ``I suggested doing a zipline instead. She said that 
     sounded like fun, that she hadn't thought of that before,'' 
     added Hail, ``and she calls up the next day and says she's 
     going to jump the next day.''
       Hail decided that if she couldn't beat 'em, as the saying 
     goes, that she would join 'em--on the ground as moral 
     support, at any rate. So earlier this month, she accompanied 
     her mother to the site of the Start Skydiving organization's 
     site in Middletown, Ohio, where the big jump would take 
     place.
       What Hail saw when she got there didn't exactly bolster her 
     confidence. She and Hieronymus watched as a group of 
     skydivers went earlier in the day.
       ``The wind caught the chute of the last one coming in and 
     rolled her over; it looked like a disaster waiting to 
     happen,'' said Hail. ``I point that out to my mother, and 
     said, `Did you see that?' and she responded, `Well, she got 
     up.' ''
       ``I said, `Mom, she's 20!' ''
       The winds picked up throughout the day; as the hours rolled 
     along, it looked more and more like Hieronymus wouldn't be 
     able to make the jump, but she refused to leave. After all, 
     if she wanted to use the coupon her grandchildren had given 
     her as a gift, it would have to be by Thanksgiving; that time 
     in mid-October might have been her last opportunity to do so.
       So Hieronymus held on to be in the last group to go up into 
     the sky that day. The plane climbed to 12,000 feet before she 
     was able to make the tandem jump with her instructor (they 
     were connected to each other, but he was wearing the 
     parachute).
       ``They put a jumpsuit on you and zip you up,'' Hieronymus 
     explained. ``Then they put the harness on you. Janie was 
     there coaching.''
       Hieronymus took no apprehension with her into the airplane 
     and left no regrets floating in the air. She made a 
     successful jump and landed on the earthen floor no worse for 
     the wear.
       ``No problems at all,'' she said. ``I would do it again.''
       For Hieronymus, this was a ``bucket list'' item: Something 
     she wanted to make sure and experience before she passed 
     away, as referenced in the film called ``The Bucket List.'' 
     It certainly lived up to the expectations.
       ``When you come out of the plane, you do a free fall,'' 
     said Hieronymus. ``You see the earth below you, and it's 
     amazing down there.''
       Her thoughts upon landing? ``Oh shucks, I'm back on land.''
       Hieronymus laughed as she noted that she had a video of the 
     event that she would show at her place of worship, First 
     United Methodist Church, to entertain her friends there.
       And despite Hail's skeptical nature, her mother's exploits 
     have managed to serve as an inspiration.
       ``Oh my gosh, I felt younger,'' said Hail. ``If an 85-year-
     old can do that, surely I'm not that old.''

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