[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 1, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JUDY KROLL

 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I would like to take this 
opportunity to honor Judy Kroll of Volga, SD.
  Judy Kroll has spent her career serving the community of Brookings, 
SD, in her capacity as an educator, as well as the director of the 
thriving speech and debate program at Brookings High School.
  Judy, who retired this summer, served as a South Dakota educator for 
37 years, teaching in both Madison and Parkston before starting at 
Brookings High School in 1980. During her 32 years as an educator and 
debate coach in Brookings, she has left an indelible impact on her 
students, dedicating an immeasurable amount of time to positively 
impacting the lives of young people. Judy has devoted countless hours 
to advance the critical and analytical skills of those students who she 
taught, coached, and mentored.
  During her coaching career, Judy has been awarded South Dakota 
Forensic Coaches Association Coach of the Year on numerous occasions 
and coached her students to multiple State championships in various 
speech and debate events. Her success as a coach was also demonstrated 
at the national level. She coached policy debate teams to 2nd and 3rd 
place finishes in 2000 at the National Forensics League National Speech 
and Debate Tournament and a 7th place finish earlier this summer at the 
same tournament.
  Judy's longstanding involvement in the debate community has been 
recognized not only by her South Dakota peers, but at a national level 
as well. In 2011, she was admitted to the National Forensics League 
Hall of Fame. Of the thousands of debate coaches who have been a part 
of the National Forensics League since its inception in 1925, only 158 
individuals have earned this honor. Judy is one of four South Dakotans 
to have received this honor. In addition, she was recently named the 
2012 National Forensics League Coach of the Year. This award recognizes 
Judy's outstanding leadership and commitment to National Forensic 
League activities. Judy's receipt of this award marks only the second 
time a South Dakotan has received such an honor since it was first 
awarded in 1953.
  During her teaching and coaching career, Judy encouraged her students 
to never give up on accomplishing their goals. She promoted outstanding 
sportsmanship and for years a large display in her classroom read, 
``What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always 
popular.'' Judy exemplified for her students the importance of working 
hard and attaining success without compromising ethics and sense of 
doing what is right.
  I join Judy's family, friends, and students in recognizing her 
meritorious work and extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Judy 
for all she has done for her students and the State of South Dakota, 
and wish her the best in her retirement.

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