[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 17, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S2746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JOYE KADING

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to tell my 
colleagues about a remarkable lady, Joye Kading. Joye is being honored 
this week with the dedication of the Joye Kading Gallery at the Wyoming 
Veterans Memorial Museum.
  Joye Kading is the founder of the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum. 
Located at the former Casper Army Air Base, a training facility for 
bomber pilots from 1942-1945, the museum is housed in the original tar 
paper building that served as the enlisted men's club.
  Joye saw the Casper Army Air Base through its entire lifetime. She 
was there when the area was nothing but open Wyoming prairie, and 
watched it develop into an operational air base. She saw it through its 
heyday, and she was there when the base shut down at the end of World 
War II. In March 1942, when Lt. Col. Carl T. Nordstrom came to visit 
Casper to see if it was a viable spot for an air base, he hired Joye to 
serve as his secretary. Her tenacity, ingenuity, and initiative was so 
highly regarded that she continued to serve as a secretary for many of 
the Casper Army Air Base's top officials. Around the air base and in 
the community, she was a confidant, a big sister, and always willing to 
give a word of advice or just take the time to listen.
  During her work with the officers and personnel at the base, Joye 
collected photographs, letters, programs and other memorabilia. Her 
collection became a central part of the historical records she 
preserved through the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum. Many of the men 
in Joye's photographs did not return from war. Joye's passion for 
preserving this unique part of Wyoming's history has ensured that 
stories of the servicemembers stationed in Casper will not fade away 
with time.
  In 2006, Kading was awarded the Daughters of the American Revolution 
National History Award for her dedication and commitment to honoring 
veterans and preserving their history. Throughout her life, Joye Kading 
has embodied the spirit of service to country and responsibility of 
community. The newly dedicated gallery will serve as a permanent 
memorial for Joye's important contribution to preserving Wyoming's rich 
military history. She is a true American patriot and a cornerstone of 
Wyoming's unique heritage. I am honored to call Joye Kading my 
neighbor, a former patient, and my friend.

                          ____________________