[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 69 (Thursday, May 8, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2859-S2860]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JIM SHARPE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, I rise today to honor the long and 
distinguished career of Jim Sharpe. Now retired, Mr. Sharpe opened his 
first business in Somerset, KY, in 1947. Since that time he's opened 
several more, pioneered the houseboat business, and has become an 
irreplaceable fixture in his community.
  Lake Cumberland is known by many as the ``houseboat capital of the 
world''--a designation that is owed in no small part to Jim Sharpe. Jim 
was one of the first to pioneer the industry--building his first 
houseboat in

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1953. Much has changed since he sold that first 10-by 24-foot steel 
boat, and Jim has been there for it all, often leading the way. 
Houseboats are now much bigger--up to 20 by 100 feet--and are made of 
aluminum and have on-board heating and cooling systems. One thing that 
never changed, though, is Jim's passion for building his customer's 
``dream boat.''
  Despite being one of the founding fathers of the industry, houseboats 
do not constitute the totality of his life's work. Jim has owned and 
operated several other businesses in Somerset in addition to Sumerset 
Marine. In 1966, he developed Food Fair groceries, which he grew into a 
chain of 13 stores. Two year later, he opened Somerset's first fried 
chicken restaurant, Kettle Fried Chicken, and in 1974 he bought a car 
dealership, Pulaski Motor Company.
  Although he is now retired, Jim still has plenty to keep him busy. 
Jim and his wife of nearly 65 years Mary Jo have four children and nine 
grandchildren, and he has also found time to pick up golf and travel 
the country.
  Jim Sharpe's drive and determination in his business, his commitment 
to his community, and his love of his family can serve as an example to 
us all. I ask that my U.S. Senate colleagues join me in honoring this 
upstanding Kentucky citizen.

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