[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 103 (Thursday, June 25, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S4640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING MAJOR KENNETH M. SLYE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and pay tribute 
to a very dear friend of mine who has sadly passed away. MAJ Ken Slye, 
retired from both the U.S. Army and the Office of the Secretary of 
Defense, died on June 24, 2015, at the Robley Rex VA Medical Center in 
Louisville. He was 81 years old.
  Ken was a retired master Army aviator who did two combat tours in 
Vietnam, flying both Chinook and Huey helicopters. After his retirement 
from the Army, Ken was very active in the local Louisville military 
community as well as that of Fort Knox. He was a past chairman of the 
Louisville Armed Forces Committee; a four-times past president of the 
Louisville Chapter, Military Officers Association of America; a member 
of VFW 1170 Middletown; of the DAV; and of the American Legion G.I. Joe 
Post 244 in Jeffersontown.
  Ken served on the Veteran Experience Board at the Robley Rex VA 
Medical Center, and in fact he and fellow veteran Carl Kaelin were 
instrumental in getting the medical center named after Kentucky's own 
World War I-era vet, Robley Rex. Ken was the recipient of the 2015 
Louisville Armed Forces Patriot Award just this past May.
  Ken was also heavily involved with professional tennis as an 
international chair umpire, and he served in the chair in matches all 
over the United States as well as the United Kingdom, Germany, 
Australia, Canada, Brazil, Japan, France, Argentina, Mexico, the 
Netherlands, and Jamaica. He began his officiating career in 1974 and 
was a graduate of the first professional tennis officials' school, in 
1976 in Dallas. He chaired matches at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon, the 
French Open, and the Davis Cup.
  Ken officiated in 16 matches with legendary player John McEnroe. Ken 
was the only Kentuckian to chair the final of a Grand Slam Tennis 
Tournament. He was the chair umpire for the classic 1980 U.S. Open 
Men's Singles Final between McEnroe and Bjorn Borg, watched on 
television by 20 million fans and 22,000 in the stands at Flushing 
Meadow. He was the chair umpire at the 1987 Wimbledon semi-final match 
between Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl. Other tennis legends Ken 
encountered during his career were Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Ilie 
Nastase, and Jimmy Connors.
  Born in Boston and raised in Wellesley, MA, Ken moved to Louisville 
because it was the hometown of his wife, Linda. He sang bass with the 
Louisville Thoroughbred Chorus for 4 years and served as its manager 
for 6 years. He served for 20 years with the Secretary of Defense's 
staff on top of his heroic service with the Army.
  Ken is survived by his wife, Linda, as well as his son Scott Slye and 
daughter Susan Fabiano; his granddaughters Stacey Brandon and Audrey 
Ribley; his six great-grandchildren, Ashlynn, Will, Addison, Cooper, 
Scott, and Brystal; and Linda's son and daughter Jeff Furnish and Meg 
Furnish.
  MAJ Ken Slye bravely served his country in uniform during a time of 
war, and he served his fellow veterans when he returned home. He will 
be greatly missed, not only by the military community throughout 
Kentucky but also by his many friends who knew and loved him.
  I am proud to count myself among that group of friends. I relied on 
Ken's advice and friendship. I want to extend my deepest condolences to 
his family in their time of loss. The Commonwealth of Kentucky joins 
them in mourning this heroic man, patriot, and soldier.

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