[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 25 (Thursday, February 11, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO JUDGE EUGENE SILER, JR.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to recognize a celebrated 
Kentuckian who has received a great honor. Federal appeals court judge 
Eugene Siler, Jr., a fixture in his community, who has served on the 
bench for over 40 years, has received the ``Tri-County 2016 Leader of 
the Year'' award from the Leadership Tri-County organization in 
Kentucky.
  Leadership Tri-County focuses on civic, business, and community 
leadership in Laurel, Knox, and Whitley Counties in southeastern 
Kentucky. A nonprofit organization founded in 1987, it identifies 
potential, emerging, and current leaders from the three counties and 
nurtures their continued development.
  Judge Siler is a native of Williamsburg and earned his bachelor of 
arts at Vanderbilt University. He has a law degree from the University 
of Virginia and has two graduate law degrees from the University of 
Virginia and Georgetown University.
  Judge Siler served as an Active-Duty officer in the U.S. Navy from 
1958 to 1960 and later retired as a commander in the U.S. Naval 
Reserve.
  Judge Siler practiced law privately alongside his father in 
Williamsburg and was then elected Whitley County attorney, an office he 
held from 1965 to 1970. In 1970, he was appointed U.S. attorney for the 
Eastern District of Kentucky by President Richard Nixon.
  In 1975, he was appointed as a judge for the U.S. District Court for 
the Eastern and Western Districts of Kentucky by President Gerald Ford. 
In 1991, he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the sixth 
circuit by President George H.W. Bush.
  Today Judge Siler is a senior judge on that court. He was awarded the 
``1992 Outstanding Judge of the Year Award'' by the Kentucky Bar 
Association, and that same year, he was sent to Lithuania by the U.S. 
State Department to advise and assist the judiciary in that country as 
they transitioned from a communist to a democratic system. He also 
traveled to Albania at the behest of the U.S. Justice Department to 
advise that country's judges on ethics and discipline.
  Judge Siler is married to the former Chris Minnich. They have two 
sons, Gene Siler III and Adam T. Siler. I am sure Judge Siler's family 
is proud of him for receiving this award and for all that he has 
accomplished. I want to thank him for his many years of public service, 
and I know my colleagues join me in congratulating Judge Siler on his 
receipt of the ``Tri-County 2016 Leader of the Year'' award.
  An area newspaper, the News Journal, published an article about Judge 
Siler receiving his award.
  I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                 [From the News Journal, Feb. 10, 2016]

     Williamsburg Native Eugene Siler Picked as Leader of the Year

                            (By Mark White)

       A federal judge and U.S. Navy veteran has been selected as 
     Leadership Tri-County's 2016 Leader of the Year.
       Eugene Siler Jr., a senior judge on the U.S. Court of 
     Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, said he was notified about a 
     month ago that he was receiving the award.
       ``I was honored by it and humbled by it,'' Siler said 
     Monday afternoon.
       Leadership Tri-County is a non-profit organization 
     established in 1987 as an educational program designed to 
     identify potential, emerging, and current leaders from Knox, 
     Laurel and Whitley counties and to nurture their continued 
     development into the leaders our area needs now and in the 
     future.
       Past recipients of the Leader of the Year Award have 
     included: Dr. James Taylor, U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, U.S. 
     Senator Mitch McConnell, Terry Forcht, Nelda Barton-Collings, 
     Gene Huff and last year's winner Dr. Michael Colegrove.
       ``I know a lot of people who have gotten it before. I feel 
     like I am in very good company, am pleased that they are 
     giving it to me and I will do my best to live up to it,'' 
     Siler said.
       Siler, a Williamsburg native, served in the U.S. Navy on 
     active duty from 1958 to 1960, and later retired as a 
     commander in the U.S. Naval Reserves after 26 years of 
     service.
       He began his law practice in 1964 alongside his father. He 
     served as Whitley County Attorney from 1965 until 1970 when 
     President Richard Nixon appointed him as United States 
     Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
       In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford appointed Siler as a 
     United States District Judge for the Eastern and Western 
     Districts of Kentucky.
       In September 1991, President George Bush appointed Siler to 
     the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
       Siler will be honored during Leadership Tri-County's Leader 
     of the Year Banquet, which will be held on Feb. 23 at the 
     London Community Center.
       There will be a reception at 5:30 p.m. followed by a dinner 
     at 6 p.m.
       During the banquet, there will be a memorial tribute to 
     G.W. Griffin and Bill Brooks.

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