[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 15, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1173-S1174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Remembering Ladd Seaberg

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, Ladd Seaberg, a Kansas resident whose home 
was in Atchison, KS, passed away on Kansas' 156th birthday. My State 
lost an individual who epitomizes all that it means to be a Kansan.
  Throughout his life, Ladd was dedicated to serving his family, his 
friends, his colleagues, and his hometown of Atchison.

[[Page S1174]]

  Atchison is along the Missouri River, the Kansas River, and right on 
the border with the neighboring State. They have a long history in that 
community, and he and his family have had a long opportunity, which 
they have taken advantage of, to benefit the citizens of that 
community. He fought a courageous fight with a terrible, progressive 
neurodegenerative disease, and he was laid to rest last week.
  As a stalwart figure of Northeast Kansas who worked at MGP 
Ingredients for 40 years, he will long be remembered for his character 
and his leadership. Most everything good in Atchison involved Ladd and 
his family.
  Ladd was not born a Kansan. He was born in West Texas and graduated 
from Texas Tech University, where he met his wife Karen Cray during a 
national science fair put on by the U.S. Air Force. Naturally, they 
both won first place awards at the fair, and later moved to Karen's 
hometown of Atchison, where they made their life and raised their 
family.
  With a degree in chemical engineering and the mind of a true 
engineer, he had a passion for understanding the way things work on a 
mechanical level. His love of tinkering led him to a longtime hobby as 
an avid amateur radio operator.
  Upon moving to Atchison, he began working at MGP as a distillery 
production manager. During his first 11 years there, Ladd rose to 
become the company's president and later CEO and, then, chairman of the 
board. He had an integral role in bringing the company public, when it 
became listed on Nasdaq's exchange.
  Ladd and his beloved wife Karen, who now serves as MGP's board 
chairwoman, were blessed with two daughters and six grandchildren, who 
still live in Kansas today.
  Beyond his leadership at the company MGP, where his intelligence and 
encouraging management style will long be remembered, Ladd contributed 
on numerous boards and to even more organizations that improve the 
lives of those who live in the community and around the State. To name 
but just a few, he was a founding member of the International Wheat 
Gluten Association, separately represented the U.S. grain community at 
the World Trade Organization meetings, and was a board member of the 
Kansas Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
  He was also one of the original founders of the Atchison Area 
Economic Development Council, a longtime member of the Historical 
Society, and a former chairman of the Atchison Area Chamber of Commerce 
board.
  Ladd's leadership was indispensable on the Amelia Earhart Memorial 
Bridge committee to construct a new bridge in 2012 across the Missouri 
River named for a fellow pilot and fellow Kansan, Amelia Earhart, one 
of our State's proudest daughters.
  He cared deeply about education in his community, as evidenced by the 
recognition he and his wife received from Benedictine College, the 
Cross of the Order of St. Benedict, the institution's highest honor. 
His faith also played a significant role in his life, having served as 
an elder and deacon of the First Presbyterian Church of Atchison.
  One can hardly overstate what he meant to northeast Kansas, as Ladd 
always sought opportunities to serve his fellow Kansans. He was a 
mentor to many and gave of himself to all who were fortunate enough to 
pass his way.
  I appreciate his contributions to our State, and my prayers have been 
with his wife and family, father and grandfather. It is sad that Ladd 
was laid to rest, but may he rest in peace.