[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 158 (Tuesday, September 25, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S6298]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JIM PAXTON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, at the end of this month, my friend Jim 
Paxton will end his 32-year tenure with the Paducah Sun newspaper in 
western Kentucky. Through his service as the paper's editor and 
publisher, Jim has shown a dedication to his community and his 
organization, and he deserves our sincere gratitude. Looking back at 
his experience with the paper, Jim called it, ``the best job a person 
could ask for.'' It is my privilege to congratulate him on his 
remarkable career in journalism.
  Founded more than 120 years ago as the Paducah Evening Sun, Jim's 
newspaper has always been a family business. Before joining the paper, 
Jim worked with other news organizations in Nashville and Lexington and 
went to law school. However, after a tragic aviation accident that 
claimed the life of the Sun's previous editor, Jack Paxton, Jim left 
his legal career behind and agreed to lead the local institution.
  Jim began at the Sun in 1986 and soon after earned the title of 
editor. With his brothers David and Richard, who later joined the 
company, the family expanded their media offering to better serve their 
community. The story of Paducah is intertwined with the region's river 
system, and the Sun has the news that its readers need for their day. 
There is a great deal of local news to cover. Paducah is the heart of 
our Nation's inland waterways network, and it is home to both the 
National Quilt Museum and the U.S. Department of Energy's Gaseous 
Diffusion Plant. Further, in 2013, the U.N. Educational, Scientific, 
and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, designated Paducah as the world's 
seventh City of Crafts and Folk Art. The Paducah Sun, under Jim's 
leadership, has kept a close eye on each of these aspects of the city's 
life and heritage.
  In recent years, Jim has taken a leading role in crafting the Sun's 
editorial page, a page of his paper I rarely miss. I have especially 
enjoyed each of my opportunities to meet with the paper's editorial 
board to discuss the issues most vital to Paducah's future. By 
presenting a fair and even-handed opinion to his audience, Jim and the 
Sun's staff have made themselves a central feature of the day for many 
western Kentuckians.
  When Jim leaves his post at the end of this month, he does so after a 
career filled with distinction and one he can be proud of. Whatever the 
future may hold for Jim and his family, I send them my sincere best 
wishes. Families throughout Paducah and across the Commonwealth have 
benefited from Jim's diligence and thoughtfulness, and I would like to 
express my profound gratitude to him. I ask my Senate colleagues to 
join me in congratulating Jim Paxton, the gold standard for a 
professional newsman, on a successful career and wishing him a happy 
retirement.

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