[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 1 (Thursday, January 3, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S17-S18]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MICKEY MILLER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, this month my friend Mickey Miller will 
retire from Nolin Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation, Nolin RECC, 
after 45 years at the organization, including more than a quarter 
century as its president and CEO. Mickey has dedicated his career to 
providing reliable, cost-effective energy services to Kentuckians in 
nine counties with integrity and innovation. I would like to take a 
moment to reflect on his remarkable career in our Commonwealth.
  From LaRue County, Mickey graduated from the University of Kentucky 
with a degree in agriculture economics and marketing. During his time 
at Nolin RECC, Mickey has championed a great deal of growth and 
advancement. In fact, the cooperative's membership has more than 
tripled, providing vital services to Kentucky families and employers 
and fueling development in the region.

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  Mickey's contributions extend beyond his work with Nolin RECC. As the 
chairman of the Kentucky Council of Cooperatives and the director of 
the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives, Mickey has been a 
strong advocate for affordable and reliable electricity programs 
throughout the Commonwealth. He also has served on the board of the 
United Utility Supply Cooperative, providing for the needs of 
communities across 19 States. Previously, Mickey led energy 
cooperatives throughout the Nation as the chairman of Touchstone 
Energy.
  In addition to his many business successes, Mickey has also committed 
himself to the betterment of his community. As an executive board 
member of the Lincoln Heritage Council of the Boy Scouts of America, 
Mickey is dedicated to helping prepare the next generation to excel. He 
also worked to encourage economic growth in his community through his 
involvement with the Elizabethtown--Hardin County Industrial 
Foundation.
  I would like to particularly recognize one part of Mickey's work for 
his community: saluting our Nation's veterans. Supporting the Honor 
Flight Kentucky program, Nolin RECC, under Mickey's leadership, along 
with other Kentucky cooperatives, enabled 43 World War II, Korea, and 
Vietnam veterans to travel to Washington, DC, last year to see the 
memorials built to honor their service. I am grateful for the work of 
Honor Flight Kentucky, which gives many veterans their only chance to 
visit our Nation's Capital, and I applaud the efforts of community 
leaders like Mickey for making these trips a possibility for our 
heroes.
  Given Mickey's dedication to these many causes and his passion for 
rural communities, it is no wonder that he has been honored with 
several awards recognizing his service to many of these organizations. 
From the Touchstone Energy Distinguished Service Award to the Boy Scout 
Hardin County Distinguished Citizen Award, Mickey is widely praised for 
his professional accomplishments and his service to his community.
  Although I am sure everyone at Nolin RECC is sorry to see him go, I 
know they will join me in thanking Mickey for his many years of 
dedicated service to Kentucky's rural communities. I wish him a 
relaxing retirement with his wife of 46 years, Barbara, his daughters, 
Jennifer and Carmen, and his grandsons, Craig and Mason. I encourage my 
Senate colleagues to help me congratulate Mickey Miller on a remarkable 
career of service to Nolin RECC.

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