[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 138 (Tuesday, August 4, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4716-S4717]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO GEORGE KAROS

  Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I rise today to honor and thank a very 
good friend of mine, Mayor George Karos of the city of Martinsburg--I 
said his name wrong, and I don't want to do that because he is a good 
friend of mine--for his great service to the city of Martinsburg and 
the entire State of West Virginia.
  He was always really great to work with and always gave credit to 
staff, and he did it with such good humor.
  George is the son of Greek immigrants who did not speak English when 
they came to this country. They moved to Martinsburg before he was 
born. George was born in the early 1930s. George has called Martinsburg 
his home his entire life.
  Growing up, he worked at Patterson's Drug Store on Queens Street, 
where he swept the floors and rode his bike to deliver prescriptions. 
Over time, he worked his way up in the ranks, taking over the soda 
fountain and eventually worked as an assistant in the pharmacy section 
of the drugstore.
  George did leave Martinsburg briefly when he served his country in 
the U.S. Naval Hospital Corps, where he was stationed at both Bethesda 
Naval Hospital and Quantico Marine Corps Base in Virginia. He 
eventually returned to his home that he loved--Martinsburg--and he 
returned to Patterson's Drug Store, which he later bought in 1980 and 
operated until his retirement in 2015. He then began a career as a 
public servant.
  George was first elected to the city council as a councilperson-at-
large in June of 1974, where he served for 26 years.
  Following this, he decided to run for mayor of Martinsburg, and he 
served as the mayor for about 20 years and will retire this year at the 
age of 88.
  George and I started our careers together. I started as his 
Congresswoman in the year 2000, and George started as mayor.
  I know I speak for all of those from the Martinsburg community when I 
say that Mayor Karos truly made Martinsburg a better place to work and 
live.
  I have had the honor and privilege of working closely with Mayor 
Karos during his entire time serving as the mayor of Martinsburg. We 
had a field hearing out in Martinsburg, and I remember the mayor being 
there and welcoming us. I see him at many ribbon cuttings and openings. 
I have been to his drugstore to be served at the counter. He is just a 
wonderful, wonderful man.

[[Page S4717]]

  One of my proudest moments with Mayor Karos was when we successfully 
secured the funds for infrastructure improvement, such as the Big 
Spring water plan and the Raleigh Street expansion project. George also 
helped create The Martinsburg Initiative most recently, which is a 
program I have spoken about before many times on the Senate floor.
  This initiative is spearheaded by the Martinsburg Police Department, 
the Berkeley County Schools, and Shepherd University, as well as a wide 
array of local partners, such as the Boys and Girls Club of the Eastern 
Panhandle.
  The goal of the program is to stem the horrible opioid addiction 
problem by identifying and trying to eliminate the basic causes of drug 
abuse in at-risk families. The mayor has been dedicated to this. The 
program is extremely successful and has made a tremendous impact in the 
Martinsburg community.
  It is also a perfect example of how a community can come together at 
different levels and work together to create a lasting and impactful 
solution to a big, big problem.
  Through the actions taken under Mayor Karos's administration, 
countless children in the Martinsburg area have now seen that there is 
a life away from illicit drugs and opioid addiction.
  George exemplified hard work, dedication, and loyalty. He still does. 
This is evident in the length of time he served his community and also 
through the results that came from his vision and his collaboration 
with so many others in Martinsburg.
  The rest of the State agreed with this because George was named 
``Mayor of the Year'' and ``Public Official of the Year.'' This came as 
no surprise to me and many, many others.
  George's favorite motto is ``Plan your work and work your plan.'' 
That is what the mayor did. His second motto was something I think we 
could probably use around here: ``A closed mouth catches no flies.'' 
These were the words George followed every day when he was working as 
mayor. They helped to keep progress moving, and they perfectly describe 
how George conducted himself each and every day, which is why he was 
reelected many times but also so beloved in his community.
  After 46 years of devoted service to his city and the community, 
Mayor Karos is retiring. While I am sad that this chapter is coming to 
a close, I am grateful for the opportunity to work together with him to 
better the city of Martinsburg. His leadership, successes, and his life 
mottos will serve as an example to follow
  I really thank Mayor Karos for being a good friend and for letting me 
get to know him. I really thank him for his service and wish him the 
very best in his retirement.
  I yield back.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Rhode Island.
  Mr. WHITEHOUSE. Mr. President, I had the chance to at least hear the 
end of Senator Capito's speech. I thank her for the work she has done 
on the opioid issue that she was talking about. It is one of the very 
productive areas of bipartisanship going all the way back to CARA with 
Senator Portman and myself. I know West Virginia, like Rhode Island, 
had a terrible situation. I appreciate very much her comments.

                          ____________________