[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 64 (Thursday, April 14, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E387]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF LEONARD LAWSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 14, 2022

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the memory of Leonard Lawson, my long-time friend and trusted advisor, 
who literally moved mountains in Kentucky and our neighboring states.
  Leonard's astute business leadership and savvy partnerships led to 
his rise as a giant in the transportation industry, becoming a leader 
across the Commonwealth and nationally-renowned among industry experts 
for the companies he built to transform Kentucky and beyond. In fact, 
his companies' portfolios include more than $10 billion in highway and 
airport infrastructure projects across Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, 
West Virginia, Indiana, and Ohio, including interstate construction and 
widening projects, working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and 
completing local development projects.
  Although his success was widely applauded and criticized by the media 
over the years, Leonard was a very private man who came from humble 
beginnings. He grew up without many resources, and he and his wife, 
Bonnie, were both proud graduates of the Red Bird Christian School, a 
small private school nestled in the Appalachian Mountains of Clay 
County, Kentucky. Struggling to sustain the costs of operating such a 
courageous mission at the school, the Lawsons raised and donated enough 
money to reopen its doors, ensuring future students could live in the 
dormitory throughout high school, as Bonnie did. The Red Bird Christian 
School became one of many philanthropic endeavors that the Lawsons 
invested in. Before being diagnosed with cancer, Leonard generated 
enough funds to start and eventually expand the Leonard Lawson Cancer 
Center at Pikeville Medical Center. Last year alone, his generosity 
helped provide treatment to nearly 3,600 patients who otherwise would 
have driven hours for the same medical care. Despite losing his own 
battle with cancer, I am confident that his legacy cancer center will 
extend lifesaving hope to countless patients in the future.
  Many of us dream of ways to win the tireless war on poverty and how 
to change the course of generational challenges in Kentucky's 
Appalachian region, but Leonard skillfully managed to do his part to 
make a lasting difference and systemically impacted access to better 
roads and much-needed medical care in the mountains.
  Eastern Kentucky will be a different place without him. I'II miss our 
fishing trips and casting visionary plans together to help our beloved 
home region. Leonard's small stature could not contain the 
insurmountable hope he had for a brighter future in southern and 
eastern Kentucky. He leaves behind an expansive legacy that will live 
on in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky for many years. My wife, 
Cynthia, and I extend our deepest heartfelt condolences to Bonnie and 
the entire Lawson family.

                          ____________________