[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 72 (Monday, May 2, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2241-S2242]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO KATHY O'NAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, when a tornado tore through the city of 
Mayfield, KY, last December, America's eyes turned to the community. 
Volunteers, FEMA workers, and elected officials quickly rushed to the 
scene to offer our help. But in the aftermath of the devastating storm, 
amid all the commotion, one figure stood out above all the rest, 
rallying her town, coordinating recovery efforts, and promising that 
Mayfield would bounce back, no matter how long it took to rebuild. That 
inspiring leader was Mayfield Mayor Kathy O'Nan, and today, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in honoring Mayor O'Nan for her leadership and 
for recently earning recognition as the Mayfield-Graves County Chamber 
of Commerce Woman of the Year.
  In the past few months, Mayor O'Nan has become a familiar figure to 
anyone tracking Western Kentucky's recovery from last year's tornados. 
To the residents of Mayfield, though, she has long served as a 
standalone advocate for their town and an exemplary community leader. 
Mayor O'Nan got her start in Mayfield as a high school teacher and 
church choir director and still knows how to command a rowdy room, 
whether it is full of students or national reporters. She uses those 
skills to wear the many hats required of a mayor in a tight-knit town 
like Mayfield, from community cheerleader, to event coordinator, to 
business developer.
  When I first arrived in Mayfield after last December's storms, Mayor 
O'Nan came up to me immediately, rattling off all the Federal help her 
community needed to recover. On every subsequent visit, she has been 
there front and center, ready to discuss storm relief. We have worked 
closely to provide Western Kentucky with the resources required to 
rebuild. I am incredibly grateful to have such a hard-working, 
knowledgeable, and capable friend on the ground.
  Mayor O'Nan's leadership has been noticed by figures around the 
country in the past few months. But, as always, her first priority is 
Mayfield, so I am confident her Woman of the Year Award from the 
Mayfield-Graves County Chamber of Commerce means more to her than any 
outside recognition ever could. After all, the residents of Mayfield 
aren't just her constituents. They are also her neighbors, family, and 
friends.
  Mr. President, the Mayfield Messenger highlighted Mayor O'Nan's 
recognition as the Mayfield-Graves County Chamber of Commerce Woman of 
the Year in a recent article. I ask unanimous consent that the article 
be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

              [From the Mayfield Messenger, Apr. 23, 2022]

  To Be the First One To Volunteer: O'Nan Named as Mayfield Business 
                           Woman of the Year

       The Mayfield-Graves County Chamber of Commerce held its 
     annual Women in Business luncheon at Trace Creek Baptist 
     Church on Thursday. The event is held yearly to celebrate the 
     accomplishments of females in the business industry within 
     the community.
       The 2022 Kentucky Derby themed luncheon included lunch, a 
     keynote speaker, and the announcement of the Woman of the 
     Year award. This year's recipient is Mayor Kathy O'Nan.
       ``Our award this year is named after Mary Propes, a woman 
     who has served the community for many years,'' said Tanya 
     Rose, vice-president of quality assurance research and 
     development at Mayfield Consumer Products, presenting sponsor 
     of the event. ``Mary told me that she wants the recipient to 
     be someone to have the commitment to this community as she 
     does, someone who is an authentic role model. To lead by 
     setting an example. We are looking for a female today to give 
     this award to, that distributes that characteristic. She must 
     have significant community involvement outside of what their 
     job requires.''
       Ester Hubbard was brought onto the stage, along with the 
     mayor's daughters, Meg O'Nan-Holmes and Ellen O'Nan.
       When Hubbard first came to Mayfield in the 1980s, her 
     husband had just had back surgery and was hospitalized in 
     Memphis. She had two young children at the time who were both 
     in preschool.
       ``I thought woe is me. I'm here trying to take care of 
     these children. Well, my friends told me about this woman in 
     Mayfield who also had two preschool children, however, her 
     husband has a brain tumor and he's not expected to live,'' 
     said Hubbard. ``I thought to myself--if she can do it. I can 
     do it.''
       O'Nan quickly became Hubbard's role model, before even 
     knowing her.
       ``What a great role model she has been for me, for her 
     girls, and for all of the people she has touched,'' said 
     Hubbard.
       O'Nan was a former teacher at Mayfield High School, and a 
     choir director at her church prior to being elected mayor.
       ``She was such a good role model, and still is,'' said 
     Hubbard. ``These young people that she was around--she was a 
     social studies teacher, and part of that is citizenship. She 
     didn't talk about it, she acted on it.''
       Even though O'Nan was not born in Mayfield, Hubbard states 
     that she was, and remains a wonderful part of this community.
       ``She gave to the school, going to every game or activity 
     scheduled. She gave to the church, she gave to the 
     community,'' said Hubbard. ``But she still had time for real 
     emergencies, like when my Jake was in second grade and they 
     wouldn't let him practice because he didn't have all his 
     gear. We hopped in the car and got him some, because to K.O. 
     (O'Nan), that was an emergency.''
       O'Nan is known for her heart to help others, and her want 
     to ease pain and put hope into the universe. At 5 a.m. on 
     Dec. 11, O'Nan told the nation about the devastation Mayfield 
     had just gone through--but also that there's always hope.
       ``I woke up the morning after the tornado, texts from 
     people asking if we were okay of course,'' said Hubbard. 
     ``But then the rest were saying that my mayor was awesome. I 
     was absolutely overwhelmed with the number of calls telling 
     me over and over that my mayor is fantastic.''
       Ellen O'Nan spoke out about her mother's nickname--K.O.
       ``It originated when I was a senior in high school. I used 
     to be grounded a lot, and when people would ask if I could do 
     something--friends would say `she can't, she's grounded, K.O. 
     says no,' '' said Ellen. ``I always thought it was fitting 
     though, because, in the boxing world, K.O. means to knock 
     out. That's how she always approached challenges, anything 
     hard in her life. She'd just knock them out.''
       As Ellen O'Nan thanked her mother for teaching her lessons 
     about knocking out, O'Nans other daughter, Meg O'Nan-Holmes 
     spoke about how she admired her mother throughout her life 
     for so many things.
       ``For the entirety of my life, I've admired you,'' said Meg 
     O'Nan-Holmes. ``But the biggest thing I admire is how strong 
     you are. When I think about strong women, I think about 
     her.''
       ``I'm not a businesswoman. I'm an old school teacher, and 
     I'm very proud to be an old school teacher,'' said O'Nan. 
     ``It's an honor to stand in front of you today. When my 
     daughters were three and six, my husband did pass away.''
       O'Nan stated through all the pain and sorrow, a friend of 
     hers said that she had been given a gift. She would have a 
     special relationship with both of her daughters.
       ``I've done some really fun things in life, received honors 
     I probably only half deserve, but in no way ever can I ever 
     dispute the fact that the greatest part of my life is these 
     two girls,'' said O'Nan. ``They are my life. And life is to 
     be fun.''
       O'Nan pointed out the women at her table, who work in 
     Mayfield's city government.
       ``There are ten women who work in our government--if you 
     were my student, you should know how important women getting 
     the right to vote is to me,'' said O'Nan. ``I always talked 
     about my hero, Alice Hall. These ten women who sit with me at 
     this table would not be here in this position today if it 
     were not for our sisters who fought before us, to get us that 
     way. To have a right to vote, to serve--to realize our 
     importance.''
       Keynote speaker Alyson Van Hooser, spoke on the true 
     meaning of leadership. She noted that meeting a need, and 
     seeing a need is the importance of a true leader. That 
     leadership is not a title, however, it is a characteristic.
       Attendees were given a copy of Van Hooser's book, 
     `Accelerate Your Success,' along with a goodie bag filled 
     with items from this year's sponsors.
       The following were sponsors of the event: Mayfield Consumer 
     Products, FNB Bank, Re-Fabbed Boutique, Fox Wealth 
     Management, US Bank, CFSB, WK&T, First Kentucky Bank, Regions 
     Bank, Mayfield Water and Electric Systems, West Kentucky 
     Rural Electric, AwardMasters, Centrifugal Technologies, 
     CPlant Federal Credit Union, Kyle

[[Page S2242]]

     Smith Designs, Graves County Economic Development, and 
     Pilgrims.

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