[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 193 (Tuesday, December 13, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1269]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING MRS. KATHY J. THOMAS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2022

  Mr. PALAZZO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize one of my 
district staffers, Mrs. Kathy J. Thomas. I met Kathy in 2019 and 
quickly brought her on staff as a Constituent Liaison in my Gulfport 
district office. During her tenure, Kathy has assisted nearly 3,000 
constituents through casework with compassion and dedication.
  Kathy grew up in West Virginia in the small town of Follansbee. In 
1988, she graduated from Brooke High School, and shortly thereafter, 
she married her high school sweetheart, Mark. After their wedding, she 
and her new husband moved to Biloxi, MS, where he served in the United 
States Navy Seabees and Master Chief to Command Master Chief. Her 
grandfather, Kale E. Wells, served in the United States Navy during 
WWII. Kale would have been proud of her decision to marry Mark as he 
rose through the ranks to retire after serving 30 years as a Master 
Chief.
  Kathy and her husband raised two beautiful, intelligent daughters, 
Taylor and Riley. Taylor graduated from Mississippi State and the 
University of South Alabama and works as a Labor and Delivery Nurse at 
USA Children's and Women's Hospital in Mobile, AL. Riley graduated from 
the University of Southern Mississippi and recently started a job at 
the DuBard School for Language Disorders in Hattiesburg, MS.
  Kathy attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, earning an 
associate degree. Kathy volunteered for years as an ombudsman as her 
husband served and deployed with the United States Navy Seabees. While 
raising her daughters, she worked as a preschool teacher and assistant 
teacher. Her passion and dedication to helping others led her to work 
as a Congressional Liaison making a difference in the daily lives of 
the constituents of South Mississippi.
  Kathy has been a valued, loyal, dedicated, and compassionate asset to 
my staff and me. I am grateful for her positivity and can-do attitude 
over the years. It is my honor to express my gratitude to Mrs. Kathy 
Thomas for her service to Mississippi and my constituents.

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