[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 82 (Tuesday, May 16, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





        HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF SONYA CAMPBELL AND MIKE LeMAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANN M. KUSTER

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2023

  Ms. KUSTER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the dedicated service 
of Sonya Campbell and Mike LeMay, longtime owners of the Hanover True 
Value Hardware Store. For over 50 years, Sonya and Mike faithfully 
served their community with a helping hand and an easy smile. Their 
store has been an institution of downtown Hanover, and over the decades 
they helped so many to improve their homes, yards, garages, and 
offices. Mike and Sonya are embarking on their well-earned retirement 
this year, and their presence in Hanover and the Upper Valley Region 
will be sorely missed.
  Sonya began working at the True Value store in 1976 as a teenager, at 
the same time I was attending Dartmouth College in Hanover. In 1991, 
Sonya bought the store and became the owner. She remained the owner for 
more than three decades, maintaining the hardware store that locals 
came to love and rely on with her family by her side. The strong family 
ties are part of what makes the store so authentic to Hanover and the 
Upper Valley community--it is run by people who care about their 
neighbors and want to help in any way they can. Over the years, I have 
had the pleasure of visiting Sonya and Mike's store many times, and 
during each visit they reminded me of the values of hard work and 
kindness in the community.
  Sonya and Mike's dedication to their community runs deep, and there 
are few in Hanover and the Upper Valley who have not felt their 
positive impact. From serving as a long-time resource for the town's 
older residents--fixing flashlights, replacing keys, and helping with 
household repairs--to working with the local newspaper, the Valley 
News, to provide free copies of the paper to Hanover High School 
graduates so they have a record of the news on the day they graduated, 
Mike and Sonya are always looking for ways to help their neighbors.
  I wish them well in their retirement and know that their presence in 
downtown Hanover will be sorely missed.

                          ____________________