[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E288-E289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF TONY SLOAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 7, 2025

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory 
of Tony Sloan, a founding father of tourism and excellent marina 
operations on Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky, and on Dale Hollow 
Lake in Tennessee.
  Tony was baptized into lake life at an early age, working as a 
teenager in 1952 at his father's dock, Grider Hill, one of the first 
docks on the newly formed Lake Cumberland. After 60 years in the marina 
business, the Sloan family sold Grider Hill Dock in 2007, however, 
Tony's passion for Lake Cumberland was far from gone. While the sun set 
on his family-owned marina, a new dream was soon born to bring a 
historic plan to life for a new marina at Rowena.
  Tony came to me with a vision--to bring world-class recreational 
facilities to Lake Cumberland. After a decade of strategic planning and 
investments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a lease site for 
Tony Sloan and his business partner, Tom Allen, to build a new 
commercial marina on Lake Cumberland, the first in over 60 years. When 
Marina at Rowena opened in 2017, Tony revived the storied life of 
Rowena, a once-bustling community located along the banks of the 
Cumberland River. In the early 1900's, the Steamboat Rowena transported 
goods and people from Nashville, Tennessee to Burnside, Kentucky, 
making routine stops at Rowena Landing. It is here that the Army Corps 
reserved a site for future recreational development in their master 
plan for Lake Cumberland in 1949. Thanks to Tony's vision for that 
site, the Marina at Rowena is the premiere modern-day landing, bringing 
the same hustle and bustle to the area that was seen a century before. 
Today, you can read the stories of Rowena and a riverside homeowner's 
daughter named Ena, who rowed people across the river in the 1800's, 
inspiring the community's name. Tony was adamant about preserving 
Rowena's story and bringing it back to life through photographs and a 
timeline, now displayed along the walls of the new marina.
  You could not find anyone more passionate about lake life than Tony 
Sloan. He enjoyed inviting families and friends to the dock for a good 
fish fry and ice cream, while watching folks water ski and jump waves 
with tubes, cruisers and pontoons. Tony was proud to

[[Page E289]]

host champion speedboats to race across our iconic waterway, showcasing 
the lake's natural beauty for all, far and wide. In fact, he loved life 
on the lake so much that he co-owned several other marinas, including 
Conley Bottom Resort in Wayne County for many years, and Sunset Marina 
and Resort on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee, which he took immense 
pride in. At every marina location, he raised the bar for exceptional 
management and operations, most recently earning the Army Corps' Clean 
Marina Award in 2022 at Rowena. In my humble opinion, one would be 
hard-pressed to find a better steward of Lake Cumberland than Tony 
Sloan--a friend to all.
  While the lake was Tony's lifeblood, it paled in comparison to his 
adoration of his wife, Lola (Dyer) ``Bettye'' Sloan, with whom he 
celebrated more than 60 years of marriage. To know Tony Sloan was to 
love him. He was one of my closest friends and trusted advisors, a 
loyal supporter, and one of the best storytellers of any fisherman I 
have ever met. My wife Cynthia and I share our heartfelt condolences 
with the entire Sloan family, Tony's longtime business partner Tom 
Allen, and his countless lakeside friends.

                          ____________________