[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Page 16752]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   TRIBUTE TO MIKE AND JOANNE DUNCAN

 Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Mike 
and Joanne Duncan of Inez, Kentucky, for the successful internship 
program they continue to run for students in eastern Kentucky.
  Mike and his wife Joanne founded an innovative summer-internship 
program in 1977 with the hope of encouraging young people to continue 
to work and live in their home state after college. To date, more than 
100 people have participated in Mike and Joanne's program and have had 
the opportunity to intern at local businesses or participate in other 
leadership-building projects around the community. This program has 
given students a place to exchange ideas with each other and community 
professionals to help them prepare for their career. It is through 
experiences such as these that Mike and Joanne have helped to show 
interns that they can make a difference in their corner of the world. 
The program the Duncan's have created gives students an opportunity to 
see first-hand what the real, working world is like in their hometown 
and often results in the students' desire to return home after college 
to share their talents and skills with the community of their youth.
  Mike and Joanne's work is known and appreciated throughout eastern 
Kentucky, and throughout the nation. In 1996, Mike was called the 
``Mentor to Eastern Kentucky,'' by the Journal of the Appalachian 
Regional Commission. Also, the Los Angeles Times once described the 
internship program as being ``more akin to adoption.'' The impact of 
the Duncan's work reaches across county and state lines, and is surely 
an example for similar programs across the United States.
  Mike and Joanne display an unswerving commitment to the people of 
Kentucky and possess the gratitude and respect of many. Their 
dedication to helping young Kentuckians succeed through countless hours 
of counseling and tutoring over the last 23 years is indeed admirable.
  Congratulations, Mike and Joanne, on your tremendous success, and 
thank you for your many generous years of service to eastern Kentucky's 
youth. On behalf of myself and my colleagues in the United States 
Senate, thank you for giving so much of yourself for so many 
others.

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