[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20525-20526]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO DR. THOMAS D. CLARK

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
legend, Kentucky's Historian Laureate Dr. Thomas D. Clark. On July 14, 
2003, Dr. Clark turned 100 years old.
  Dr. Clark has been described as a ``State treasure.'' A native of 
Mississippi, Dr. Clark stumbled upon Kentucky as he sought to further 
his education. He earned a scholarship to the University of Kentucky 
where he received a master's in history in 1929. From there, he went on 
to Duke University, where he obtained a Ph.D. In true Kentucky style, 
Dr. Clark returned to the Commonwealth and began researching its rich 
past. He has written more than 32 books including, ``A History in 
Kentucky,'' and served in the University of Kentucky's Department of 
History for nearly a quarter of a century. One of the State's leading 
scholars, he proudly calls Kentucky home.
  Dr. Clark's service to my great State has not gone unnoticed or 
unappreciated. In 1969, the University of Kentucky presented Dr. Clark 
with an honorary doctorate for the way he touched so many Kentuckians 
during his teaching career. Over his 100 years,

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he has received many awards and honors, including the University of 
Kentucky Library Medallion for Intellectual Achievement and the 
Commonwealth Historian Laureate for life. Dr. Clark also has a building 
and a foundation named in his honor by the University Press of 
Kentucky.
  Kentuckians admire Dr. Clark for his patriotism to the State, his 
adept knowledge of our history, and most importantly, his zest for 
life. I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Dr. Clark and 
congratulating him on his Centenarian status.

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