[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 7044-7045]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING THE CAREER OF ROBERT H. McKINNEY

 Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, today I rise to pay tribute to the 
career of a distinguished civil servant and friend, Bob McKinney, who 
is retiring as chairman of First Indiana Corporation this week. His 
long career has been filled with acts of conscientious service on 
behalf of friends, family members, and Hoosiers. The contributions he 
made through his work in financial services and public service have 
touched the lives of many across the country.
  A resident of Indianapolis, Bob is a graduate of the U.S. Naval 
Academy at Annapolis, the Naval Justice School, and the Indiana 
University School of Law. He served his country in the Navy in the 
Pacific following his graduation and again during the Korean war.
  Bob's career has been long and illustrious. Throughout it, his 
commitment to the public good has been remarkable. Bob retires from his 
post as the chairman of First Indiana Corporation, a publicly traded 
bank holding company, which operates First Indiana Bank, the largest 
bank based in Indianapolis. Bob was previously chairman of the Somerset 
Group. He is also a founding partner of Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, one 
of the largest law firms in Indianapolis.
  These posts are impressive on their own, and yet Bob also devoted 
himself to a number of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations. Aside 
from his duties as the chairman of First Indiana Bank, he has served as 
the trustee or director of the Hudson Institute, the U.S. Academy 
Foundation, the Indiana University Foundation, the Sierra Club 
Foundation, the Indianapolis Economic Club, the Indiana Chamber of 
Commerce, the Chief Executives Organizations, Inc., the World 
Presidents' Organization, and the Indianapolis Committee on Foreign 
Relations. He is also a member of the Presidential Advisory Board for 
Cuba and a director of Lynx

[[Page 7045]]

Capital Corporation, a minority investment fund. In honor of his 
service to the community, Bob was the recipient of a number of awards 
including the Indianapolis Archdiocese Spirit of Service Award.
  Bob's career shows his belief in the power of public policy to 
improve people's lives. I can personally attest to Bob's talent as a 
public servant, as I worked with him during my gubernatorial and 
senatorial campaigns. As Governor, I frequently called on Bob to serve 
the State of Indiana, and he was always responsive. As Senator, I was 
lucky enough to have the honor of appointing Bob to the Naval & 
Merchant Marine Academy Selection Committee.
  His involvement in national politics dates back to 1960, and since 
then he has chaired the Indiana campaigns of Presidential candidates 
Kennedy, Muskie, Carter, and Mondale. He served under President Carter 
as Chairman of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board, the Federal Home Loan 
Mortgage Corporation, the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corporation, 
and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation.
  Bob is a man who walks with kings but has never lost the common 
touch. It is a rare man who can make such an impact on so many people 
over the course of a career. Bob McKinney is admired by those who know 
him professionally and personally for his great integrity, commitment 
to serving the community, his concern for those less fortunate than 
himself, his unswerving loyalty and dedication to his friends, family, 
and country. We will continue to recognize Bob as a loving friend and 
an incredible leader and colleague. As he retires from First Indiana, 
and leaves the corporation in his daughter's capable hands, he is 
merely moving on to the next great challenge, which--like all of his 
work--will undoubtedly make the world a better place.
  I am proud to honor Bob McKinney, a truly great man, and enter his 
name in the Congressional Record on the occasion of his 
retirement.

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