[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 17723]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO MR. MORTON J. HOLBROOK, JR.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
distinguished Kentuckian, Mr. Morton J. Holbrook, Jr., for his 
dedicated service to the Commonwealth and his commitment to the 
practice of law and higher education.
  Last month, Mr. Holbrook, a resident of Owensboro, passed away. He 
was a preeminent attorney in Kentucky and will be remembered for the 
permanent impression he left on Kentucky's legal system. He helped 
modernize the courts' rules of procedure and was instrumental in 
pushing for sweeping changes to the State's judicial system.
  On August 30, 2006, the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer published an 
editorial highlighting Mr. Holbrook's legal brilliance, his 
contributions to the judicial system, and his duty to public service. I 
ask unanimous consent that the full editorial be printed in the 
Congressional Record and that the entire Senate join me in paying 
respect to this beloved Kentuckian.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

         [From the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer, Aug. 30, 2006]

                 State Better Place Because of Holbrook

       Because Morton Holbrook Jr.'s accomplishments were so many, 
     his love for his community so strong, his quest for knowledge 
     so persistent and his zest for life so complete, penning a 
     tribute to his life invites inadequacy.
       Holbrook, who died Friday at the age of 91, was a Daviess 
     County icon who mixed a legal career as a Harvard-trained 
     lawyer with a lifetime of public service, gaining fame in 
     both arenas. Twice his leadership helped completely change 
     the face of Kentucky's legal system. Closer to home, there 
     might not be an Owensboro Community & Technical College 
     without his point work in the 1980s.
       Whenever and wherever Holbrook decided to take a stand, he 
     usually became an irresistible force for progress and change. 
     Slight of build and not tall, Holbrook was nevertheless 
     formidable, thanks to his agile mind, gifted and eloquent 
     speaking ability and compelling personality.
       For 56 years Holbrook practiced law and would have been 
     admired for his legal abilities alone. One colleague called 
     him the greatest attorney he ever knew. But Holbrook strayed 
     far beyond private practice, to Kentucky's lasting benefit. 
     In 1948 he was appointed to a state judicial committee that 
     totally revised the state courts' rules of procedure. Two and 
     a half decades later he helped push through an in-toto reform 
     of Kentucky's judicial system, which required changing the 
     state Constitution.
       Holbrook's other passion was higher education. He was a 
     member of the Kentucky Council on Higher Education for 10 
     years. OCTC can trace its origins to his involvement in the 
     early 1980s.
       Holbrook received many awards and recognitions through the 
     years. Perhaps the most fitting came on his 90th birthday in 
     September 2004 when Daviess Fiscal Court named the county's 
     judicial center in his honor--the Morton J. Holbrook Jr. 
     Judicial Center.
       Morton Holbrook--a delight and truly one of a kind--will be 
     deeply missed.

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