[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22862]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE RON LEWIS ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 2008

  Mr. BONNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the distinguished 
career of the Honorable Ron Lewis for his service to the people of 
Kentucky and the United States House of Representatives. Congressman 
Lewis has represented the 2nd Congressional District of the state of 
Kentucky for the past 14 years.
  Ron was born and raised in South Shore, Kentucky. He graduated from 
McKell High School and worked his way through Morehead State University 
before transferring to the University of Kentucky, where he received a 
Bachelor of Arts in history and political science. Following 
graduation, he worked as a salesman and then taught at a business 
college in Louisiana. He returned to Morehead State and earned a Master 
of Arts in Higher Education and then attended Southern Baptist Seminary 
and became an ordained Baptist minister.
  Ron has long been an ardent supporter of our national defense. In 
2005, he and the entire Kentucky delegation successfully fought the 
closing of Fort Knox, one of our nation's premier military 
installations employing nearly 9,000 personnel. Due in large part to 
Ron's leadership during this most recent round of base realignment, 
Fort Knox was designated to remain open and to keep the majority of our 
nation's gold reserves.
  From his post on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, Ron has been 
a champion for farmers in his heartland district. He sponsored the 
Rural Communities Investment Act, which provides tax incentives to make 
interest income on farm real estate and certain rural housing loans 
exempt from federal taxation. He has also worked to develop alternative 
fuels made from crops grown in his district, sponsoring legislation to 
promote increased use of ethanol and biodiesel, made from corn and 
soybeans.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing a 
dedicated leader and friend to many in this body. I know his family, 
his wife, Kayi; his two children, Ronald Brent and Allison Faye; and 
his many friends and colleagues join me in honoring his accomplishments 
and extending thanks for his service over the years on behalf of the 
commonwealth of Kentucky and the United States of America.
  Ron will surely enjoy the well deserved time he now has to spend with 
his family and loved ones. I wish him the best of luck in all his 
future endeavors.

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