[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3] [Senate] [Pages 3005-3006] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]REMEMBERING KATE IRELAND Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life, legacy and extraordinary accomplishments of Ms. Kate Ireland, who passed away peacefully at her home at Foshalee Plantation in northern Florida on February 15, 2011. She was 80. Kate was a prime example of a woman who gave back to her community through her passion for public service, conservation efforts, and volunteerism. Her tenacious spirit and determination made her one of the most inspiring and hardworking people I have ever had the privilege of knowing, and I am honored to have called her my friend. Coming from a successful family with a rich tradition of philanthropy and public service, Kate's interest in volunteerism and conservation began at an early age. Her parents, the late Robert and Margaret Ireland, were also avid philanthropists and conservationists who taught Kate to admire and appreciate the beauty of life around her. It was this sense of appreciation that inspired her to hold a lifelong dedication to philanthropy of the arts, education, and health care. After graduating from St. Timothy's in Baltimore and attending Vassar College for a year, Kate realized that she had another calling in life to fulfill. So, 20-year-old Kate packed her bags and moved to the Commonwealth to volunteer at the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing, a nursing service to the underserved families of the remote regions around the southeastern Kentucky town of Hyden. Continuing the work of her grandmother and sister, who also volunteered there, Kate served as a courier by looking after the horses and jeeps used by the nurse midwives, tending to the milk cows and pigs that were kept by Frontier, and packing supplies for the nurses for their rounds. Even early on, Kate's fearless leadership was recognized by her Frontier mentors, as many people looked to her to make sure things got done and done correctly. This ``dogged determination,'' as many who knew her described it, is what moved her to volunteer for the position of director of volunteers for 14 years. Kate's no-nonsense, professional demeanor eventually led her to collect numerous other titles, such as chairman of the Development Committee, vice chairman of the board, and ultimately the title of national chairman of the Board of Governors in 1975, a position she held for 17 years. Respectfully, Kate remains the board's honorary chairman. Although Kate was an avid traveler with residences in Georgia, Maine and Florida, she remained a guiding force in the Commonwealth for advancements in education and health care for nearly six decades. Kate lent her expertise, advice, hard work and financial support to FNS as well as Hyden Citizens Bank, the Kentucky River Area Development District in which she was chairman, and Berea College, where she was also chairman and trustee. Kate once said that going to Kentucky had always been in the cards for her. Well, she couldn't have been more right. Because of her generosity and dedication, countless Kentuckians have benefited from education and training programs that she loyally supported and established, such as the Community-Based Nurse-Midwifery Education Program, The Mary Breckinridge Chair to support the faculty of Frontier, and the Kate Ireland and Kitty Ernst Scholarships which are awarded to students annually. She was an upstanding woman who dedicated most of her life to serving others. Her impressive accomplishments and pleasant manner left a wide-reaching legacy that forever changed her community, and there is no doubt that the Commonwealth is poorer for her loss. My thoughts go out to her sister, Louise; her dear friend Anne Cundle; and many other friends and family. The Leslie County News recently published an article about Kate and the legacy she left behind. I ask unanimous consent that the full article be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: A Lifetime Supporter of Frontier, Kate Ireland Leaves a Lasting Legacy Miss Kate Ireland, a lifelong philanthropist and a guiding force of the Frontier Nursing Service, passed away on Feb. 15, 2011, at her home in northern Florida. Miss Ireland devoted her life to public service, and her wide-reaching legacy includes her work on behalf of the Frontier Nursing Service and the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in Hyden. Miss Ireland was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1930 into a family with a tradition of supporting the vision of Mary Breckinridge. Her grandmother was a donor from the beginning of the City Committees established to support the demonstration of Frontier's nursing service to the underserved families living in [[Page 3006]] the remote regions of Southeastern Kentucky. Her mother was Chairman of the Cleveland Committee. Kate's sister served as a courier in 1938. Miss Ireland served as courier during the summers of 1951- 1954 and as a part-time courier from 1959-1960. In her role as a courier, Kate looked after the horses and jeeps used by the FNS nurse-midwives. She also tended to milk cows and pigs kept by FNS and packed supplies for the nurses for their rounds. Mrs. Breckinridge recognized Kate as a leader, and many people looked to her to get things done. She volunteered as Director of Volunteers for FNS from 1961-1975. For nearly six decades, Miss Ireland lent her expertise, advice, hard work and financial support to help FNS provide healthcare in Leslie County and educate nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners across the globe. In Miss Ireland's biography by David Treadwell, ``Full Speed Ahead: with a Twinkle in Her Eye,'' Kate says of her calling to Frontier that ``going to Kentucky had always been in the cards for me.'' She was well-known in the Leslie County community. Miss Ireland, a prominent member of Cleveland society, felt passionately about her work in Leslie County. Upon returning there in the early '60s, Miss Ireland built a beautiful home called Willow Bend overlooking Hurricane Creek and the Middle Fork. Although a world traveler with residences in Georgia and Maine, while serving the people of Leslie County, Miss Ireland primarily resided at her home in the community of Wendover with her lifelong friend and companion, Anne Cundle, a former FNS nurse-midwife. While living in Kentucky, Miss Ireland became involved in local interests such as the LKLP and Hyden Citizens Bank and served as Chairman of the Kentucky River Area Development District and Trustee and Chairman of Berea College. In 1963, in recognition of her strong leadership skills, Miss Ireland was elected to the FNS Board of Governors and served in various capacities on the Board until her death. She was Chairman of the Development Committee in 1967; Vice Chairman of the Board in 1968; and National Chairman of the Board of Governors in 1975, a post she held until 1992. In 1997 she was named National Honorary Chairman. ``She was a great mentor and a very determined and forceful woman who had the gift of convincing others to agree to support her in whatever project she was interested in,'' said Jane Leigh Powell, Chairman of the FNS Board of Governors and a friend of Miss Ireland's for nearly 50 years. ``She maintained her interest in Leslie County after moving to Florida and continued to be a very loyal supporter of the FNS.'' One example of Kate Ireland's ability to see the potential for Mary Breckinridge's vision for nursing and midwifery was her support for the creation of the Community-Based Nurse- Midwifery Education Program (CNEP). ``We clearly would not have the successful, distance education programs that we have today without the support of Kate Ireland,'' reports Susan Stone, President and Dean of the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing. Miss Ireland was better able than many to see that such a program could take the Frontier model of care out to the ``wide neighborhoods'' of mankind, which it is successfully doing as it prepares thousands of nurse-midwives and nurse practitioners to care for families in rural and underserved areas across the United States and abroad. Her support of distance education continued when, with Mary Breckinridge's cousin, Marvin Breckinridge Patterson, she established the first endowed Chair of Midwifery in the United States, The Mary Breckinridge Chair, to support faculty at the Frontier School. For support of students, she established and endowed the Kate Ireland and Kitty Ernst Scholarships to be awarded to students annually. Her footprints on the future of Frontier School continue to make a lasting impact on faculty and students alike. In lieu of flowers, Miss Ireland requested donations be made to one of several named organizations or to a charity of your choice. There are several ways to give to Frontier in honor of Miss Ireland: ____________________