[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 4]
[Senate]
[Pages 5554-5555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO ALVIN BRENSING

  Mr. MORAN. The story of Kansas is one that involves many people, many 
jobs, much ado about caring for others. Our State is a State of 
manufacturing workers, factory workers, teachers, farmers, and people 
who work hard every day to make a difference in their community and to 
make a difference in our State and Nation. Today I wish to pay tribute 
to one of those unsung heroes. In this case, it is a businessman, a 
volunteer, a husband, and a father who lived a full life before passing 
away in December of last year.
  Alvin Brensing was born and raised on a farm outside of Hudson, a 
rural Central Kansas town with a population of 125. After high school, 
Brensing graduated with honors from Salt City Business College in 
Hutchison and in May 1937, at the age of 21, started working as a 
bookkeeper at the Stafford County Flour Mills.
  As German immigrants, the Krug family realized that their American 
dream was going to be accomplished by establishing the flour mill more 
than a century ago. Alvin worked under William Krug and then Leonard 
Brim to help grow the company before being named its president in 1986. 
Under his leadership, Stafford County Flour Mills doubled its capacity 
and grew 2\1/2\ times its size. It was one of the last independent 
flour mills remaining in the United States, and the mill produces 
Hudson Cream Flour. Many of my colleagues and many Americans will have 
seen the bag of flour with the great symbol and emblem--Hudson Cream 
Flour. Hudson Cream Flour has a reputation around the Nation as a top-
notch baking flour for its consistency and texture. It also serves as a 
tradition for this West Virginia family who wrote the company saying:

       After using Hudson Cream Flour for all the years I have 
     cooked . . . and can remember even my grandmother and mother 
     using nothing else . . . I read for the first time the 
     ``absolute satisfaction guarantee'' and really had a good 
     laugh! I thought, if those people in Kansas only knew the 
     absolute satisfaction my family has enjoyed from their 
     product. The things we pass down in our family are good 
     morals, good cooking, and Hudson Cream flour!

  After Alvin's wife died in 1993, he came to miss the smell of fresh 
bread and soon began experimenting with ingredients. Alvin came up with 
three recipes, including ``Al's Cinnamon Raisin Bread,'' which is 
included on the back of every Hudson Cream Flour bag.
  Alvin always put farmers and customers first. Current Stafford County 
Flour Mills president Reuel Foote reflected that Alvin often said, 
``Our word is our bond--if you agree to do something, you do it.''
  While Alvin dedicated most of his life to ensuring the success and 
future of the mill, he was also a tireless volunteer in the Hudson 
community. Brensing took it upon himself to maintain Hudson's Trinity 
Cemetery, where his parents and his wife Zelda are buried. In fact, he 
upgraded a shed on the property into a building where loved ones can 
now comfortably look up the location of their loved ones' graves.
  Alvin was also known as the local weatherman, collecting data for the 
National Weather Service from a local grain elevator. His daughters 
remember their dad turning the furnace on each Sunday morning to heat 
up the Trinity Community Church.
  His legacy of leadership and volunteerism is what will live on as the 
Stafford County Flour Mills continue to support the community and 
educate youth, whether through the county 4-H Program or through the 
dozens of mill tours each year. The mill also continues Alvin's 
tradition of giving each schoolkid a 5-pound bag of flour after each 
tour to encourage them to experiment with recipes and baking.
  Alvin taught through his actions that satisfaction in life comes from 
what you do for others rather than what you do for yourself. This is 
the legacy I want to pay tribute to today, and this is the legacy he 
lived and leaves behind for the next generation.
  We want those who follow him and us to know they have their chance to 
return home, put down their roots, and raise their own families in 
places such as Hudson, KS. Our Nation faces so many challenges today, 
but we must remain committed to doing what it takes so that tomorrow 
and every day thereafter our children and grandchildren have the 
opportunity to enjoy that special way of life in places like Kansas and 
to pursue their own American dream.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute and remembering the 
life of a great Kansan, Alvin Brensing.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.

[[Page 5555]]

  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________