[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Pages 10963-10964]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO CHIP HUTCHESON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, today I wish to congratulate my friend 
Chip Hutcheson, publisher of the Times Leader in Princeton, KY, on his 
retirement after more than four decades in the newspaper business. 
Throughout Chip's long career, he was the quintessential community 
journalist who saw, as one colleague noted, ``the newspaper as both a 
champion for and a guardian of the community.'' When he retired at the 
end of June, Chip was named the recipient of the National Newspaper 
Association's James O. Amos Award. He was only the second Kentuckian to 
ever win what is known as one of the two ``highest and most 
distinguished tributes in community journalism.''
  Chip's relationship with the Princeton-based paper began at only 10 
months old when his parents purchased the then-Princeton Leader and 
began to instill in him a love of the trade. Beginning at the age of 8, 
Chip spent time at the paper, watching his parents

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work. In junior high, Chip joined the team to proofread a section of 
the paper before it was sent to the printer. Later, he proudly wrote 
that, ``Newspaper ink runs in my veins.'' During high school and 
college, Chip honed his skills writing for local and campus papers. 
After graduation, he entered the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam. When 
he returned, Chip went back to his trade and began a decades-long 
career of journalistic excellence.
  Chip became the publisher of the Princeton Leader upon his parents' 
retirement in 1976. As local papers merged, Chip became the publisher 
of the Times Leader in 1992, continuing his family legacy. Chip 
admitted that his columns may have been a little ``old school,'' but he 
proudly followed the tradition set by his father and his other role 
models of local community journalism. He used his writings to give 
readers an inside look into the lives of his family and community.
  Although his efforts were always dedicated to readers in western 
Kentucky, Chip was recognized across the Commonwealth and the Nation 
for his outstanding work. He served on the board of directors of the 
Kentucky Press Association, including 1 year as its president in 2010. 
The Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame inducted Chip into its elite ranks 
in 2012, in recognition of his distinguished career of leadership and 
service. More recently, Chip served as president of the National 
Newspaper Association.
  Chip has also been a great advocate for families seeking to adopt 
children internationally. With his wife, Karen, and grandchildren, 
Lemlem and Kashiku, Chip came to my office several years ago asking for 
relief from the many regulatory burdens in the adoption process. I was 
thankful to know of the Hutcheson family's story. By working with my 
colleagues in the Senate, we passed the bipartisan Accuracy for 
Adoptees Act, which was then signed into law. Thanks in large part to 
the efforts of Chip and Karen, more families across the country are 
able to more easily navigate the rewarding yet often difficult process 
of bringing a child into a loving home through adoption.
  Chip's unwavering dedication to his work and his community left a 
mark on the readers of Caldwell County. His writings not only brought 
the news, but he also served as a voice for people in his community by 
expressing the beauty and joy of western Kentucky life. After decades 
of hard work, Chip has earned his retirement. Along with his readers, I 
will miss his observations about life and current events. I would like 
to join with the Princeton community and all of the supporters of the 
Times Leader who congratulate Chip on his retirement and wish his 
family many relaxing and enjoyable years together. Further, I would 
like to ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me in commemorating 
Chip Hutcheson on a distinguished career in community journalism.

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