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Remembering John Kennedy Bailey
Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a diligent public servant and proud West Virginian who was recently taken from us far, far too soon. His name was John Kennedy Bailey. Gayle and I extend our deepest condolences to the members of John's beloved family.
I have known John since he was a child. He grew up in Fairmont, my home area, with an absolutely loving family. I have been so proud to watch him grow into such a hard-working, compassionate person who raised his own loving family. My heart aches for his whole family but especially his wife Holly and their children, Jack, Brooks, and Lisette, whose lives have been changed in a tragic instant.
It is in these sorrowful moments that we see how much a person meant to so many. Since we lost him, John's friends have stepped forward with stories of his compassion, his kindness, and of his public service. I know that all of us who are grieving him find comfort that his last measure was giving himself through organ donation, sharing the gift of life for someone who needed it most.
When I think of John, I think of a man who all of us aspire to be--a man who lives life to his fullest, makes the most of every day by giving back to those around him. I think of the words of Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet, who described such a man as:
Good men, the last wave by, crying how brightTheir frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,Rage, rage against the dying of the light.Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,Do not go gentle into that good night.
John lived every day by catching the Sun in flight, and that is one of the many reasons that so many people loved him. It is my hope that his friends and family have found peace, strength, and support in one another and in the support of our entire home State as we mourn our shared loss of this wonderful, wonderful person. That is why it is befitting that his life is forever memorialized in this Congressional Record through this speech on the U.S. Senate floor today.
John represented the very best of West Virginia from a very young age. As a Knight of the Golden Horseshoe in eighth grade, president of his senior class at Fairmont Senior High School, and attendee of the Mountaineer Boys State, he excelled throughout his entire scholastic career--so much so that after graduating from Yale University, he joined Congressman Nick Rahall's staff, helping West Virginians in Washington, DC.
But the call of the mountains was strong for John, and he returned home to attend WVU Law School. While at WVU Law, he clerked on Wall Street but knew his biggest impact would be in his home State, so he found his way to Charleston. John was dedicated to bettering the Charleston community as the owner of his own law firm and while serving as city councilman.
John was dedicated to his community, whether through his recent mission to revive Charleston's recycling program or his brilliant idea to increase the Cardinal Train's service to Charleston that he recently worked on with my office.
John was not only a dedicated public servant but a talented attorney and successful businessman. He will be remembered for his professional abilities, as well as his service to his community. But most importantly, John will be remembered for his commitment to his children and family, spending much of his time at Jack, Brooks, and Lisette's many activities. He was well-known among the staff and parents of Capital-Midwestern Little League, Capital High School, Horace Mann Middle School, and Mountaineer Montessori. He would stop by the community center often just to see how the staff and students were doing.
John was so very kind and always thinking of how he could make his community better, no matter how out of the box his ideas seemed to be. He never met a stranger, and was also such a good friend to myself, my Charleston staff, and all West Virginians.
What is most important is that he lived a full life, surrounded by the people he loved most. I extend my deepest condolences to John's wife, Holly; and their children, Jack, Brooks, and Lisette; his parents, Joyce and former State Treasurer Larrie Bailey; his siblings, Anne and David, and their families; and his many friends and extended family. We will forever keep John and his family in our prayers.
Godspeed, John. We miss you.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 162
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