June 11, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 97 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page S3314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING DR. MARY PAULINE FOX

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, my privilege to pay tribute to Dr. 
Mary Pauline Fox, a pioneer of public health in the Commonwealth of 
Kentucky, who passed away earlier this year at the age of 87. Mary's 
remarkable life included more than four decades of service to eastern 
Kentucky communities, and the full effect of her legacy will continue 
to be felt throughout the region for years to come.
  Mary began her exceptional career at the age of 19, graduating from 
Union College in Barbourville, KY. A trailblazer in her time, she then 
attended the University of Louisville's medical school as one of only 
five women in a class of 100. Mary also holds the distinction as one of 
the early women to participate in the Reserve Officers Training Corps.
  Soon after beginning her career as a doctor, the Kentucky Department 
of Health appointed Mary as a regional director, and for the next 7 
years she oversaw healthcare delivery in 20 eastern Kentucky counties. 
Afterward, she served as the director of the Pike County Health 
Department for more than two decades. Mary only agreed to retire from 
her position after funding was secured to build the current health 
department facility located in Pikeville. To this day, that facility 
continues to operate in the same building, which now bears her name.
  Even at the end of her career, Mary refused to slow down. In 
coordination with the U.S. Department of State, she was part of the 
first public health group in our country invited to China. She remained 
committed to her community, giving sought-after lectures on public 
health issues throughout the Commonwealth.
  As a healer and a teacher, Mary made our Commonwealth a better place. 
Elaine and I commend her for her lifetime of service to others, and we 
send our condolences to her family and friends.

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