July 22, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 123 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Pages S4961-S4963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN LOGAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on this recent Father's Day, Dr. John

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Logan's granddaughter wanted to publicly honor his lifetime of service 
and success in western Kentucky. I have had the privilege to call John 
a friend for more than three decades, and I enjoyed reading the stories 
of his youth, his early medical career, and his many contributions to 
his community and our Commonwealth.
  Growing up, John's baseball talent was apparent at an early age. In 
fact, he was still in middle school when he caught the local high 
school coach's attention. As the varsity team's catcher, John quickly 
stood out. One sports reporter even called him the best catcher in all 
western Kentucky. His skill was matched only by his passion for the 
game, even a broken elbow didn't stop him from playing in the 1955 
State tournament.
  During his senior year of high school, however, John began to hear a 
calling to help other people. It was a drive that took him away from 
the diamond and into medical school. After graduating from Western 
Kentucky University, John earned a rural medical scholarship to study 
at Vanderbilt University. His career in medicine began with a 
commitment to serve rural Kentucky communities most in need.
  As a doctor, John and his new wife Jackie made a home in Sebree, KY, 
where his gifts were in high demand. Caring for Kentuckians across 
three counties, John quickly honed his skills and provided quality care 
to those in need. During his time in this small community, John learned 
that a physician must treat more than a patient's body. He began 
getting involved in a number of community organizations, and has 
dedicated his efforts to projects through the years to make Kentucky a 
better place.
  Moving to Henderson and opening a private family practice, John also 
began working with the Henderson Fine Arts Center, the Depot on the 
Riverfront, and the YMCA. He worked to help provide scholarships for 
young people to attend college, paying forward the aid he received to 
fund his studies years before.
  Many of Henderson's landmarks simply wouldn't exist without John's 
leadership. One of them, the Henderson Riverwalk, gave me a chance to 
join John's team to get the project done. It now bears a plaque 
recognizing his lasting imprint on this community. When this honor was 
unveiled, I was proud to recognize his life spent working for others. 
As he enjoys his well-deserved retirement, John continues to inspire 
others to contribute to their communities and improve our beloved 
Commonwealth.
  I would like to thank Ashton Brooks Logan, John's granddaughter, for 
sharing these stories about his many achievements. It is my pleasure to 
recognize my dear friend today. I ask my Senate colleagues to join me 
in thanking Dr. John Logan for his years of dedication to western 
Kentucky, which is better because of him.
  The Gleaner in Henderson, KY, recently published a profile of John's 
remarkable life. I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                   [From the Gleaner, June 15, 2019]

      John Logan Went From Chasing Home Runs to Making House Calls

                        (By Ashton Brooks Logan)

       In the summer of 1950, there wasn't much to do in 
     historical Edmonson County, Kentucky, other than get a few 
     local kids together and enter a baseball tournament, in 
     Bowling Green.
       ``We didn't have equipment, we didn't have uniforms, and we 
     didn't have a coach, we just had nine guys,'' Dr. John Logan 
     said recently.
       But John's quick arm attracted the eye of Louis Durbin, the 
     Brownsville High School's baseball coach, when the team was 
     short a catcher.
       Logan was just in the sixth grade when Coach Durbin gave 
     him an offer to play on their varsity team in 1951.
       ``I started without a mask and I still have the scar under 
     my left eye to prove it,'' Logan said. Logan's passion for 
     baseball, paired with an eye for throwing out players who 
     stole second base, led him to play for the Bowling Green 
     American Legion team.
       Even now, his eyes brighten and cheeks lift with a smile as 
     he talks about his time on the team. He believes his claim to 
     fame was the 1955 state tournament when he played three games 
     with a broken right elbow--without ever letting the fact on 
     to the other team.
       ``I couldn't even warm up the pitcher. I could barely step 
     in front of the plate and flip it to him,'' he said. ``The 
     coach and I had a little plan and it was unbelievable, but it 
     happened.''
       To his advantage, his team had already faced its opposition 
     in the previous year's state tournament and won. He can't 
     remember how many runners tried to steal second in that first 
     go-round, but he recalls throwing out every one of them.
       Apparently they were still scared of Logan's arm.
       ``Now tell me somethin','' the opposing coach said a little 
     later in the hotel lobby, after Logan's team won the 
     tournament. ``I don't recall you throwin' a single ball to 
     second base, you got a problem or something?''
       John simply looked at him, smiled and said, ``Well, just a 
     broken elbow, but other that I'm fine!'
       Later that year, a sports reporter wrote in a local paper 
     that he believed Logan was the best catcher in all of Western 
     Kentucky.
       Logan was at a crossroads. He had a passion to play ball 
     but a burning drive to help those around him.
       Dr. Eugene Farmer, a family physician in Brownsville took 
     Logan under his wing, allowing him to shadow his work at a 
     young age. And after transferring to Bowling Green High 
     School his senior year, Logan buckled down on his studies.
       A week following his graduation from BGHS, he was enrolled 
     in summer school at Western Kentucky University in 1955. He 
     then went straight through undergraduate, graduating in 1957 
     and that fall enrolled in medical studies at Vanderbilt 
     University.
       He was on a rural medical scholarship that clearly stated 
     for every year he attended school, he must spend a year in 
     rural Kentucky. So he settled in Sebree, Kentucky, the 
     Webster County hometown of his new wife, Jackie Barnett 
     Logan, and opened his own practice.
       ``I made house calls and took care of three different 
     counties . . . I admitted patients to hospitals that were 16 
     miles away on a two-lane road,'' Logan says. ``I must have 
     aged 15 years in that period of time.''
       He recalls times that he had no idea what he was coming up 
     on.
       Remembering a time that a woman called him to a car 
     accident outside of her house, he describes jumping in his 
     car and riding to the scene to see a car turned over in a 
     ditch and hearing a child's cries.
       Working his way in the ditch, he immediately saw a child's 
     leg hanging out of the door and thought to himself, her limb 
     has been severed.
       Finally, after laying the child on the bank and checking 
     her vitals, he looks at the child's face only to realize it 
     was his second eldest daughter, Sarah. His initial fears were 
     unfounded; she walked away that day with nothing more than a 
     few bruises.
       ``Talk about something shocking,'' Logan said. ``We dealt 
     with things that you never thought would happen.''
       After leaving his practice in Sebree in 1967, he and Dr. 
     Kenneth Eblen formed a partnership to open a private family 
     practice in Henderson.
       In 1986 Logan moved to hospital administration at Methodist 
     Hospital where he held the position of medical director.
       During his time as medical director he started and managed 
     the intern and resident program among various other duties 
     until he retired in the spring of 2018.
       Dr. Logan still has an passion for playing ball, and those 
     who also share a love for the sport.
       While still practicing medicine in Sebree, he was 
     approached by a man who was interested in baseball and wanted 
     to better the current field in the county. Almost 50 years 
     later and the baseball park is still functioning, seeing 
     hundreds and hundreds of ball players coming through its 
     diamonds in the years.
       ``I feel strongly that professional people, too many times, 
     in their own community use the excuse of not helping out in 
     community organizations because they are too busy,'' Logan 
     said.
       ``(But) these things made an impact. These things made an 
     impression. These things help people's lives. That is what 
     you feel good about as well as helping people, physically.''
       Logan has been deeply involved in the community of 
     Henderson through major projects such as the Henderson Fine 
     Arts Center, the Depot on the Riverfront the Riverwalk, the 
     YMCA, and the Colonels to College scholarship that ensures 
     students graduating from Henderson County High School will 
     get to attend two years of college.
       According to Logan, baseball taught him so much more than 
     how to throw out the runner at second base.
       ``One of the biggest things, sugar, is discipline. 
     Sometimes you go when you feel like you can't go but you've 
     to do to get job done and baseball, to me was that'' Logan 
     said.
       ``It was a team effort to reach a certain goal and my goal 
     in life and what I went into medicine for, was to help 
     people. I've done a lot in the community that has nothing to 
     do with medicine because it's the same thing. I think 
     everybody owes something back and that, I think, is a driving 
     force.''
       Dr. Logan is now retired and resides in Henderson with his 
     wife Jackie. He still serves on various charitable boards and 
     loves to spend time in his garden when he isn't busy catching 
     crappie on Barkley Lake.

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