S6424 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 19, 2012 

role in the formation of Appalachian 

Computer Services in London. He also 

had a hand in Laurel Insurance Company and worked in the printing industry. In his spare time, G.W. loved UK 

athletics, rarely missing a home game. 

G.W. was a close personal friend to 

me and a strong support of mine going 

back to 1984. I will always be thankful 

for his belief in me and his help over 

the decades. It was a pleasure to see 

him every time I made my way to London. I will miss our friendship. 

Elaine and my prayers go to G.W.’s 

family, including his wife Elizabeth; 

his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth 

and Hal McCoy; his son and daughterin-law, George William and Becky; his 

son and daughter-in-law, Winston and 

Shannon; his sister, Margaret Fouts; 

his five grandchildren; and many other 

friends and family members. G.W. was 

preceded in death by his parents, 

George W. Sr. and Willie Lee, and his 

brother William. 

Mr. President, I ask my U.S. Senate 

colleagues to join me in mourning the 

loss of Mr. George Washington ‘‘G.W.’’ 

Griffin and extending sympathies to 

the Griffin family. Kentucky is poorer 

for his loss. 

An obituary detailing Mr. Griffin’s 

incredible life appeared in the Laurel 

County-area publication the Sentinel 

Echo. I ask unanimous consent that 

said article be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

[The Sentinel Echo, December 23, 2011] 

GEORGE WASHINGTON ‘G.W.’ GRIFFIN—OWNER

OF LAUREL GROCERY COMPANY

LAUREL COUNTY, KY.—George Washington 

‘‘G.W.’’ Griffin, 85, died December 19, 2011, 

from complications of pneumonia. 

Born on February 28, 1926, in East 

Bernstadt, Griffin attended the Kentucky 

Military Institute, Wake Forest University 

and graduated from the University of Kentucky, where he was a member of the Kappa 

Alpha Fraternity. Having served in World 

War II, he was a proud veteran of the United 

States Navy. 

He was a member of the First Baptist 

Church. He was a founding member and past 

president of the London Country Club and 

long-time member of Biltmore Forest Country Club. He served on the board of trustees 

of the University of Kentucky for 16 years, 

which is how he met his partner in crime and 

close friend, the late, great Dr. Otis Singletary. Griffin was past chairman of Laurel 

Grocery Company, Cumberland Valley National Bank, Institutional Distributors, London Rotary Forms, and the Food Marketing 

Education Council (the Red Coats). He was a 

board member of Cumberland College, National-American Wholesale Grocers Association, Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Appalachian Computer Systems, and the Kentucky Grocers Association. He was an initial 

inductee into the Kentucky Grocers Hall of 

Fame. An avid golfer and thoroughbred horse 

owner/racing enthusiast, he traveled all over 

the world to pursue his passions, but his favorite place was always the great state of 

Kentucky. A diehard UK fan, Griffin never 

missed a home football game until he became too ill to attend. 

He was preceded in death by his brother, 

William ‘‘Bill’’ Griffin. 

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Elizabeth Park ‘‘Sis’’ Griffin, and sister Margaret Fouts of Lacey, Wash. 

The couple have three children, Elizabeth 

(Hal) McCoy of Hopkinsville, Ky.; George 

William (Becky) Griffin of Lexington; and 

Winston (Shannon) Griffin of London; and 

five grandchildren, Winston Park Griffin, 

Charlotte Grace Griffin, Griffin Bell McCoy, 

Catherine Rose Griffin, and Bella James 

Griffin. 

The Griffin family extends heartfelt gratitude to Don Dossett for his loving care and 

assistance with G.W. Griffin these last two 

years. 

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. 

Wednesday at First Baptist Church, 804 W. 

5th Street, London, with Dr. Terry Lester officiating. 

Burial will be in A.R. Dyche Memorial 

Park. 

Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. 

Tuesday at House-Rawlings Funeral Home, 

510 E. 4th Street, London. 

Memorial contributions can be made to 

George W. Griffin Charitable Scholarship 

Trust, PNC Institutional Investments, 1900 

East 9th Street, Cleveland, Ohio 44114, Attn: 

Lauren Middleton. 

f 

CONSTITUTION DAY OBSERVANCE 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, this 

Monday, September 17, our Nation 

celebrated one of our greatest founding 

documents the document that has 

guided the discourse of our great Nation for 225 years. Every September 17, 

we celebrate Constitution Day. 

Americans of all walks of life are 

united by the ideals of equal justice, 

limited government, and the rule of 

law. It was the vision and determination of the Founders who wrote and 

signed the Constitution that makes our 

celebration today possible. 

More than two centuries ago, the 

Founders met in Philadelphia to create 

a constitution that would preserve liberty and foster freedom. They established three separate branches of government and a system of checks and 

balances among them. Ours is still the 

oldest written Constitution in use in 

the world. 

The most important purpose of Constitution Day is to teach these lessons 

to the younger generations. I am 

pleased to say that the Kentucky Department of Education has made resources available to secondary schools 

across the Commonwealth to help them 

recognize this special day. 

The University of Kentucky marked 

Constitution Day by inviting speakers 

and holding historical forums. And at 

the University of Louisville, Constitution Day was celebrated with a constitution quiz bowl and constitution 

cupcakes. 

So on this day, we recognize the students, teachers, and community leaders in Kentucky and across the Nation 

who promote and protect the ideals of 

our glorious Constitution. 

We also say a special thanks for our 

men and women in uniform who defend 

it. 

More than two centuries ago, the 39 

signers of our Constitution gave us a 

more perfect union through a document that endures and guides us here 

today. 

They understood, as we all must, 

that above all, government serves to 

secure the blessings of liberty for the 

people of our great Nation. It is an 

honor to stand on this floor and recognize how we have reaped the fruit of 

their efforts these many years later. 

f 

REMEMBERING GEORGE JOHN 

‘G.J.’ SMITH 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 

rise to pay tribute to a Kentuckian 

who was a coach, athletic director, and 

teacher to many and a confidant and 

good friend to even more. Kentucky 

mourns the passing of Mr. George John 

Smith of London, KY, who passed away 

on August 17 of this year at the age of 

59. 

Known as G.J. to his many players, 

friends, and fellow baseball fans, Mr. 

SMITH was a Laurel County native born 

in 1953. He began his coaching career at 

Laurel County High School in 1977. 

When he stepped down from that position 26 years later, he was ranked 

among the winningest high school 

baseball coaches in Kentucky with over 

600 victories. 

G.J. was also the athletic director at 

South Laurel and the Laurel County 

Board of Education. He was inducted 

into the Laurel County Sports Hall of 

Fame and the Kentucky High School 

Baseball Coaches Association Hall of 

Fame. He was also a member of Mt. 

Zion Church of Christ. 

In college, G.J. played basketball at 

the University of Kentucky under 

coach Adolph Rupp. He is survived by 

his wife Judy; two sons, Cameron and 

Trey; a sister and brother-in-law, Charlie Jean and Terry Mack; and many 

other beloved family members and 

friends. 

I ask my U.S. Senate colleagues to 

join me in extending sympathies to the 

family of G.J. Smith as well as his 

many friends and players. As the home 

of Pee Wee Reese and the Louisville 

Slugger, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has certainly contributed more 

than its share to America’s greatest 

pastime. I am pleased the legacy of 

G.J. Smith will be remembered as a 

part of the Bluegrass State’s baseball 

history as well. 

Mr. President, an article describing 

G.J. Smith’s life of achievement recently appeared in the Whitley Countyarea publication the Times Tribune. I 

ask unanimous consent that said article be printed in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

[From the Times Tribune, Aug. 20, 2012] 

G.J. SMITH: 1953–2012 

FORMER WILDCAT, COACHING LEGEND

DEAD AT 59

(By Chris Parsons) 

LONDON.—The Commonwealth of Kentucky 

lost one if its sports legends Friday when 

G.J. Smith, former Kentucky Wildcat and 

long time Laurel County coach and athletics 

director, died of a heart attack at the age of 

59. 

Smith was considered an ambassador of 

sports in Laurel County on many occasions 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with SENATE
September 19, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S6425 

and his love of student athletes is something 

he’ll always be remembered for. Though he 

held many titles in his career, the one title 

most common among those that knew Smith 

was that of a friend and teacher. 

Former South Laurel basketball coach 

Steve Wright, who coached under Smith in 

baseball as an assistant and basketball when 

Smith was the AD, said Smith’s experiences 

and heartfelt dedication is what sticks out 

to him more than anything. 

‘‘He’s the most fierce competitor I have 

ever been around,’’ Wright said. ‘‘When you 

were around him, he just taught you the 

value of winning and doing well. 

‘‘The thing I learned from him most was 

that the kids always came first,’’ Wright 

added. ‘‘No matter what he did, he always 

wanted what was best for the students no 

matter what the situation was.’’ 

Wright said one of his fondest memories 

with Smith was after South Laurel won the 

state championship in 2005, when they shared 

a special moment after the game. 

‘‘He wasn’t a real emotional guy, but after 

that game he came over and gave me a big 

hug,’’ Wright said. ‘‘It was a moment as 

coach, it was a moment as an AD and it was 

a moment as a father and I’ll always remember that. 

‘‘We were able to share a dream that we 

both had,’’ he added. ‘‘It really was like a 

mountain top for both of us, and I look back 

on that because it was a moment that I 

think he really enjoyed and could say ‘my 

school just won the state championship.’’’ 

As a basketball player in his younger days, 

Smith became the only player to lead two 

different teams to the Sweet 16 in consecutive years after he first led Hazel Green in 

1970, and Laurel County after consolidation 

in 1971, when he was also named a High 

School All-American and played for the Kentucky All-Stars. 

Smith’s coaching career spanned 26 years, 

with a career total of 662 wins, 15 district titles and six region championships as head 

coach. Smith’s teams never had a losing season during Smith’s tenure and won 30 games 

six times. 

Current Corbin baseball coach Rob 

Ledington, who played for Smith in high 

school and got his first coaching job under 

him, said his relationship with Smith was 

often misconstrued, yet grew in Smith’s 

later days. 

‘‘Our relationship was a lot stronger than a 

lot of people realized,’’ said Ledington. ‘‘I 

got my start in baseball with him as a player 

and I got my first coaching job under him. 

‘‘A lot of the stuff that I do as a coach, as 

a teacher, and as a father, I learned from 

him,’’ he added. ‘‘Outside of my immediate 

family, he was the most influential person in 

my life. We’ve had disagreements, but that’s 

just part of being a family. It’s a sad day for 

baseball and it’s just as sad a day for me personally.’’ 

As a result of Smith’s high-school basketball accolades, he was a member of Adolph 

Rupp’s famed Super Kitten recruiting class. 

While he was at UK, Smith was a part of history twice as he played in the final games of 

John Wooden of UCLA (the 1975 NCAA Championship game) and Rupp. Smith said on several occasions that his favorite UK memory 

was when the Wildcats knocked off topranked Indiana, 92–90, to end the Hoosiers’ 

34-game winning streak in the Mideast Regional final game in Dayton, Ohio. 

Arrangements will be handled by HouseRawlings Funeral Home in London. 

The family will hold a visitation after 6 

p.m. Monday night and the funeral will be 

Tuesday at 11 a.m. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO ERNESTINE CORNETT 

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I 

stand before you today to pay tribute 

to a woman who has spent a significant 

amount of her life working to inform 

and entertain local communities in 

eastern Kentucky through the television station WYMT. After 20-plus 

years and a plethora of job titles within the company, Ms. Ernestine Cornett 

retired from her position as general 

manager in May of 2012 with as much 

passion and joy in her heart as when 

she first began. 

In the mid-1980s, Ernestine, her husband, and their daughter relocated 

from the city of Lexington to Perry 

County. It was here that the admirable 

works produced by Cornett began. Responding to an ad in the newspaper 

began the journey of this extensive television-business career. I have great respect for Ernestine as she started at 

the bottom, worked hard, and eventually progressed to the top of the hierarchical ladder. 

Ambitiously, she pressed through to 

accomplish great things, not only for 

eastern Kentucky but also for the television company in which she was employed. Working for WYMT television 

station, Ernestine knew that her 

friends and family would be adequately 

updated with weather and news announcements, as well as sports and 

other forms of entertainment. The television station matured and displayed 

ample signs of success while Ernestine 

was aboard with the company. 

Her motivation in life was to make 

sure that eastern Kentucky was knowledgeable and well-informed. Finally, 

after 27 years of working, Ernestine 

Cornett retired in order to enjoy time 

with family and the next phase of her 

life. Ernestine trusts that WYMT will 

continue to prosper and the team members will carry on with her same passion. 

The Hazard Herald recently published 

an article about the accomplishments 

of Ms. Ernestine Cornett, and I would 

ask unanimous consent that said article be printed in the RECORD following 

my remarks. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in the 

RECORD, as follows: 

[From the Hazard Herald, May 30, 2012] 

Ronald Reagan was president, very few 

people had ever heard of high-definition television, and a small CBS affiliate with the 

call letters WYMT was about to revolutionize the way eastern Kentuckians got 

their news each day. 

It was 1985, just two years after Ernestine 

Cornett and husband Keith had returned to 

their native Perry County with their fouryear-old daughter Ashley in tow. Keith had 

just sold his accounting and income tax business in Lexington. 

They were, as Ernestine put it, ‘‘starting 

over in familiar surroundings.’’ 

A graduate of Hazard High School, and 

then Morehead State University, Ernestine 

Cornett had been substituting in the city 

and county school districts when she ran 

across an ad in the Hazard Herald for a position at this new television station. She answered the ad, interviewed with a Lexington 

broadcaster by the name of Ralph Gabbard, 

and got the job in the avails coordinator position, a job which she described as consisting of inputting advertiser information 

and ensuring that the ad would have time on 

the air. 

‘‘Frankly, at the time, I had no idea what 

I was suited for in the television business,’’ 

Cornett said. ‘‘Certainly I had no experience, 

but evidently Mr. Gabbard knew.’’ 

Mr. Gabbard must have known, because in 

a couple of years she took the position of 

sales assistant and then office manager. And 

then, in 1990, when station manager Wayne 

Martin was promoted to the WKYT station 

in Lexington, Cornett also received a promotion and began what would be a career 

heading WYMT that would last more than 20 

years. That career will come to an end with 

Cornett’s retirement later this month, but it 

was Martin whom she credited with her long 

tenure at WYMT, and with her landing the 

job in the first place. 

‘‘Certainly Wayne Martin was a big part of 

my success at WYMT, as he recommended 

me for his replacement, and although I was 

intimidated at the prospect, I knew it was a 

once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,’’ Cornett 

said. 

Martin returned to Hazard on Tuesday of 

this week, as he attended a special lunch to 

honor Cornett’s career and noted that her 

leadership has been a cornerstone at WYMT 

now for 22 years. 

‘‘Her leadership has been one which I know 

I’ve tried to emulate because of her integrity, and sense of fair play, and her absolute 

passion for eastern Kentucky,’’ Martin said. 

WYMT was purchased by Gray Television 

in 1994, an Atlanta-based media company 

that owns several other stations, including 

WKYT in Lexington and WVLT in Knoxville. 

When Gray took over WYMT, Cornett’s title 

changed to vice-president and general manager. 

In the years that Cornett has headed 

WYMT, the station has shown growth and 

success, and has also maintained its relevancy as eastern Kentucky’s only localized 

television broadcast. There are no other television stations that cater solely to the eastern Kentucky market. The station has been 

able to do that, Cornett explained, because 

the station serves the community, both as a 

local advertising source and a news outlet 

that offers hard news updates and features, 

as well as weather, sports, and entertainment options for the residents of eastern 

Kentucky. That was something that had 

never been done on television prior to 

WYMT’s creation. 

And as a native and resident of eastern 

Kentucky, as well as the leader of a media 

outlet, Cornett knows well the importance 

that a news organization can represent, and 

the service it can provide. 

‘‘As a local, I was a manager fully invested 

in the success of this station because I can 

remember what it was like before WYMT 

came along,’’ she said. ‘‘I would not want to 

return to those times. Now, I will be fully invested in the station in new ways, as a viewer, as a consumer.’’ 

But there have been a lot of changes and 

challenges along the way that Cornett 

oversaw during her career. Gone are the analog broadcasts, and WYMT’s newscasts are 

not solely offered on television anymore. 

‘‘Our news can be watched on the World 

Wide Web and on mobile devices,’’ she noted. 

‘‘And, although it took us years to get a satellite truck, there are now small portable devices that can transmit news packages 

through phone and data lines. Technology in 

this business is always moving forward. Our 

challenge is to keep up.’’ 

Cornett will spend her last day at the station in Hazard on Friday, and of course, after 

a long career there are going to be some 

things she will miss, from the people she 

meets every day in the station’s hallways to 


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