Tribute to Bill and Meredith Schroeder

TRIBUTE TO BILL AND MEREDITH SCHROEDER

Mr. MCCONNELL. Mr. President, I pay special tribute to two individuals whose foresight inspired a mecca in America's Heartland. Bill and Meredith Schroeder's interest in quilts has led to an exciting and beneficial business venture for the City of Paducah, KY, and the surrounding area. In 1984, the Schroeder's founded the American Quilter's Society, AQS, after discovering the need for worldwide recognition of the beauty of quilting as an art form and as a statement of our history and society.

The Schroeder's created a multi venue environment to promote the art and craft of quilting. Through the American Quilter's Society, they established a membership organization with participants from every U.S. State and territory, as well as from 80 countries. They created the AQS Quilt Show & Contest, the largest cash-juried contest in the world. Held each April in Paducah, KY, now recognized as "Quilt City USA", the annual show brings millions of dollars to the tourism industry of western Kentucky. In 1991, the Museum of the American Quilter's Society opened. The museum has hosted hundreds of thousands of quilters and quilt lovers, and has enjoyed a history of growth and development.

Bill and Meredith Schroeder are extraordinary individuals who had a vision and worked hard to bring it to fruition. In appreciation for the Schroeder's commitment to fostering the respect of the general public for quilts and quilt makers, and for their unselfish desire to develop the economy of western Kentucky, I ask my fellow colleagues to join me in recognizing the outstanding contributions they have made to their community, to Kentucky, and to our Nation.