Political Quotes

“I would like to pay tribute to Frances Williams Preston, a trailblazing businesswoman, a dedicated humanitarian, a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, and a friend. I was saddened when she passed away on June 13. Frances began her career as a receptionist at a radio station in Nashville, TN. She quickly moved up within the music community, and in 1958 she was hired to open a regional office for Broadcast Music Inc., BMI, in Nashville, representing songwriters and composers. Glass ceilings had no chance at constraining Frances. In 1964, she became Vice President of BMI, reportedly making her the first woman corporate executive in Tennessee. In 1986, she became CEO and remained CEO of BMI until 2004. Her work at BMI transformed not only the company, but also the hundreds of thousands of songwriters and composers BMI represents. She tripled the revenues at BMI and advocated for strong copyright protections to benefit artists. BMI under her tenure also helped the city of Nashville to blossom into the leading center for songwriters and the arts that it is today. Frances's dedication to the songwriters and her industry, and her passion for ensuring they could make a living in their chosen profession, was unrivaled.…”