On the recordAugust 1, 2011
Thank you. It is hard to add to the Senator's recognition of Agnes, and also my colleague, the Senator from Ohio. You can tell Agnes touched quite a few of us in so many different ways. Agnes was a friend of mine and also a friend of my family's. She was a dear mentor to my daughter Heather, who is in the industry. We are all going to mourn her passing. Heather introduced me to Agnes about 10 years ago, and from the first day I met Agnes, she was the type of person I always heard my grandmother would say: People don't know how much you care until they know how much care. The thing about Agnes was it was not how much you had here, but it was what you had in your heart. Agnes was that type of person who was truly remarkable. She lived an astonishing life, Mr. President, as you referred to. She represented the best in our country, and she truly lived the American dream. Agnes was a first-generation American and went to college at a time when few women attended college. She started at the very bottom rung of the chemical industry and worked her way up the ladder to the top. She was truly an entrepreneur. She and her husband Karl loved the arts, but they also took a risk. They took their life savings together of about $50,000 to start Agvar Chemicals. Agnes was a fortunate American.…
