TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF TONY SLOAN

On 2025-04-07, Representative Harold Rogers (R-KY-5) delivered a floor speech titled "TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF TONY SLOAN" in the House.

TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF TONY SLOAN

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 62 (Monday, April 7, 2025)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E288-E289] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF TONY SLOAN ______ HON. HAROLD ROGERS of kentucky in the house of representatives Monday, April 7, 2025 Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Tony Sloan, a founding father of tourism and excellent marina operations on Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky, and on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee. Tony was baptized into lake life at an early age, working as a teenager in 1952 at his father's dock, Grider Hill, one of the first docks on the newly formed Lake Cumberland. After 60 years in the marina business, the Sloan family sold Grider Hill Dock in 2007, however, Tony's passion for Lake Cumberland was far from gone. While the sun set on his family-owned marina, a new dream was soon born to bring a historic plan to life for a new marina at Rowena. Tony came to me with a vision--to bring world-class recreational facilities to Lake Cumberland. After a decade of strategic planning and investments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a lease site for Tony Sloan and his business partner, Tom Allen, to build a new commercial marina on Lake Cumberland, the first in over 60 years. When Marina at Rowena opened in 2017, Tony revived the storied life of Rowena, a once-bustling community located along the banks of the Cumberland River. In the early 1900's, the Steamboat Rowena transported goods and people from Nashville, Tennessee to Burnside, Kentucky, making routine stops at Rowena Landing. It is here that the Army Corps reserved a site for future recreational development in their master plan for Lake Cumberland in 1949. Thanks to Tony's vision for that site, the Marina at Rowena is the premiere modern-day landing, bringing the same hustle and bustle to the area that was seen a century before. Today, you can read the stories of Rowena and a riverside homeowner's daughter named Ena, who rowed people across the river in the 1800's, inspiring the community's name. Tony was adamant about preserving Rowena's story and bringing it back to life through photographs and a timeline, now displayed along the walls of the new marina. You could not find anyone more passionate about lake life than Tony Sloan. He enjoyed inviting families and friends to the dock for a good fish fry and ice cream, while watching folks water ski and jump waves with tubes, cruisers and pontoons. Tony was proud to [[Page E289]] host champion speedboats to race across our iconic waterway, showcasing the lake's natural beauty for all, far and wide. In fact, he loved life on the lake so much that he co-owned several other marinas, including Conley Bottom Resort in Wayne County for many years, and Sunset Marina and Resort on Dale Hollow Lake in Tennessee, which he took immense pride in. At every marina location, he raised the bar for exceptional management and operations, most recently earning the Army Corps' Clean Marina Award in 2022 at Rowena. In my humble opinion, one would be hard-pressed to find a better steward of Lake Cumberland than Tony Sloan--a friend to all. While the lake was Tony's lifeblood, it paled in comparison to his adoration of his wife, Lola (Dyer) ``Bettye'' Sloan, with whom he celebrated more than 60 years of marriage. To know Tony Sloan was to love him. He was one of my closest friends and trusted advisors, a loyal supporter, and one of the best storytellers of any fisherman I have ever met. My wife Cynthia and I share our heartfelt condolences with the entire Sloan family, Tony's longtime business partner Tom Allen, and his countless lakeside friends. ____________________