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Mrs. HYDE-SMITH. Madam President, I also rise today to honor the life and legacy of my friend Patrick Gottsch, the founder and president of Rural Media Group, who passed away May 18.

Mr. Gottsch was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend who dedicated his life to supporting and promoting rural America through television.

Patrick was born on June 3, 1953, in Elkhorn, NE, and raised on his family's farm and cattle operation. From a young age, he learned the value of hard work, perseverance, and the unique value that rural communities bring to our Nation.

Having worked as a commodity broker on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, in home satellite sales, and as director of sales for the Superior Livestock Auction, he founded Rural Free Delivery Television, RFD-TV, in 2000. And it is on my TV every day.

Rural Media Group grew to additionally consist of many other things, including the Cowboy Channel--one of our very favorite--giving rural America the visibility it lacked through traditional media outlets.

Rural America owes much to Patrick's innovation and his tenacity. Not many people have the ability to articulate and describe the true essence of how special life in rural America is like Patrick did. Rural communities are the heartbeat of our Nation, often overlooked but essential to our Nation's survival and prosperity.

Patrick gave rural America a voice. In an increasingly urbanized world, Patrick reminded us of the value of rural America. He advocated for the 2 percent of Americans who feed the other 98 percent. He reminded Americans that our clothes and food don't magically grow on shelves at the store.

We honor Patrick Gottsch for his unprecedented work to promote the American rural way of life that my family and I get to enjoy every single day. He was truly a great ambassador for rural America, and I know he would want us to continue to tell the story to the entire world.

I offer my deepest condolences to the Gottsch family during this time, and I will strive to honor Patrick's legacy by stressing the continued need for access for rural and agricultural media and programming for all Americans. May Patrick's determination, love for rural America, and persistence in telling the great story of rural America never be forgotten.

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