Governor and Mrs. Patton, Governor and Mrs. Jones, members of the General Assembly, distinguished colleagues, my fellow Kentuckians....
We gather here today on a platform in the heart of the Commonwealth and before our great Capitol.
We gather, as we have done for over 200 years, to remind ourselves that it is indeed our duty, to renew our commitment to the progress of our people.
In his 1971 inaugural address, my friend Wendell Ford told the people of Kentucky that the test of a [person] in public life is not how well he [or she] campaigns, rather it is how effectively he [or she] meets the challenges and responsibilities of office.
What Senator Wendell Ford said 25 years ago, still holds true today.
The test we must pass together is one of governing. Paul Patton and I stand together with you today at the threshold of this great challenge.
We are together committed to writing one of the greatest chapters in the history of the Commonwealth, and today, we begin the first page.
It is appropriate that in a state as broad and diverse as ours, the first Governor and Lt. Governor elected as a team - - have come from opposite ends of the state, and meet together here in Frankfort.
Just as Governor Patton is proud of his Eastern Kentucky roots, I too am proud to have been born and raised in Western Kentucky -- a product of traditional Daviess County values.
These values were passed to me by my parents and my grandparents.
And today, Kentucky can be proud that the grandson of a Western Kentucky dirt farmer has ascended to the office of Lieutenant Governor.
My parents, Wanda and Virgil Henry, who are with me today, provided me with the type of upbringing that every ambitious child deserves. As a young man, they encouraged me to pursue two lifelong passions: practicing medicine and public service.
And I know the journey which has brought me here today may be traced, in no small part, to their guidance.
And others along the way have also influenced me: great leaders such as Mary Bingham, Bill Natcher, Bert Combs and John Sherman Cooper.
Theirs was a legacy built over time. Like theirs, let our legacy be a permanent lasting legacy - remembered not 1 year from now but 100 years from now.
Let this administration be remembered for providing quality health care to the poor and suffering.
Let this administration be remembered for protecting our children, educating the impoverished, preserving our natural resources, spending our tax dollars wisely.
About a year ago, Paul Patton bestowed a great honor upon me.
He asked me to join him in seeking the two highest offices in the Commonwealth.
Today, as we take our oaths of office, we ask you, the citizens, to join us in our partnership which we began to form a year ago.
Together, we share the common goal of wanting the best for our Commonwealth, and just as Governor Patton and I have met in the middle, we ask you today to meet us in the center.
Let s not be mistaken. The challenges we face are many, and their solutions complex.
But, together, we can and will solve them.
We will find answers to our challenges because Paul Patton and I are commited to making positive change.
We will succeed because we have a vision for a better future, and with an engineer and a doctor in office, we will find innovative ways to address old problems.
Finally, let me say we will succeed because Governor Patton and I will always remain mindful that it is you the people who have entrusted us with the mantle of governing.
We will work hard to prove deserving of this trust. It is a trust that I understand so very well.
Upon becoming a doctor, I took the Hippocratic Oath, an oath that meant patients would place their well-being, and even their lives, in my hands.
Today, as a public servant, taking this oath of office, I readily accept the new responsibility that you - the people - have placed before me.
And in governing, I pledge today to always honor this sacred trust.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless our Commonwealth.