Senate to Honor American Idol Carrie Underwood

The State Senate will hear a resolution Friday recognizing the accomplishments and talent of Checotah-native Carrie Underwood who was named a finalist on the popular TV show, "American Idol" Wednesday night. She may be new to a lot of Americans, but she is not new to Senator Frank Shurden.

"I have known Carrie a long time. She used to perform for the chamber banquets and other events over in Checotah which is in my Senate district so I've seen her sing since she was a very young girl," said Sen. Shurden, D-Henryetta. "We knew then that she had a beautiful voice and great talent, but little did we know how famous she would become."

Though she's never had any formal training, Underwood has captivated Checotah residents with her voice since her elementary school days. During high school, she sang in the school's award-winning chorus where she thrilled audiences every year at the Robbin Emerson Memorial Talent Show, which raises money for scholarships. She sang in church and was often kind enough to sing the National Anthem at basketball games.

Not only was she phenomenal on the stage, but in the classroom as well. Underwood was the salutatorian of her 2001 Checotah High School graduating class. She is currently a senior mass communications major with an emphasis in journalism at Northeastern State University. She has performed for two years in the Northeastern's Downtown Country Show in Tahlequah.

The Senate resolution, authored by Shurden, congratulates Underwood for her success and also praises her for being such a positive role model. Shurden described her as an intelligent, kind, and considerate person.

"She's a very fine young lady. It's refreshing to have such a positive role model in today's society," Shurden continued. "She has represented Oklahoma so well. We're just very proud of her and I know Oklahoma's proud of her. Hopefully she'll win this and be the new Reba McEntire for the state of Oklahoma and I think she'll be just that."

Underwood began her journey last August when she auditioned for American Idol in St. Louis, Missouri. In mid-February, she was named to the top 24 and has been in Hollywood, California performing ever since. She will compete for the title of "American Idol" next Tuesday night on the Fox network. Sen. Shurden urged Oklahomans to support Carrie by voting for her that night.

"She'll need all her fellow Oklahomans backing her on one of the most important and memorable nights of her life. And no matter what, Carrie will always be our Oklahoma Idol. She's a super star and a super girl," Sen. Shurden concluded.