(Congressional Record pg. S7797)
July 17, 2001-Washington, DC United States Senate Floor
Mr. Daschle. Mr. President, I think the distinguished Republican Leader has
spoken for all of us in expressing his affection and his gratitude for a
very special person. This will not be our farewell speech. We will give that
later as it accompanies an official Senate Resolution that I am certain will
be offered on a bipartisan basis by the two Leaders and perhaps with the
cosponsor ship of others but certainly with the unanimous, enthusiastic
support of the entire Senate. But we take the floor this afternoon to
acknowledge the decision Elizabeth has made and to call attention to that
decision and to express our gratitude and our deep affection for a person to
whom we have turned, on both sides of the aisle, on countless occasions.
I have been leader now for about 7 years. I have had the good fortune of
working with Elizabeth all 7 of those years. But that is just less than a
third of the time she has worked in various capacities in this Chamber.
She has served the Senate, not just the Republican caucus but the Senate, as
admirably, so professionally, so capably that it goes without saying that on
occasions such s this it is a heartfelt gesture for us to pass a resolution
as we did in the caucus this afternoon.
I might say, even though she wasn't there, there was rousing applause after
the resolution passed, with the hope that she might have heard it even
though she wasn't in the room.
Isaac Bassett was the seond page to serve in the Senate. He was Daniel
Webster's choice as a page. He served her for a long period of time, over a
half a century. Isaac Bassett wrote prodigiously about his experiences and
never rose to a level higher than Assistant Doorkeeper. Isaac Bassett would
talk about his remarkable view of history. To read his notes is to read
history in the first person. I think Elizabeth could write notes in the
first person about the history she has witnessed, as Senator Lott has noted.
She could write history that I am sure would enlightened all of us. I am
sure it would be every bit as valuable to future historians and future
citizens a hundred years from now as Isaac Bassett's notes are to me today.
Regardless of how much history she writes, she should know that she has
helped make history. She has been a witness to history. As she as witnessed
history, and as she has made it, she has done it in a way that will make her
family and future generations very proud.
Today, rather than saying farewell, we simply say that we admire her, and we
are grateful to her not only for what she has done but for what she will
continue to do here in the Senate for the next few weeks and beyond as she
serves in other roles and recognizes the importance of being a member of the
family that goes beyond the Senate. I yield the floor.
Elizabeth's last day of service to the
Senate
(Congressional Record pg S8874)
August 3, 2001--Washington, D.C. United States Senate
Mr. Daschle. Mr. President, I too, come to the floor to publicly acknowledge
and thank Elizabeth for the public service she has provided to her country.
Public service is not easy. It requires many, many sacrifices, but to do it
with grace, with intelligence, with a sense of humor, and with a real sense of
dedication is another matter altogether.
Elizabeth Letchworth did it just that way. She is a Republican. I am a
Democrat. As Senator Bond and others have noted, there are times when
Democrats and Republicans have it out in so many ways on the Senate floor
politically and philosophically. But there are those times when, in spite of
our deep differences of opinion, we recognize there is a higher calling, a
higher responsibility, and a higher order. I must say in all the years I have
known her, Elizabeth understood that and demonstrated that with her actions
and with her words.
She in many respects exemplifies the very finest of public service
professionalism. She made our jobs easier. She made our jobs even more
enjoyable, and certainly I think more rewarding.
On this her last day, I know I speak for all of my colleagues on this side of
the aisle in expressing to her our heartfelt thanks, our sincere
congratulations, and our best wishes for what we know will be a very exciting
future.
