[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 61 (Tuesday, May 17, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                            SHANNON WILBANKS

  Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, most Members of this body are blessed 
with a core group of loyal, reliable aides--key staff members who have 
served with great competence and loyalty for many years. That certainly 
describes Shannon Wilbanks, who is leaving my staff this week after a 
decade of tremendously dedicated service to the Senate and to the 
people of South Carolina.
  Mr. President, Shannon proudly displays at her desk a photography of 
a 3-year-old girl wearing a ``Hollings for Senate'' boater hat. That 
little girl was Shannon Wilbanks. While still in high school, Shannon 
began working as an intern in my Charleston office. She continued in 
that capacity while a student at the College of Charleston, later 
coming on board as a full-time staff member during my 1986 Senate race.
  After that election, I prevailed upon Shannon to transfer to my 
Washington office to work directly with me. As a perfectionist with a 
penchant for organizing herself and others, she was perfect for the 
job. Time and again, I tapped her talents as a writer, as well as her 
ability to deal with constituents with tact and excellent judgment.
  I will never forget the extraordinary job Shannon did in the wake of 
Hugo in 1989. In the months after the hurricane, she worked out of my 
Charleston office to help organize assistance to thousands of victims, 
especially those in her hometown of Summerville, which was particularly 
hard hit by the storm. Countless people later wrote to me or thanked me 
personally for the work she did in helping put their lives and homes 
back together.
  Mr. President, Shannon will soon take up new responsibilities with 
the chamber of commerce in Greenville, SC. She has already put down 
roots in the Greenville community, where she is active in volunteer 
efforts of the local junior league. Despite her new venue and new 
challenges, Shannon will remain very much a member of the extended 
Hollings family. I appreciate this opportunity to thank her for a job 
well done, and to wish her every success in the years ahead.

                          ____________________