[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 73 (Monday, June 13, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 13, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 TRIBUTE TO EDWARD WHITE, CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE REPORTERS OF DEBATES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts [Mr. Moakley] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Madam Speaker, with the retirement last March of Edward 
White, Chief Clerk of the House Reporters of Debates, a 29-year history 
of Government service came to an end. If his absence from the front 
desk has been little noted in the past weeks, it is probably because Ed 
insisted on having a smooth-working, well-trained staff that could 
function under any circumstances.
  A native of Newton, MA, Ed attended St. Bonaventure College in 
western New York State. During the Korean conflict he served with the 
U.S. Army in Germany, where he learned to drive a tank. What was so 
remarkable about that, he recounted, was that when he was assigned the 
tank, no one thought to inquire whether he had received any training in 
tanks. He had not, so he became a true rarity--a self-taught tank 
operator.
  After the Army, Ed followed a career in hotel management, mainly in 
the Washington, DC area, and in 1965 he was appointed as one of the 
Clerks to the Reporters of Debates. In 1980, he became Chief Clerk.
  Nothing is truly unique, they say, but the position of Clerk and 
Chief Clerk to the House Reporters of Debates comes close to being the 
exception. In the production of the Congressional Record, the Clerks 
are a universal liaison between and among the Members, the Reporters of 
Debates, the Government Printing Office, the Parliamentarian and his 
staff, and staffs of Members and of committees, as well as key 
personnel on the front desk.
  It is almost as though the new term, ``Information Highway,'' had 
been coined with the Clerks in mind. The Clerks' position is one of 
those that looks so easy. But it is not. It demands a high degree of 
concentration, the ability to make split-second decisions, a working 
knowledge of parliamentary procedure, and the capacity to work under 
pressure during the busiest legislative sessions.
  Ed has always been fascinated by politics, but he has had no 
political, aspirations himself. He is a voracious reader, and the 
Boston Red Sox will certainly now reclaim one of their most loyal 
disciples for Ed and his wife, Pat, plan to make their home in the Cape 
Cod area. They have two sons Teddy and Patrick, who are now or will 
also be residents of Massachusetts.
  Madam Speaker, for his long and valuable service, the House owes 
thanks to Ed White. He fulfilled his duties with such devotion and care 
over the years, that he truly set the standard for excellence in a 
position that calls for expertise, but offers little in the way of 
glamour.

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