[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 2 (Thursday, January 5, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S479]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                      TRIBUTE TO SHIRLEY ANN FELIX

  Mr. JOHNSTON. Mr. President, it is very hard to lose an old friend. 
For me and my family and for many of us in the Senate, Shirley Felix 
was a friend. For years, whenever we were in the Senators dining room, 
we stopped to talk to her. Her death, on December 13, was a tremendous 
loss, not just to her family but also to those who served with her in 
the offices of the Architect of the Capitol and those of us on whose 
behalf she worked diligently and tirelessly for many years.
  Shirley was born on November 8, 1933, in Arlington, VA, the daughter 
of Dr. Rebecca Plumer and the Elder Irving L. Plummer, Sr. She attended 
public schools in Washington and completed her education in New York 
City where she met and married James Felix, Jr. They later moved to 
Washington, and became the parents of six fine sons.
  Shirley started working for the Architect of the Capitol in 1967. Her 
culinary and management skills led to her promotion to the position of 
banquet manager for the U.S. Senate. It was a position she filled 
competently, professionally and with extraordinary cheerfulness.
  Shirley had a good memory and a warm heart. In the big, faceless 
institution that the Congress has become, with staff changing daily, 
Shirley remembered who you were, not just Senators but staff as well. 
She remembered your children's names, and always asked about them. She 
knew what you liked, and literally worked overtime to see that you got 
it. And she worked with a genuine smile on her face, for the pleasure 
of doing a job well, and knowing that her efforts were appreciated.
  Shirley was a perfectionist. She took great pride in her work, and it 
showed. When she prepared a lunch or dinner, it not only tasted great, 
it looked beautiful. She handled crises like a diplomat, never upset 
about changes in the guest list or the menu. Nothing was ever too much 
trouble, nothing ever took too much time. Even as her health failed, 
her spirit never faltered. To the end, she was a loving, giving person 
who went out of her way to make others feel good. Everybody who was on 
the receiving end of one of her smiles will miss her.


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