[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 11, 1996)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            THANK YOU, KATHY O'BRIEN, FOR YOUR LOYAL SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JACK FIELDS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 11, 1996

  Mr. FIELDS. Mr. Speaker, it was with mixed emotions that I announced 
last December 11 my decision to retire from the House at the conclusion 
of my current term. As I explained at the time, the decision to retire 
was made more difficult because of the loyalty and dedication of my 
staff--and because of the genuine friendship I feel for them.
  Today, I want to thank one member of my staff--Kathryn O'Brien, my 
staff assistant in my Conroe district office--for everything she's done 
for me and my constituents in the almost 4 years that she has worked in 
my office.
  When Montgomery County was first added to the 8th Congressional 
District in 1993, I asked friends, business leaders and political 
leaders in Montgomery County if they could recommend someone to head up 
the Conroe office. Kathy came highly recommended as someone whose 
people skills and dedication to getting the job done would be a major 
asset to me as I worked to represent the men and women of Montgomery 
County in Congress.
  Prior to working in my Conroe office, Kathy had worked as a legal 
secretary in the Montgomery County Attorney's office, where she handled 
a wide variety of legal duties. Her professional skills and her 
enthusiasm were widely recognized, and her skill at dealing with people 
was very much appreciated.
  Kathy has used those skills effectively in my Conroe office, where 
she has assisted constituents throughout Montgomery County who have 
experienced problems with Federal agencies, including the Social 
Security Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the 
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Internal Revenue Service, 
and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Through her efforts, lost 
Social Security checks have been located, immigration problems have 
been resolved, overdue military medals have been presented to veterans 
and disaster aid has reached those who needed it.
  Kathy has represented me at events in Montgomery County I was unable 
to attend, and has relayed the concerns of constituents in Montgomery 
County to my district and Washington staff.
  For 10 years, Kathy served with distinction in the U.S. Air Force as 
a communications specialist in Germany and Texas. With a top-secret 
clearance, Kathy helped prepare and transmit a variety of 
communications from her duty station. In the Air Force, she earned the 
Vietnam Era Service Award, the Expert Marksman Award, as well as her 
telecommunications certification. All of us appreciate the dedication 
to her country that Kathy exhibited as a member of the U.S. Air Force.
  Kathy has lived overseas for much of her life, and has traveled 
extensively throughout Europe and the United States.
  Kathy has yet to make a definite decision about what she wants to do 
in the years ahead. But I am confident that the skills and the personal 
qualities she has demonstrated as a member of my staff will lead to 
continued success in the future.
  Kathy O'Brien is one of those hardworking men and women who make all 
of us in this institution look better than we deserve. She has done 
that for me, and I appreciate this opportunity to publicly thank her 
for the dedication, loyalty, and professionalism she has exhibited as a 
member of my staff.
  Mr. Speaker, I know you join with me in saying thank you to Kathy 
O'Brien for her years of loyal service to me, to the men and women of 
Texas' 8th Congressional District, and to this great institution. And I 
know you join with me in wishing Kathy, her son Cesare Antonio, and her 
daughter, Valerie Anne, all the best in the years ahead.

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