[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 138 (Monday, September 30, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11946-S11947]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO STAFF OF SENATOR JOHNSTON

  Mr. JOHNSTON. Mr. President, it was my great fortune to be assigned 
to the Committee on Appropriations relatively early in my first term in 
the Senate. It is through that committee that I have been able to serve 
my State in a way that I believe has contributed measurably to an 
improvement in the economic quality of life for the people of 
Louisiana.
  As I began my second full term in the Senate, I had the added good 
fortune of taking over the reins of the Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Public Works, as it was known at the time, from a wonderful man who 
taught me so much about the Senate, the late and beloved Senator John 
Stennis of Mississippi. When I fell heir to that chairmanship, I also 
inherited the services of the longtime staff director of the 
subcommittee, Proctor Jones. It is of Proctor and his service to the 
Senate and his country that I wish to speak today.
  Every now and then in this body, someone of the thousands of loyal 
staff who toil for us and our constituents achieves an elevated status 
among Senators and staff colleagues. I think few would deny that 
Proctor has long since reached that plateau.
  Proctor Jones came to this body in 1960, and aside from 4 years of 
service as a proud Marine, he has served here continuously since that 
time. He has seen and participated in more of the sweep of politics and 
public policy than most of us can imagine, and along the way he has 
amassed an unrivaled knowledge of the legislative process and a nearly 
unmatched institutional memory.
  Members of both Houses and on both sides of the aisle know they can 
turn to Proctor for advice and assistance with absolute confidence that 
their requests will be treated fairly and respectfully. And they know 
that he gets results. Proctor's broad and detailed knowledge of his 
appropriation areas helps account for his uncanny ability to find the 
means--when none appears available--to achieve the legislative goals 
that we set. While such knowledge gives Proctor authority, he would 
never think of abusing the great powers we entrust to him. He is a man 
who loves and cherishes the institutions of government and who is 
guided by the fine Georgia code of honor he learned from his early 
mentor, the late Senator Richard Russell, the giant whom Proctor served 
early in his Senate career.
  If anything, he is self-depreciating and deferential to a fault: as 
he is fond of saying, ``I just work here, I don't vote. And I love my 
job.'' He has indeed loved his job and has performed his duties in a 
way that has made a profound difference in those areas covered under 
our Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. He has 
always understood that we have a serious obligation to protect and 
improve the country's physical infrastructure and to support and 
nurture the Nation's scientific brain trust at the national 
laboratories and throughout the Federal Government. Uninformed critics 
have sometimes derided those vital responsibilities as pork or 
misplaced priorities, but I firmly believe that Proctor's vision and 
dedication have contributed mightily to the security and strength of 
this country.
  Proctor has also become my valued personal friend, owing in large 
measure to his infectious enthusiasm for everything in life from opera, 
to travel, to sports, to hiking, and joyous gatherings of friends and 
family. As I conclude my service in the Senate, I want Proctor and his 
family to know that I speak for my colleagues, past and present, in 
saying thanks for a job done well and as no one else could have done 
it.
  Mr. President, no senator has been blessed with a more capable, more 
loyal, more effective staff than I have. For 24 years, they have worked 
for my office, our State, and our Nation with energy and diligence. All 
of the staff over these years have been excellent, but at this time I 
want to especially recognize the three most senior staffers in my 
Washington office for their special talents and contributions.
  When I arrived in Washington in November 1972, I was taken in tow by 
Bill Cochrane of the Rules Committee, who gave me invaluable assistance 
and counsel in setting up my office. Like most new Senators, I was 
short-handed and uncertain about the best way to staff my office and 
deal with the avalanche of mail, telephone calls, and visitors. Bill 
mentioned to me that he knew of a young woman, Patsy Guyer, who had 
worked with him on the staff of Senator B. Everett Jordan of North 
Carolina and who was available and was a prodigious worker. She was 
quickly hired, and I don't think her output has slowed one iota over 
the 24 years she has been on my staff. As my executive assistant, Patsy 
has handled a huge array of responsibilities over the years, ranging 
from supervising State offices to managing summer interns, to creating 
and overseeing an exceptionally efficient mail operation.
  But if Patsy should be singled out for anything, it is her management 
of and deep personal commitment to a ``case work'' operation that is 
unmatched in the volume and quality of service it has rendered to 
countless thousands of Louisianians in need. I am very proud of the aid 
my office has given over the years to people who had nowhere else to 
turn, whether it was securing a visa, locating a loved one, or breaking 
an impasse on a disability payment or a VA widow's benefits.
  We were able to be effective principally because Patsy Guyer has an 
astounding network of friends and colleagues throughout the Congress 
and among Federal agencies and, most of all, because she greeted every 
case, no matter how routine, with the enthusiasm and commitment she 
brought to her first day on the job in November of 1972. Whether the 
challenge was to bring home from Abu Dhabi a tragically injured 
Louisiana businessman, locate a missing child in a Rwandan refugee 
camp, or organize a food airlift to Cambodia, we always knew Patsy 
would have the ingenuity and contacts to start the process and the 
absolutely iron-willed determination and dedication to see it through 
to completion. I have never known a more selfless and giving 
individual, and I know I speak for untold thousands in Louisiana in 
expressing deep gratitude for the extraordinary service that this loyal 
daughter of North Carolina has rendered to Louisiana and our country.
  Mr. President, as many Senators know, Becky Putens has been my 
personal secretary for the last 18 years. While that is her title, it 
hardly does justice to the multitude of roles that she has had to play 
in that time. She has been my gatekeeper, my scheduler, my right-hand 
person; she keeps track of where I need to be, arranges how I will get 
there, and generally has acted as a buffer between me and the enormous 
number of outside demands on my time and attention that characterizes 
this job. Most of all, though, Becky Putens is a fixer: she takes care 
of problems, from the routine to the seemingly insurmountable, with an 
aplomb and calmness that is remarkable, and that has, in countless 
large and small ways, made my time as a Senator more effective, more 
efficient, and generally more fun.

[[Page S11947]]

  As my colleagues and her peers--a group of Senators' personal 
secretaries who call themselves ``senior babes''--can attest, the small 
area just outside a Senator's office often takes on the aspect of Grand 
Central Station at rush hour. Becky is the person who keeps it all 
together and all running smoothly. Through it all, and maybe because of 
it all, Becky displays a sense of humor and a way with people and with 
words that is legendary among many of the longtime staff and Senators. 
For someone in a position that is always demanding and often thankless, 
such an attitude is almost a requirement, and for me it has often 
served to make even the most tiring and demanding days and nights in 
the Senate bearable.
  But, to me, the most fundamental aspect of Becky's personality is her 
unquestioning dedication. Whatever the circumstances, however late or 
early, on weekends or during vacations, if I am there, Becky is there; 
if I am under the gun, Becky is at my side. In short, in a field of 
endeavor where loyalty is an often-invoked but seldom-realized ideal, 
Becky personifies it. I am grateful for her service.
  Mr. President, Eric Silagy has managed to pack more achievements into 
his brief career than any young man I know. He came to my office in 
1987, fresh out of the University of Texas. In less than 2 years, he 
was chief scheduler for a Senate campaign that was as politically 
significant and hard fought as any in this century. His intelligence, 
good judgment, and youthful energy were important factors in our 
victory. For the next 4 years, he served as my legislative assistant 
while attending Georgetown University Law School, performing superbly 
in both capacities. Since 1994, he has been my administrative assistant 
and chief of staff. Thanks to his excellent organizational skills and 
his tact and good humor, it is an office that has been a productive 
workplace for a happy, hardworking, and extremely talented staff.

  Just as important to me as his skill in running the office, however, 
has been his remarkable political and policy judgment, which I rely 
upon in making all the most crucial decisions that come before me; and 
his extraordinary effectiveness in getting the job done, no matter what 
the odds against it. Once an ideal legislative outcome has been 
selected, there is very little that can stand in the way of Eric's 
efforts to find a way to get there. While some divide the world into 
thinkers and doers, Eric Silagy manages to combine the best aspects of 
both. I want to express my gratitude for his diligence and devotion, 
and commend him for a job well done.

                          ____________________