[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S12325]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO PROCTOR JONES

 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 in 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. They also 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, even 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, Proctor is self-deprecating 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.

                          ____________________