[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12338-S12339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO STAFF OF SENATOR JOHNSTON

 Mr. JOHNSTON. Mr. President, no senator has been blessed with 
a more capable, more loyal, more effective personal 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.

[[Page S12339]]

                              PATSY GUYER

  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.


                              BECKY PUTENS

  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 go along with 
being a Senator. 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.
  As my colleagues and her peers--a group of Senators' personal 
secretaries who call themselves the Senior Babes--can attest, the small 
area just outside a Senator's personal office often takes on the aspect 
of Grand Central Station at rush hour. Becky is the person who keeps it 
all together and 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 and outlook 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.


                              ERIC SILAGY

  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 a legislative goal has been targeted, there 
is very little that can stand in the way of Eric's efforts to achieve 
it. In short, 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.

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