[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 29, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO LESLIANNE SHEDD

 Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I rise today with great sadness to 
commemorate the life of an outstanding individual from our State of 
Washington. Leslianne Shedd, a member of the United States Foreign 
Service Corps and a 1990 graduate of the Henry M. Jackson School of 
International Studies at the University of Washington, was killed when 
an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed in the Indian Ocean last November.
  A resident of Washington State since the age of two, Leslianne 
graduated with honor from Puyallup High School in 1986. According to 
family and friends, Leslianne's lifelong dream was to tour the world. 
To achieve this goal, she learned four languages, traveled in Europe, 
Africa, North America, and Thailand, and pursued a career in Foreign 
Service.
  Leslianne was traveling from her post at the United States Embassy in 
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya to celebrate Thanksgiving with 
friends when her plane was hijacked and then crashed. A commercial 
officer in the foreign service, she provided assistance to American 
companies doing business in the region. Before working in Ethiopia, she 
spent 2 years in the Ivory Coast in West Africa as a United States vice 
consul there.
  It is no surprise that a young woman who touched so many lives around 
the globe has been described by her junior high English teacher as ``a 
little ray of light.'' Her life provides inspiration to all of us by 
serving as an example of a forward-looking, intellectually curious, and 
selfless individual.
  My thoughts are with Leslianne's parents Bob and Mickey Shedd, her 
brother Darin and sister Corinne, her friends, and all those touched by 
her warmth and kindness. Her work and accomplishments remind us all of 
the importance of public service, international awareness, and 
generosity. Our Nation and our world are better places because of her. 
I am certain Leslianne Shedd's legacy of service will be remembered for 
years to come.

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