[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 16 (Monday, February 10, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S1200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN APPRECIATION OF PROCTOR JONES

 Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, on January 31 Proctor Jones spent 
his last day of service in the UU.S. Senate. I join many of my 
colleagues in thanking him publicly for his work.
  Proctor Jones has been an incredible asset to the Senate and to me. 
When I became a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and 
Water Development in January, 1992, Proctor became my and my staff's 
mentor on the workings of this important subcommittee. He led us 
through the complex and confusing maze of numbers, agencies, and 
appropriations politics. Proctor was invaluable.
  My State of Washington is a major beneficiary of public investments 
coordinated under the jurisdiction of the Energy and Water Development 
Subcommittee, such as the Hanford Reservation, the Bonneville Power 
Administration, and numerous ports and waterways. These entities and 
projects are sometimes controversial, often complex, and usually 
expensive. Proctor knew what could be accomplished and what was doomed 
to failure. He had an answer to every question.
  Of course, that ability to divine the realm of the possible was both 
a source of joy and frustration. When the answer to a request was 
``yes,'' I knew my request was a done deal and I could count on the 
funding or report language. When the answer was ``no,'' convincing 
Proctor about the error of his views was, shall we say, a daunting 
task. But he never let me down. If something could not be done the way 
I had originally envisioned it, he would explain why it would not, and 
suggest alternative ways to arrive at a similar outcome.
  Mr. President, I wish Proctor the best as he starts a new career as a 
partner with his former boss and one of the most effective Senators I 
have had the pleasure to serve with, former Senator J. Bennett 
Johnston. I will sorely miss Proctor's guidance and expertise, but know 
he is ready for a change and new challenges.
  Congratulations, Proctor, on your more than three decades of service 
to the greatest deliberative body on Earth. And thank you for your 
guidance to first term Senators like me.

                          ____________________