[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 37 (Thursday, March 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S2629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JIM GRAHNE

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I want to express the gratitude of the 
Senate to Jim Grahne, the director of our Senate Recording and 
Photographic Studios. Jim is retiring this week after 27 years of 
dedicated service to the Senate.
  Jim Grahne has been one of our most talented technical and management 
professionals in the Office of the Sergeant at Arms.
  He is an engineer by training and profession and has used his skill, 
creativity and expertise to shepherd the Senate through nearly 30 years 
of broadcast and photographic technology. I am referring to the 
television, radio and photographic services on which we as members, and 
as an institution, so readily rely.
  It was Jim's leadership that made technically possible the broadcast 
of the proceedings of the Senate floor.
  While that accomplishment may be one of his professional highlights, 
he always sought ways to improve products and services to members.
  Some of the recent successes of Jim and his staff include the 
installation of a fiber optic network for the broadcast of committee 
hearings, CD-Rom and on-line photo data base services for members' 
offices. Jim and his staff have also pioneered the use of closed 
captioning text, audio and visual technologies.
  This year the studios released full text and audio search and 
retrieval of floor proceedings. Offices may now search for and download 
any speech or debate text and audio with 15 minutes of its being given.
  Our gratitude for Jim is not limited to his understanding and 
appreciation for technology. Because he came to the Senate from the 
commercial news and broadcast industry, he understands the importance 
of the press and of the role played by visual and sound images.
  Every day that the proceedings of the Senate are made available to 
the press here and around the world, it is an affirmation and practical 
example of democracy in action. That goal has been an important part of 
Jim's motivation.
  Mr. President, our Senate family wishes Jim and Linda, his wife of 34 
years, and their children--Mark, Lena, and Karen--the very best and 
hope he gets some time to spend on that sailboat with his 
granddaughter, Megan. But, knowing Jim as we do, we can expect his 
sleeves will be rolled up and into another challenge in the very near 
future.

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