[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 65 (Wednesday, May 20, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S5215]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RETIREMENT OF STUART BALDERSON

  Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, this evening, a number of us will be 
gathering together to honor Stuart Balderson who recently retired from 
the United States Senate after nearly four decades of exemplary 
service. I would like to take just a few moments to thank Stuart and to 
wish him well as he begins the next chapter of his life.
  On May 23, 1960, Stuart Balderson, a twenty-two year old fresh out of 
the Navy, came to work in the United States Senate. At that time, 
Lyndon Johnson was the Majority Leader and Dwight D. Eisenhower was in 
the White House. Stuart was brought on board by Secretary of the Senate 
``Skeeter'' Johnston and assigned a position in the Senate Finance 
Office. Over the course of the next 38 years, Stuart worked in every 
department of that office, including payroll, accounting, retirement 
and benefits, and legislative budgeting. In 1980, he assumed its top 
position, Financial Clerk of the United States Senate, and served in 
that capacity for the next 18 years.
  Over the past 38 years, Stuart has seen a lot of history on Capitol 
Hill. To give you an idea of how much things have changed, when Stuart 
began working in the Senate, the Capitol Building was still using 
direct current from its own generators. You needed to use an AC adaptor 
if you wanted to plug in any electrical equipment, but there wasn't 
much electrical equipment to plug in. In those days, ``computers'' 
referred to the people who calculated the numbers rather than to any 
machines they used. Stuart's predecessor, Bill Ridgely, used to call 
those the ``Bob Cratchitt'' days of the Disbursing Office, when the 
Senate's bookkeepers, like Bob Cratchitt in Dickens' A Christmas Carol, 
wore green visors and armbands and sat on high stools.
  A lot has changed since then. The number of Senate employees relying 
on the Senate Finance Office to handle their paychecks has more than 
doubled. Total Senate expenditures have risen from $25.9 million in 
1960 to $583.3 million in 1997. In many ways, Stuart grew with the 
Senate, but the two things that always remained constant were his 
dedication to this institution and the financial integrity he brought 
to the job.
  I know I speak for many other members and staff, past and present, 
when I say that we will miss Stuart. We commend him for his long and 
outstanding service and we wish him well as he retires.

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