[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO MRS. HELEN SEWELL

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                           HON. NEWT GINGRICH

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to draw my colleagues' 
attention to this feature piece from The U.S. Capitol Historical 
Society newsletter, The Capitol Dome. For 60 years now, Helen Sewell 
has been the manager of the snack bar in the Republican cloakroom and a 
mother to every member who has sat down to one of her hefty tuna salad 
sandwiches. Mrs. Sewell began working in the cloakroom while she was in 
junior high school and her father ran the snack bar. Since that time, 
she has served coffee and sandwiches to thousands of members, including 
several former presidents. In fact, according to some accounts, it was 
her cottage cheese with Worcestershire source that helped put Gerald 
Ford in the White House. Even today, when President Ford visits the 
House, he stops by for a visit with Helen. President Bush does the 
same. I think that my colleagues will enjoy this tribute to Mrs. 
Sewell. I did, and it is richly deserved.

           `Helen's Cafe'--Capitol Concessionaire Reminisces

       As the red neon sign bearing her name shines brightly 
     above, Helen Sewell busily prepares for the day at her cafe. 
     As manager of a small concession stand offering a variety of 
     sandwiches, soups, sodas, coffee, candy, ice cream and other 
     snacks, she caters to a unique clientele--Speaker of the 
     House Newt Gingrich, Majority Leader Dick Armey and the 226 
     other Republican Members of the U.S. House of 
     Representatives.
       Helen's domain is the concession counter in the Republican 
     Cloak Room, located just outside the House of Representatives 
     Chamber. The cloak rooms are private enclaves where Members 
     can relax, make phone calls and, thanks to Helen, enjoy 
     everything from a light snack to a hearty sandwich. Now 80 
     years of age, she has been working at the counter since the 
     1930s when she was a teenager helping her father prepare 
     snacks for Members of Congress. ``It was intimidating at 
     first.'' Helen recalled, ``but I got used to it, and now I 
     just love it.''
       With more than 60 years of service, Helen has become 
     something of an institution. In comparison, Helen's 
     counterparts in the Democratic Cloak Room have come and gone 
     for more than three generations. Currently, Cindy Edmondson 
     works (as she has for a dozen years) in the Democratic Cloak 
     Room concession.
       According to Helen, her father came to Washington from 
     Lovejoy, Ill., with his Member of Congress who helped get him 
     a job as an attendant in the cloak room. ``But he got so 
     tired of just hanging up coats and hats,'' Helen reminisced, 
     ``so one day he brought in fruit, candy and drinks for the 
     Members, and they really appreciated it.''
       Each Member who visits ``Helen's Cafe'' is part of her 
     extended family. ``I know every Republican Member of 
     Congress . . . I fuss with them, and they fuss back. We're 
     like family here and we're extremely close.'' It is 
     obvious that her customers consider her to be a part of 
     the family as well. They bought her a television so she 
     could keep up with her favorite soaps; former Congressman 
     Pat Roberts, now a Senator from Kansas, also gave Helen a 
     new chair because he was concerned about her health; Amory 
     Houghton of the 31st Congressional District of New York, 
     commissioned the neon sign that proudly announces 
     ``Helen's Cafe.'' ``They worry about me to much,'' Helen 
     says modestly.
       In fact, when she was hospitalized a few years ago with a 
     heart attack, she received dozens of get-well cards and 
     bouquets of flowers. She is convinced that the Members really 
     missed her sandwiches. ``I'm pretty heavy-handed with my 
     sandwiches,'' Helen admits, referring to the generous size of 
     her culinary creations.
       Working in the cloak room over six decades, Helen has 
     witnessed much of the nation's history. She has a 
     photographic memory and vividly remembers events such as the 
     day in 1954 when Puerto Rican nationalists fired several 
     shots from the House Gallery and wounded five Members of 
     Congress. She has met many of the Members' spouses and 
     children, including the Society's President, Clarence Brown, 
     when his father served in Congress before him.
       The recent deaths of Bill Emerson and Sonny Bono 
     particularly sadden Helen. ``I remember when Bill Emerson 
     passed away,'' Helen said softly. ``It was an emotional day . 
     . . I was very close to him,'' she said of the Missouri 
     Congressman she had known since he had been a House Page in 
     1953.
       Away from the Capitol, Helen is a proud grandparent and is 
     active in community life. Her two daughters and one son have 
     given Helen nine grandchildren and five-great-grand children. 
     A life-long resident of Washington, she has strong ties to 
     the Petworth Community where she attends the Petworth United 
     Methodist Church. For more than thirty years Helen has been 
     an active member of the Northwest Boundary Civic Association. 
     For fun, she admits with a chuckle, she occasionally visits 
     the casinos in Atlantic City, N.J.
       When the question of retirement comes up, Helen immediately 
     says ``no.'' She plans to continue working for as long as she 
     is physically able. Besides, who could make such great tuna 
     sandwiches?

     

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