[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 29, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11132-S11133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




JON BROSCIOUS: A WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT AFTER A CAREER OF LOOKING AFTER 
                        AMTRAK'S GREATEST ASSETS

 Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, after this week, someone very 
special will be missing from my morning commute from Wilmington. Jon 
Broscious, one of the Amtrak conductors who has been riding the trains 
with me for the past 25 years, is beginning a well-earned retirement. 
The mornings will not be the same without him.
  Jon is one of those individuals--like so many of the conductors, 
baggage handlers, flagmen, and attendants I

[[Page S11133]]

have known who have worked so hard to maintain Amtrak's excellent 
reputation as an efficient and user-friendly service--who takes a great 
deal of pride in his work, making the care and comfort of his 
passengers always his first priority. These are men and women who have 
long understood that Amtrak's greatest assets are neither its miles of 
track nor its extensive rolling stock, but the good will of the 
thousands of Americans who depend upon rail transportation to get to 
work, to visit their loved ones, and to expand their horizons. For many 
years, Jon Broscious has earned the good will of countless passengers, 
some of whom--like myself--see him every day, and others for whom his 
conscientious service is their one and only contact with America's rail 
system. He has treated each and every one--whether in club car or in 
coach--as a first-class passenger. His example is one which all of us 
would do well to follow.
  During the twenty-five years that I have been sharing my mornings 
with Jon, we have learned a great deal about one another's lives and 
families. He has heard all about my children as they grew up, began to 
face the challenges of adulthood, embarked on their own careers, and 
gave me the joy of being a grandfather. And I shared Jon's pride as his 
son passed the bar and set up his practice in Virginia; anguished with 
him throughout his son's battle with cancer; and shared his joy when 
the disease was finally conquered. I'll never forget the time that Jon 
and his whole family, including his grandchildren, visited with me in 
my office here in Washington. Though it was my first meeting with many 
of them, I felt like I knew each one well because Jon had spoken of 
them so often.
  Jon and his family have a great many plans for his well-deserved 
retirement. He has earned the comfort and happiness that he brought to 
so many others over the years. Along with his colleagues and the many 
others who ride the trains each morning, I wish him all the best.
  But the mornings will never be the same. I'll miss you, Jon.

                          ____________________