[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 55 (Wednesday, April 21, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S4064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             BILL McSWEENY

 Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, since coming to Washington, Marcelle 
and I have had an opportunity to meet very special people who have 
become special friends. Among those are Bill and Dorothy McSweeny.
  A great regret I had was having to miss Bill's surprise 70th birthday 
party recently, but it showed the genius of Dorothy that she was able 
to keep it a secret. That so many turned out shows a great respect for 
this multi-faceted man--people across the political spectrum and 
including some of the best representatives of arts and entertainment. 
It definitely reflected all of his background.
  I would ask unanimous consent that an article in Monday, March 15th 
Washington Post be included in the Record at this point.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Post, Mar. 15, 1999]

A Full-Blown Surprise for Bill McSweeny's Birthday, 70 Candles and 200 
                                Friends

                          (By Roxanne Roberts)

       Some men think birthdays are depressing. Some think getting 
     older is preferable to the alternative, but nonetheless 
     annoying. Then there are the few, the happy few, who think 
     each birthday is a passport to wonderful new opportunities.
       ``The great thing about being 70 is that you get to kiss 
     all the beautiful ladies,'' said. Bill McSweeny with only a 
     slightly wicked grin. ``When you're 70, you don't look 
     dangerous. Little do they know.''
       The local businessman, arts advocate and community leader 
     was the guest of honor at a surprise party Friday night at 
     Ford's Theatre. What started out as a small gathering for 
     family ballooned into a celebration with more than 200 
     friends and longtime fans. Everyone was sworn to not drop a 
     single, solitary hint--and judging by the look at McSweeny's 
     face when he walked into the theater, they succeeded.
       ``Who said people couldn't keep secrets in Washington?'' 
     said his wife, Dorothy.
       This was no small feat, considering the guest list included 
     the likes of Mayor Anthony Williams, former mayor Marion 
     Barry, Education Secretary Richard Riley, Dorothy Height, 
     Veterans Affairs Secretary Togo West, comedian Mark Russell, 
     WJLA anchor Paul Berry, talk show host Diane Rehm, NASA 
     administrator Dan Goldin, media moguls Arnaud de Borchgrave 
     and Phil Merrill, and former FBI director Bill Sessions. The 
     crowd was full of prominent Washingtonians--LaSalle Leffall, 
     John Hechinger, Esther Coopersmith, Marshall Coyne, Peggy 
     Cafritz and Frankie Hewitt, to name a few--a testament to 
     McSweeny's lifelong involvement with his adopted home town.
       ``I met him more than 40 years ago and we've been friends 
     ever since,'' said Height, the president emerita of the 
     National Council of Negro Women. ``He's so genuine. And in 
     addition to everything else, he's lots of fun.''
       ``When you think about people who have done something for 
     the community, you think about Bill,'' said Leffall. ``He's 
     always been there.''
       McSweeny, former president of Occidental International, has 
     spent most of his life trying to make Washington a better 
     place to live. He was crucial in reopening Ford's Theatre and 
     has served on the boards of the Kennedy Center, Folger 
     Shakespeare Theatre and Helen Hayes Awards. He's been a 
     longtime advocate for the D.C. schools, housing and inner-
     city youth, and a key fundraiser for the Lombardi Cancer 
     Center and other charities.
       ``Bill is a real inspiration for this city,'' Williams 
     said. ``I think he's a real role model for every American 
     citizen to contribute to Washington, D.C.''
       ``I think Bill McSweeny is one of God's special people on 
     Earth,'' said Cora Masters Barry.
       They like him. They really, really like him. So his wife 
     and friends wanted to do something special for his 70th 
     birthday this month.
       Problem was that the birthday boy already had decided how 
     he was going to celebrate. McSweeny made a deal with his wife 
     to bring their four children and grandchildren down to Mexico 
     for two weeks. The official birthday is March 31, and he 
     planned to scuba-dive and have a nice, low-key party on the 
     beach.
       So, naturally, his wife of more than three decades decided 
     that a huge bash was exactly what he needed.
       Dorothy McSweeny proceeded to issue invitations, juggle a 
     thousand details, lie sweetly when her husband walked in on 
     telephone conversations and lure her unsuspecting spouse 
     to the theater with the help of pals Leon and Lynn Fuerth. 
     It was natural to go to Ford's, where McSweeny--a longtime 
     member of the board--thought he was going to see 
     ``Eleanor: An American Love Story,'' a musical based on 
     the marriage of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt.
       The hardest part for the guests was remembering not to 
     blurt out something stupid in advance: ``When you see someone 
     an awful lot, it's hard not to let the cat out of the bag,'' 
     said Victor Shargai, who serves with McSweeny at the Kennedy 
     Center and Hayes awards.
       The surprise worked, it seems, because the party took place 
     two weeks before his actual birth date. McSweeny walked in, 
     did a double take and slapped hand to forehead as his friends 
     sang a ragged rendition of ``Happy Birthday.'' There was much 
     hugging and kissing. Everyone looked terribly pleased, 
     probably because the surprise was not on them.
       ``I love surprise parties--for others,'' said Leon Fuerth.
       ``I want to choose the people who come to my birthday 
     party,'' said Diane Rehm.
       ``It's about control,'' Rehm's husband, John, said 
     knowingly.
       Luckily, McSweeny is one of those rare creatures who like 
     surprise parties. ``I think it's the most wonderful way of 
     all,'' he said. ``You don't have to worry about anything. 
     It's a very emotional thing to walk in and see all your 
     friends.''
       In this case, he also got to see ``Eleanor''--any 
     resemblance to the current first lady is strictly 
     coincidental: Then the party moved downstairs to the Lincoln 
     Museum, where there were more hugs and kisses, a telegram 
     from Vice President Gore, a medal from the VA's West and a 
     presentation and testimonial by NASA's Goldin.
       ``He helps people,'' Goldin said of McSweeny. ``In addition 
     to knowing people, he helps people.''
       The menu consisted of McSweeny's favorite foods: hot dogs, 
     Boston baked beans, corn pudding and Black Forest cake. 
     McSweeny was having such a good time he kept inviting 
     everybody to his 100th birthday party.
       No wonder they like him: This is an optimist, count-your-
     blessings, look-to-the-future kind of guy. ``Hey, Bill!'' 
     shouted Mark Russell. ``Seven more years and you'll be old 
     enough to be an astronaut!''
       Meanwhile, there are plenty of ladies to kiss.

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