[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 152 (Tuesday, November 2, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S13718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO HELEN WESTBROOK

 Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments 
to recognize an outstanding individual who will soon be retiring from 
public service. Helen L. Westbrook currently works in the Office of the 
Deputy Under Secretary of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration. In December, she will complete a career that has 
spanned many years of distinguished service to our country.
  This is a special occasion for me and the Kennedy family, as Helen is 
truly one of our own. In 1955, as a Senator, my brother John F. Kennedy 
visited Chicopee, Massachusetts, and delivered an address about a 
recent visit he had made to Poland and Eastern Europe. Like many other 
young Americans of that time, Helen heard and heeded my brother's call 
to public service. She moved to Washington, D.C., and in January 1956, 
she began work as a secretary in my brother's Senate office. Following 
the 1960 election, Jack asked Helen to join his White House Staff, and 
she served as a Secretarial Assistant in the Office of the President 
until January 1963.
  Helen then decided she wanted to gain experience working overseas, 
and for the next year and a half, she served in our U.S. Embassy in 
Rome She then returned to America, and at the request of Jackie 
Kennedy, she came back to work with our family. For the next few years, 
she served as an assistant to Jackie in New York City. She watched 
Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr. grow up, and went on to marry and 
raise a family of her own.
  In 1992, Helen rejoined the Federal Government and started a career 
with NOAA. She has been a good friend to Massachusetts and has called 
for a balanced approach to fisheries management. She has been a 
skillful advocate for assistance to New England fishermen and coastal 
communities, and all of us who know her are proud of her achievements 
and her friendship.
  Helen Westbrook is a kind, thoughtful person who truly cares about 
people. She has brought professionalism, wisdom and dedication to each 
position that she has held. She is a valued and loyal friend of the 
Kennedy family.
  We don't have enough Helen Westbrooks in government and in the world. 
She is a shining example of the wonderful people who answered President 
Kennedy's call to serve their country. I'm proud of her contribution to 
public service, and I wish her well in her well-deserved 
retirement.

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