[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 162 (Tuesday, November 16, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S14645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                    THE CAREER OF MICHAEL J. PETRINA

 Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, occasionally in Washington, an 
individual crosses our paths whose talents go beyond legal and 
government relations skills or polished representation of political and 
policy issues, and extend to an elusive higher level. At this level, we 
think of him not as a creature of the policies he advocates but as a 
person--a man of integrity and decency. Mike Petrina is such a man. 
Generous and unfailingly courteous, Mike has represented the Cosmetic, 
Toiletry, and Fragrance Association with intelligence, savvy, and 
charm. In doing his job well, he also has achieved what is often very 
difficult in this town--an excellent reputation as a genuinely nice 
guy.
  Before he joined CTFA, Mike worked as legislative counsel to the 
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association, as an attorney 
both in private practice and in community legal services, and as a 
legislative assistant to the late Representative Silvio Conte. In each 
of these capacities, his watchword was integrity and his purpose was to 
achieve the goal without compromising either his own principles or the 
credibility of his employer.
  It is clear that among the defining moments of Mike's life--those 
moments that signaled how successful he would be here in wonk universe, 
were his quiz show triumphs. If winning on Jeopardy doesn't tell us 
anything else about a person, it tells us that he will always be able 
to produce an obscure fact and that he can react instantaneously to a 
totally unexpected question or comment. Surely those two skills suited 
Mike superbly for his fruitful Washington career.
  Mike has chosen to retire early in the year 2000, when he is young 
enough to enjoy his retirement and to have a long time to do it. I wish 
him well, and want him to know that many of us here will miss him. With 
Mike and CTFA president Ed Kavanaugh, the industry made a lasting mark 
on the Utah Children's Charities through contributions of products to 
our golf tournament each August. I have been grateful for the 
contribution and, more importantly, for the spirit of good will that 
always characterized my interactions with CTFA and with Mike.
  Mike illustrated, through effective use of his talents, the sense of 
humor that always tided him over the tough moments, and his gentle 
approach to people, what the poet and artist J. Stone once said: ``the 
most visible creators I know of are those artists whose medium is life 
itself . . . They neither paint nor sculpt--their medium is being. 
Whatever their presence touches has increased life.''
  I am sure I speak for all those who worked with Mike in thanking him 
for all he did here to make our work together so pleasant and 
productive. I wish Mike Petrina a long and enjoyable retirement, and 
urge him to remember always the words of Robert Browning: ``The best is 
yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made.''

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