[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 68 (Thursday, May 17, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E832]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO THE LATE TIMOTHY SECHRIST

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 16, 2001

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I note the 
passing of Timothy Sechrist, formerly my Press Secretary and Senior 
Legislative Aide, who died of a heart attack in Los Angeles this past 
weekend (May 13, 2001).
  In addition to working on my staff, Tim also worked for Congressman 
Doug Applegate (OH 1984-94); and the Honorable Ron DeLugo (PR). He also 
served on the staffs of the Honorable Bart Stupak and the Honorable 
Marcy Kaptur and did some committee work.
  Tim was from the old school, a different era, when the institution of 
Congress was perhaps a little bit smaller, a little bit more collegial, 
a little more productive. I think he sought to capture that quality in 
all that he did.
  As a new Member, who was still learning how to get around the 
Capitol, I found Tim's guidance indispensable. He knew everything from 
how to advance briefings with the President at the White House and 
legislative meetings, to how to further a complicated parliamentary 
maneuver on the floor. Tim was a walking reference of the rules and 
procedures of the House, a mentor to staff, a tutor to Members.
  As a long-time staff member on the Hill, Tim lived and breathed this 
institution. To walk around the Capitol with Tim was to be steeped in 
the history and lore of the place. One could not help but feel a sense 
of reverence, and even a little intimidation at the shoes one must fill 
coming to this great institution. He could make history come alive by 
describing the origin of a bullet hole in the Senate Chambers, and the 
story behind the portraits on the walls.
  A gifted raconteur, Tim entertained us with legends about larger-
than-life Members who have graced the Chambers and walked the Capitol 
grounds. Listening to Tim, one got the sense that this is the people's 
House, and it belongs to each of us who live in this wonderful country. 
We are temporary stewards with a mission that is almost sacred--the 
preservation of our democratic institutions.
  Tim was a wonderful writer, turning out copy that was to the point 
and incisive. As a staff member handling appropriations and selected 
legislation, he was indefatigable, demanding nothing less than working 
to his highest potential, and seeking to bring the institution and his 
colleagues to increasingly greater heights of achievement.
  Tim brought a confident and professional bearing to his work. And 
yet, lurking in all that seriousness was a man with a great sense of 
humor, who was not above playing a practical joke or laughing with his 
friends and colleagues at a particularly amusing story. It was 
wonderful to all of us to see that side of him, to counterbalance his 
seriousness and sense of purpose. It is from those happy times that we 
know Tim as a kind and humane man, one who was liked and loved by his 
friends and colleagues.
  A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and a native of 
California, Tim loved government. He was a public servant in the 
humblest and best manner. He genuinely liked what he did, and you got 
the sense that there really was no other calling he would prefer.
  Even when Tim left the Hill, it was to work in a position advocating 
for transit for the disabled. He never tired of working for the 
betterment of society, forgoing many lucrative opportunities that would 
have embraced him had he chosen such a path.
  In summary, Mr. Speaker, Tim left the institution a better place for 
his having been here. Many Members and colleagues on Capitol Hill 
mourned his abrupt passing, and have recalled the friendship they 
enjoyed with him.
  He is survived by his wife, Connie Jillett, his father, and two 
brothers.
  There is nothing so fitting for--Tim, as a man who loved this 
institution dearly, that we salute him on the floor of the House of 
Representatives. He will be missed. And so we say, ``God Bless, we 
cherish your memory and your good works.''

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