[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 73 (Thursday, May 24, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5604-S5605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RETIREMENT OF NANCY BRIANI

  Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a member of my 
staff, Nancy Briani, who will be retiring from the Senate at the end of 
this month. She will be sorely missed by me and all who have had the 
opportunity to work with her.
  Nancy began her career in the Senate 25 years ago when she joined the 
staff of Senator Jim Pearson of Kansas as a receptionist.
  Following Senator Pearson's retirement in 1978, Nancy became office 
manager for his successor--Senator Nancy Landon Kassebaum. From the 
setting up of that freshman Senator's office to closing down operations 
and turning in the keys 18 years later, Nancy was there and remains a 
very close friend of Senator Kassebaum.
  She has approached her job as office manager in a diligent and 
methodical fashion. She recognizes that well-organized support 
functions are a critical foundation in the hectic and fast-paced 
environment of a Senate office. Nancy has consistently brought to her 
work a

[[Page S5605]]

quiet, but firm, determination to see that things are done properly. 
She stayed, as we were taught many years ago, until it was done right.
  During her tenure in the Senate, Nancy helped guide her coworkers 
through the transition from 3-color carbon sets to the computer age, 
and she is a good manager of computers. It fell upon her to determine 
how to file the ``yellows'' in a post-carbon era and how to assure that 
documents were not ``lost in space'' due to haphazard filing and 
forgotten file names.
  Her proofreading skills are not limited to catching typos. Rather, 
she brings to bear the full force of her early experience and training 
as a teacher. One of the most well thumbed cards in her Rolodex is that 
of the Grammarphone--a grammar hotline operated by Frostburg State 
Universtity--to make sure our material goes out correctly. After all, a 
Senator ought to know how to punctuate correspondence.
  Shortly after my election to the Senate in 1996, I had the good 
fortune of bringing Nancy onto my staff after Nancy Kassebaum retired. 
Her years of experience and her solid professionalism proved invaluable 
to me in putting together my office here in Washington.
  Her effective management of the day-to-day operations of my office 
has made a real difference in my ability to serve the people of 
Alabama.
  The work that Nancy has done in her 25 years of service in the Senate 
does not produce headlines in the newspaper or segments on TV talk 
shows. Indeed, this is the first time in her 25 years that she has come 
on to the floor of the Senate Chamber. Young staff members get to do 
that if they are working on legislation, but she has been doing her job 
managing the work product in our office.

  In fact, the best mark of success for an office manager is that the 
smooth operation of an office is taken for granted. In that, Nancy has 
excelled.
  The truth is that Nancy lives by the greatest American virtues. She 
is directly honest, she is exceedingly diligent in her work, always 
taking care to ensure that things are completed and done right. I have 
greatly admired her frugality, a trait that has fallen from favor but 
which is much needed today. She watches every penny of the taxpayers' 
money in a way I greatly admire.

  In a host of ways, Nancy has lived by these great American values and 
has taught them to hundreds of young people who have worked with her as 
interns and young staffers over the years. Such richness of 
contribution simply cannot be replaced.
  As Nancy leaves the Senate to start a new chapter in her life, she 
can take great pride and satisfaction in the accomplishments she has 
made and the respect she has earned.
  Just today, staff people from all over this Senate were in our office 
expressing their admiration for her as she had a reception this 
afternoon. I am grateful for her efforts and the dedication as a member 
of my staff. I wish her and her husband, Vince, who retired a few years 
ago after a career with NASA--he was with NASA during the glory days of 
the space age--I wish Nancy and her husband, Vince, all the best in 
their future years. We look forward to seeing you both on a regular 
basis and thank you again for the great contributions you have made to 
the success of our office and to the people of the United States.

                          ____________________