[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7865-S7866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO MARY JANE SMALL

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the work of the Senate would be impossible 
were it not for the talents and tireless efforts of our staffs. These 
are the men and women who serve behind the scenes, with few 
expectations of reward save for the opportunity to make a difference.
  I would like to take a moment to acknowledge a member of my staff who 
has worked for me on behalf of the people of West Virginia for 25 
years. Mary Jane Small joined my staff on August 1, 1977. I was 
Majority Leader at the time.

[[Page S7866]]

  She came to my office with 6 years of Capitol Hill experience, having 
worked for Congressman Ed Jones of Tennessee and then-Congresswoman 
Barbara Mikulski from Mary Jane's own home town of Baltimore, MD.
  Over the years, Mary Jane Small has worked in my legislative 
department, providing a much-valued link between my Washington office 
and the people of West Virginia. There have been a lot of changes in 
how Senators correspond with constituents since the time Mary Jane 
started working for me.
  Back in 1977, no one had heard of e-mail. We did not have fax 
machines. Mary Jane joined my staff before we had computers. She was 
with me in the days when we produced letters the old-fashioned way--on 
typewriters--which must seem archaic to the younger generation of 
Capitol Hill staff.
  But despite the lack of telecommunications and high-tech gadgetry, 
our staffs produced quantity and quality. I am proud to count Mary Jane 
as one of those staff members who has been with me through so much 
change. And though times are different, she still shines with the 
enthusiasm and drive that she had when she first joined my staff.
  The work of Senators will be recorded in history. Our names, our 
speeches, our legislative accomplishments will have been printed in 
newspaper articles and in the Congressional Record. But most of the men 
and women who have toiled on our staffs will never get any public 
notice of their devoted service to their fellow citizens. Twenty-five 
years of Senate service is certainly deserving of recognition.
  I thank Mary Jane for her dedication to the people of the State of 
West Virginia and for the work she has done for our country. And I look 
forward to the next 25 years with her.

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