[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 145 (Tuesday, November 12, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10839-S10840]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  IN MEMORY OF FRANCES HUMPHREY HOWARD

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Madam President, last month our extended Senate 
family suffered a great loss with the passing of Frances Humphrey 
Howard. I know her brother, our former colleague from Minnesota, Hubert 
Humphrey, would appreciate this body recognizing the important role she 
played.
  Frances Howard was always a trend setter. When few women went to 
college, she graduated with a master's degree. She worked for Eleanor 
Roosevelt. She was a foreign service officer for the State Department 
at a time when mostly men were in the foreign service. She worked for 
the National Institutes of Health as a liaison officer, developing 
programs for medical libraries. She sat on the board of several 
companies involved with the arts and social activism. And when her 
colleagues retired at 65, Frances worked until she was 85.
  Senator Humphrey adored his younger sister, and for good reason. He 
would not have been the warrior he was without his chief supporter, 
chief confidant, and chief campaigner. All of the important bills 
Senator Humphrey sponsored on civil rights, on Medicare, on the Peace 
Corps, and on the Food Stamp program were influenced by her concern for 
minorities, the elderly, the sick, and the hungry. She was a great 
advocate for laws that make a real difference in the lives of the 
neediest in this country.
  Frances' role was behind the scenes, but today, instead of always 
quitting her good job to help Senator Humphrey in his campaigns, she'd 
have run herself--and won. If Hubert were here we

[[Page S10840]]

might be listening to all the stories, but they can be summed up in one 
sentence: During her sixty years as an activist in Washington, Frances 
Humphrey Howard truly made a difference.
  I know all of my colleagues, and especially our spouses, will miss 
Frances. My wife, Peatsy, joins me in extending our gratitude for her 
untiring efforts and our deepest sympathy to her children, Anne and 
William, and to the entire Humphrey family.

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