[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 45 (Thursday, March 20, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S4161]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF DOROTHY SHANNON

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, a precious friend of mine and of 
progressive causes passed away earlier this week. Dorothy Shannon died 
early on the morning of Wednesday, March 19, 2003. She was 85.
  Dorothy was one of the dearest friends anyone could have. She was a 
fiercely loyal Democrat who was a long-time, prominent fixture in the 
Wisconsin political scene when I first ran for public office over 20 
years ago. As it was to so many candidates, Dorothy's support, and that 
of her husband Ted, was crucial to me in that first campaign, and they 
have been staunch supporters and advisors ever since.
  Growing up in a union household in Toledo, OH, during the Great 
Depression, Dorothy's activism came naturally to her. She came out of 
the Roosevelt Democratic tradition, and it stayed with her. She would 
remind me to ``be a Democrat, like Franklin Delano Roosevelt.''
  After her serving in the Navy during World War II, she earned her 
masters in early childhood education at Yale, where she met and married 
Ted. They moved to Madison in 1950 and had lived there ever since.
  As Dorothy told national columnist John Nichols, it did not take her 
and Ted long to get involved in Democratic politics. She recalled how 
one day, when they were living in university housing, a young fellow 
named Bill Proxmire knocked on their door, and asked them to sign up to 
join the Wisconsin Democratic Party. Ted and Dorothy joined Bill 
Proxmire and a few other hardy souls, that included such future 
notables as Carl Thompson, Jim and Ruth Doyle, and Gaylord Nelson. They 
formed the core of what was to become the modern Wisconsin Democratic 
Party. Ted and Dorothy helped put Bill Proxmire and Gaylord Nelson in 
the U.S. Senate, as they helped me over three decades later.
  Long before I ran for the U.S. Senate, though, Ted and Dorothy helped 
me win in my first race, for the Wisconsin State Senate, and they were 
at every event I ever had for the next 20 years. No matter what the 
weather, no matter what their health was, they were always there, 
always encouraging me.
  Dorothy's commitment to progressive causes inspired many, and in the 
early 1980s, Democrats in Dane County made her their cochair, along 
with a friend of hers, Jim and Ruth Doyle's son. This past January, 20 
years later, Dorothy attended the inauguration of the Doyles' son, Jim 
Doyle, as Governor of Wisconsin.
  As was noted in her obituary, Dorothy chaired the Mondale-Ferraro 
Presidential campaign in Dane County, and she was credited with helping 
to organize the largest public rally in support of the Democratic 
ticket that year.
  I was at that rally. I remember it well. Everyone who was there will 
remember it for the rest of their lives. It was a remarkable outpouring 
of energy, idealism, and hope for the future, and as such it was the 
perfect embodiment of Dorothy's qualities.
  John Nichols reported that last August, at an antiwar rally and march 
in Madison, Dorothy was seated in the middle of the crowd. He noted 
that ``when the crowd prepared to parade off to Vilas Park, several 
folks said goodbye to the white-haired activist. `Goodbye?' asked 
Shannon. `Oh, no, I'm ready to march.' '' As Nichols wrote, ``Dorothy 
Shannon was always ready to march. And rally. And campaign.''
  No matter what the progressive cause or issue, Dorothy was there. She 
was steadfast in her commitment, and it extended well beyond party 
politics. She served on the Middleton Plan Commission, and was active 
in the League of Women Voters, the University League, and Friends of 
Pheasant Branch.
  It is still hard for me to fully grasp Dorothy's passing. I have 
known Ted and Dorothy Shannon for half of my life. And that is how we 
all thought of them. Ted and Dorothy. We always said their two names as 
one word. If you wanted to mention just one of them, it took a little 
effort. It slowed up the conversation.
  Now, Dorothy is gone, and conversations will be slowed all around 
Wisconsin.
  I offer my deepest condolences to Ted and his family. I will always 
remember Dorothy, my dear friend, and cherished supporter.

                          ____________________