[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 79 (Monday, June 2, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1097-E1098]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               EXPRESSING APPRECIATION TO SAMANTHA BENTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 2, 2003

  Mr. WALDEN of Oregon. Mr. Speaker, colleagues, I rise today to convey 
my deepest appreciation to a member of my Washington, D.C. staff for 
her dedicated service to the people of Oregon's Second Congressional 
District. Samantha Benton left my staff last week to join the United 
States Department of the Treasury. I wish her well in this endeavor and 
am confident that she will excel in her new role.
  Samantha was raised in my hometown of Hood River, Oregon, growing up 
on a family-owned orchard along the Columbia River Gorge. Her parents, 
John and Julie Benton, are well-respected members of the Hood River 
community and personal friends of mine. Samantha brought her ``small 
town values'' from rural Oregon to our nation's capital and to the job 
she performed assisting Oregonians visiting Washington, D.C. or seeking 
help from my office. She attended Westside Elementary School and Hood 
River Middle School before graduating from Hood River Valley High 
School in 1997. She then went on to attend the University of Puget 
Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where she studied history and was active 
as Vice President of Program Development for the University's Zeta 
chapter of Alpha Phi. Samantha's interest in politics was apparent 
during her college years, when she worked as an intern in two 
Congressional offices. Samantha worked as an intern in my Washington, 
D.C. office during the summer of 1999, then worked in Congresswoman 
Jennifer Dunn's Mercer Island District Office in 2000.
  After her graduation in 2001, I was pleased to offer Samantha a 
permanent position on my staff. From the beginning of her tenure, she 
made Oregonians feel at home when they walked through the door of 1404 
Longworth by offering them a warm and sincere reception. She faithfully 
attended to every detail in helping families navigate the sights and 
sounds of Washington, D.C. Time and again, she brought history to life 
by leading tours of the Capitol for Oregonians who had come nearly 
3,000 miles so that they and their children could better understand the 
federal government and our nation's extraordinary history. Samantha 
arranged their itineraries, answered their questions, and went the 
extra mile every time to make them feel comfortable an entire continent 
away from their homes. In short, Mr.

[[Page E1098]]

Speaker, Samantha made their day and their trip.
  I have a sizable stack of letters from Oregonians who took the time 
to write after their trip to Washington, D.C., to thank me for 
Samantha's assistance and her dogged determination to make sure their 
experience was memorable.
  Mr. Speaker, Samantha's energetic and helpful demeanor was equally 
appreciated by her coworkers. She was attentive in recognizing when 
something needed to be done, taking the initiative to complete projects 
and lend others a helping hand. Whether she was drafting letters to 
address a constituent's concerns or keeping the information on my web 
site up to date, Samantha's contributions were always appreciated and 
on target. During her time in my office, she took a staff assistant 
role and developed it into something much more.
  Samantha's attitude and intellect will serve her well as she 
continues her public service at the Department of the Treasury. Mr. 
Speaker, she will be a difficult person to replace. Sam, thank you for 
a job well done and good luck in the future.

                          ____________________