[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF EVE BUTLER-GEE, HOUSE JOURNAL CLERK, ON HER RETIREMENT FROM 
                               THE HOUSE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2003

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I want to call to the attention of the House 
the impending retirement of Eve Butler-Gee, the Journal Clerk of the 
House, who is a resident of the 10th District of Virginia. According to 
research by the Congressional Research Service of the Library of 
Congress, Eve is the first woman Journal Clerk in the history of the 
U.S. House of Representatives.
  She began her professional career in the House in her early 20's. She 
went on to work for a charitable foundation in the middle of her 
working life, then returned to the House in 1987 as the Minority 
Enrolling Clerk of the House, appointed by then Minority Leader Bob 
Michel of Illinois. She served in that position for eight years, before 
her appointment in 1997 as Chief Journal Clerk.
  Eve and three assistant clerks are responsible for keeping the 
Journal of the House proceedings at the rostrum on the House floor. As 
you know, Mr. Speaker, the House Journal is the official record of the 
parliamentary proceedings of the House and is mandated to be kept 
pursuant to Article 1, Section 5, of the United States Constitution. 
The first order of business of each day, following the prayer by the 
House chaplain, is the vote on the Chair's approval of the Journal of 
the last day's proceedings.
  The Journal Clerk's office also publishes the Journal of each session 
of Congress for use as a reference for the House parliamentarians, 
Members of Congress, regional libraries, state governments and the 
general public. During Eve's tenure, the publication of the House 
Journal has been brought up-to-date and publication procedures 
modernized.
  During her time at the House rostrum, Eve has been a witness to 
history as the House voted on the Gulf War resolution and a 
presidential impeachment, authorized the use of force in Iraq, and 
grieved a gunman's killing of two U.S. Capitol Police officers. She was 
also in the Capitol when it was evacuated during the terrorist attacks 
of September 11, 2001, and like all offices on Capitol Hill, she had to 
deal with concerns raised by an anthrax attack.
  Both Eve and her husband, Tom Gee, are active in the Episcopal 
Church. Eve serves on the Vestry and as head verger at the Church of 
the Holy Comforter in Vienna, Virginia, while Tom is director of lay 
liturgists. After her retirement, Eve plans to be a volunteer verger at 
the Washington National Cathedral. She also looks forward to spending 
her retirement years traveling, pursuing interests in writing and 
community theater, and enjoying the company of her family, including 
her daughter and son-in-law, Lora and John Williams, and grandson, 
Evan, welcoming a new grandchild expected in December.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire House--members and staff--we 
express our deep gratitude to Eve for her public service career and 
wish her the best in her retirement.

                          ____________________