[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S2989]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RETIREMENT OF CAROLE GEAGLEY

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, at the end of March, 2005, Carole Geagley 
is retiring from the U.S. Senate, and I rise today to pay her tribute.
  Carole began her Capitol Hill career in 1977 when she began working 
for the Joint Economic Committee, where she rose to the position of 
personal assistant to the executive director. Before that Carole was 
the office manager at the law firm of Seltzer and Suskird, from 1971 to 
1977.
  In 1990 she joined the Senate Appropriations Committee staff. At 
first Carole worked for the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, and Related Agencies. She then made the move to Labor, 
Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies. As the 
Senate majority changed over the years she worked for both Senator 
Harkin and myself, helping manage the seamless transition between 
chairmanships for more than 15 years. As office administrator Carole 
has toiled behind the scenes to efficiently prepare many hearings this 
subcommittee has conducted. She has done everything from letters of 
invitation to witnesses, preparing background information for hearing 
books, creating data tables, and maintaining Member requests from 
Members of the Senate. For the professionalism of her work, she will be 
missed.
  Yet it is for Carole's many other attributes that we will miss her 
the most. The youngest of four siblings, Carole's cheerful disposition, 
effervescent personality, and her famous cakes have made her the Perle 
Mesta of the Appropriations Committee. Her cakes and pies are so well 
known that Tom Harkin, who is quite the chef himself, has asked for her 
recipes--especially her Coca-Cola cake. It should also be noted that 
her award-winning cheesecake is featured at a well-known restaurant in 
her home State of Maryland.
  Carole has many other talents as well. She and her husband, Ron, are 
championship bridge players and have played in many national 
tournaments. In fact, that is how she met Ron, at a bridge tournament 
in 1975. They were married in 1977 and raised a beautiful daughter, 
Lori. They are now blessed with three grandchildren who we can all hope 
will inherit their grandmother's knack at cooking. My best wishes to 
Carole and her family on this occasion of her retirement.
  Mr. HARKIN. I join my colleague in thanking Carole Geagley for her 
service to the U.S. Senate and wishing her well as she embarks in a new 
phase of her life.
  Carole is an institution on the Appropriations Committee and not one 
that will soon be forgotten. She spent the longest period of her 
Appropriations life assisting the group of offices that staff call 
``the Bullpen,'' a crowded space in the Hart Building that holds 
anywhere from five to seven subcommittee staffs. With different bills 
moving at different paces through the Senate, that area is often the 
locus for much activity, and Carole managed those interactions with a 
calm demeanor.
  In that capacity, Carole came into contact with many Senators and 
many Senate offices. She is a storehouse of institutional knowledge, 
which she imparted to younger staffers when perspective and history 
needed to be their guides. And just as importantly, she fed them. Every 
staff birthday was celebrated with a Carole Geagley creation. One thing 
is certain: Appropriations Committee staff will never eat as well as 
they did when they worked with Carole.
  I know that Carole will treat retirement with the same gusto with 
which she performed her various duties in the Senate. So today we 
congratulate Carole. We thank her for her longtime service to this 
institution and we wish the whole Geagley family the best.

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