[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 159 (Tuesday, December 13, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E2505]]


                  PAYING TRIBUTE TO MARSHA McELLIGOTT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MAURICE D. HINCHEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 13, 2005

  Mr. HINCHEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a dear 
member of my staff, Marsha McElligott, who will soon retire after 
nearly 31 years of service to the House of Representatives. I have been 
fortunate enough to work with Marsha since I was sworn into office in 
January of 1993, but that was not the beginning of her congressional 
career. In fact, nearly her entire working life has been devoted to 
public service.
  After graduating from the Katharine Gibbs School, she went to work 
for my predecessor in representing this district, Congressman Matthew 
McHugh. She served as his assistant in the Ithaca city prosecutor's 
office, in the Tompkins County District Attorney's office and then in 
his private law practice. When Matt was elected to Congress in 1974, 
she joined him as a caseworker on his staff and stayed through his 
retirement in 1992. I am very grateful to have inherited her service 
when I was elected in 1993.
  Most of the people in Ithaca, where she's worked for all 31 years, 
would be surprised to learn that she's never lived in the congressional 
district. Rather, she's lived all of her life in Watkins Glen, in a 
neighboring county. It's remarkable for the fact that her knowledge of 
the communities of this congressional district is so deep and her work 
has always been so seamless that I think most of my constituents would 
assume that she had, in fact, been an Ithaca native.
  Her service is also unusual in that she has devoted so many years to 
two members of Congress, Matt McHugh and myself. While we undoubtedly 
have different styles and have run our congressional offices in 
different manners, Marsha never missed a beat when she came to work for 
me, and I doubt that constituents who had received her help ever 
noticed any transition. They only noticed how very well served they 
were in her hands.
  A congressional career that spans more than 30 years has become very 
rare, and I fear that there are few Marsha McElligotts left in 
congressional employment, staff members who are so deeply, personally 
dedicated to serving the public, serving the Members for whom they 
work, and upholding the very best goals and ideals of this institution.
  I've always said that being a caseworker is the hardest job in a 
congressional office--it's demanding, it's stressful, and it requires 
infinite patience and persistence. It takes a very special person to do 
that job well and for such a long time. I can think of no finer 
embodiment of these qualities than Marsha McElligott. She has true 
respect for the role of Congress and for the difference that an 
individual Member can make in the lives of his or her constituents by 
providing access to the halls of government.
  Like many of our longest-serving and most dedicated staff, Marsha has 
been relatively anonymous. Constituents may remember for decades the 
name of the Member of Congress who helped them earn their citizenship, 
or get their veterans' benefits, or solve a problem with the IRS, but 
they probably won't remember the name of the staff member who helped 
them.
  That anonymity is a testament to how deeply dedicated to the greater 
good that Marsha, and staffers like her, truly are. I offer it as a 
compliment. Some people who work in a public service position for a 
long time come to be known for their own personalities and their own 
political careers. For Marsha, her devotion has been to Congressman 
McHugh and me and to the people of the congressional district. She has 
been utterly selfless, subsuming her own opinions to be instead the 
voice of the members of Congress she has served and working always for 
the good of our constituents, not her own personal gain. Because she is 
always the picture of discretion, she has the unfailing trust of our 
constituents, my staff and me.
  There are thousands of people in the congressional district I 
represent--immigrants and new citizens, college students, veterans, 
people with disabilities, young, old, rich and poor--whose lives have 
been bettered by the efforts of Marsha McElligott. Marsha's a very 
modest person, but I believe there's no exaggeration in saying that 
she's made a difference in the future of our nation, because of her 
particular devotion to two areas of her work: bringing new citizens 
into our country and helping to select the finest leaders of our armed 
forces.
  For hundreds of refugees, visa applicants, or those needing help with 
the naturalization process, Marsha's patience and compassion has meant 
the difference between hope and despair, success and failure, united or 
divided families. The long and exhausting process these special cases 
require have proven no match for Marsha's limitless diligence and 
desire to serve those in need of help. Many of these cases were 
presented by people who didn't speak English or didn't know our 
customs, people who were scared and intimidated. She made a good 
introduction to these people of what America was all about, and what 
American government means in the lives of individuals. People who were 
frightened by the immigration process when they came to our offices 
were reassured by her direct personal contact, her no-nonsense attitude 
and the confidence she inspired that she'd sort out whatever sort of 
bureaucratic mess they were in. A generation of immigrants to the 
Finger Lakes region from all over the world became citizens because of 
her.
  Hundreds of young men and women seeking appointments to the nation's 
military academies also have Marsha to thank for their entry into these 
elite institutions. Marsha's ability to coach these future leaders of 
our armed forces successfully through the nomination process is worthy 
of great admiration and praise.
  I could go on and on about her professional accomplishments, but I 
want to close by saying what she has meant to me personally. She has 
been a pleasure to know and to work with, and I've relied on her wisdom 
and experience in these 13 years more times than I can count. Day in 
and day out, she has regularly, faithfully and loyally provided the 
very best service any Member of Congress could hope for, for more than 
three decades. I congratulate her as she prepares for this new chapter 
of her life and know that her husband David, their children and 
families look forward to spending more time with her.

                          ____________________