[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 10 (Wednesday, February 1, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E41-E42]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO ANN EPPARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BILL SHUSTER

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 1, 2006

  Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, on Christmas Eve, Ann Eppard, long-time 
chief of staff to Congressman Bud Shuster, passed away from 
complications from Barrett's disease. The following tribute to her by 
Bud Shuster, M.C., ret., appeared in several papers throughout 
Pennsylvania:

                        A Tribute to Ann Eppard

                   (By Congressman Bud Shuster, Ret.)

       Once upon a shining time there was a team that had a 35-
     year winning streak. I was the coach and Ann Eppard was the 
     captain of the team. Over the years we had all-star teammates 
     who became lifelong friends.
       It all began when I instructed a manager at Datel Corp. to 
     find me an executive assistant. After I nixed several who 
     didn't quite fit, he said he located an outstanding gal at 
     Computer Sciences Corporation who although only 26, was 
     managing 28 people. ``She's smart, personable, energetic, 
     knows computers and she's good-looking. I said I preferred a 
     man, and the last thing we needed was a good-looking babe to 
     distract the salesmen. Just interview her, he pleaded. 
     Reluctantly, I agreed, and she was impressive. When I asked 
     her to take a test she asked if I had taken it. When I said 
     ``no'' she smiled, ``Then I'll take it after you do.''
       ``You've got spunk. You'll do,'' I laughed. ``But I'd like 
     to talk to your boss at Computer Sciences.'' After he 
     confirmed her capabilities I asked if she had any weaknesses. 
     ``Oh yes,'' he said, `` Overload her with work or she'll 
     pester you.'' So I did. For nearly 35 years!
       When I announced for Congress, Ann volunteered along with 
     some Sigma Chi brothers. She moved into an old converted 
     smokehouse at the farm with my daughter, Peggy, and our team 
     campaigned 24/7 for several months. My wife, Patty, and I 
     went door-to-door with Ann, my daughter, Gia, and others 
     advancing us. Ann's sister, Karen, and her mother did nightly 
     polling to measure our progress. Ann helped design a superb 
     computer system to mail thousands of personalized letters on 
     the weekend before the election. Campaigning at the railroad 
     shops, she wore a red miniskirt and white boots. The guys 
     didn't pay any attention to me, and for years afterward when 
     we went through the shops they would yell, ``Hey, Annie, 
     where's your white boots?'' We surprised everyone by winning, 
     and as they say, the rest is history.
       Ann loved political combat. Once when she was deeply 
     involved in reapportionment, she had a Democratic legislator 
     make a last-minute change to the map, putting an opponent's 
     residence a few yards outside the district. The opponent 
     insisted that a Republican had changed the map, for no 
     Democrat would do that. He was wrong! Another time, when an 
     opponent's petitions were being circulated at a Democratic 
     hangout, they suddenly disappeared. On election night, a 
     Democratic leader proudly produced the purloined petitions 
     but Ann whisked him across the room to the bar before I saw 
     them.
       Ann loved the people of the District. She had Pennelec 
     relocate a light pole because an elderly lady couldn't sleep 
     with the light shining in her window.
       The story behind creating the Loysburg bypass exemplified 
     her dedication. Still in the minority, I worked for months to 
     get District projects in a transportation bill, through the 
     House, the Senate Conference. On the last day of the 
     Conference she whispered that we should put in a project to 
     build a Loysburg bypass. I said it was impossible, the 
     Conference was ending.
       ``But the people need that dangerous hairpin curve 
     eliminated,'' she pleaded. ``Get away,'' I ordered.
       ``What if I can get Chairman Howard and Senator Moynihan to 
     agree?''
       ``Don't you breathe my name to them,'' I hissed.
       ``I won't.'' She went over and whispered to Howard and 
     Moynihan. A few minutes later, Howard said, ``If Senator 
     Moynihan agrees, I'd like to add a project to replace a 
     dangerous curve in Loysburg, Pennsylvania, with a bypass.'' 
     Moynihan replied, ``Absolutely! I agree!''
       When I'm on the bypass I think, this is really the Ann 
     Eppard bypass.
       Ann may be the only person to ever hang-up on the President 
     of the United States. One day she answered my private line 
     and a voice said, ``This is Ronald Reagan. Could I please 
     speak to Bud?''
       ``Quit fooling around, Ralph,'' she slammed down the phone. 
     It rang again and the White House operator said, ``President 
     Reagan was trying to call the Congressman but got 
     disconnected. Could you please put him on?''
       When I was going through several operations at Bethesda 
     Naval Hospital to repair my broken neck, she practically took 
     over the ward, making sure I got my pain medicine on time. 
     When she discovered a lost sailor hobbling through the hall 
     pushing his I-V, searching for the X-ray lab, she chewed out 
     the attendants and got him help. ``Harrisburg: Online'' 
     recently wrote, ``She was the epitome of the self-made, 
     tough-as-nails kid from Pennsylvania's hard coal region.''
       Ann loved coming to our farm, pestering me to let her work. 
     One spring when we were going to move the cattle into the 
     barnyard, she showed up in her designer jeans and red cowgirl 
     boots. I explained to everyone that we had to walk slowly 
     behind the cattle, arms outstretched, pushing them toward the 
     barn. If one cow broke away, they all would and we would have 
     to start over. Finally we got them in. Losing her balance in 
     the mucky barnyard, she cried, ``I fell in the mud!'' My farm 
     manager replied, ``Miss Annie, that ain't mud.''
       Few knew of Ann's many charities. Father Paulko in 
     Hollidaysburg called her when a deserving family needed 
     financial help. She quietly responded.
       When troubles came, as they sometimes do in her life, her 
     grace under pressure epitomized class, as she ultimately 
     prevailed.
       When she retired, the accolades poured in. The entire 
     Pennsylvania delegation published a letter praising her as 
     ``a straight shooter whose word was trusted and advice was 
     much sought after . . . you also served as a pathfinder for 
     the now increasing number of women assuming leadership 
     positions on Capitol Hill. Your dedication . . . helped this 
     delegation achieve legislative prodigies.'' A lecturer at the 
     Library of Congress stated: ``Ann Eppard was the most 
     effective Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill.''
       Forming Ann Eppard Associates, she established a highly 
     respected lobbying firm. Congressman Jim Oberstar publicly 
     credited her efforts with helping pass the historic ``Truth 
     in Budgeting Act,'' to unlock the Highway Trust Fund.
       But above all, she loved her family, especially her two 
     darling granddaughters, Kelly and Shannon. They, need to know 
     that their ``Annie'' was a larger-than-life super-lady: 
     dedicated, smart, energetic and compassionate. Ann was devout 
     and there is little doubt that she is in God's arms. She's 
     probably telling St. Peter how to better organize the place.
       To paraphrase Shakespeare, she may have had the body of a 
     tender woman, but she had the heart of a lion. And we might 
     add, the soaring spirit of the indomitable American eagle.

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