[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 38 (Thursday, March 30, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S2597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KAY LEBOWITZ

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a 
remarkable woman in Bangor, ME, the city I am proud to call home.
  Her name is Katherine Lebowitz, but her friends call her Kay. And she 
has lots of friends: the citizens of Maine she represented so well in 
the State legislature, the residents of Bangor she served as mayor, the 
countless people who benefit from her tireless volunteer work for 
educational, cultural, and charitable causes.
  Also among her close circle of friends are the more than 260,000 
members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have passed through Bangor 
International Airport during the last 3 years of conflict. Whether 
Bangor is their last stop before going overseas or the first American 
soil they touch on the way home, Kay Lebowitz and the wonderful Bangor 
Troop Greeters are there. Nearly 1,500 military flights have landed in 
Bangor since 2003, and the Troop Greeters have met every one day or 
night with cookies, homemade fudge, cell phones to call loved ones back 
home, cheers of gratitude, and hearty handshakes.
  At the age of 90 soon to be 91 Kay has arthritis that prevents her 
from shaking hands, so she hugs. She hugs until her arms ache, but 
there is a hug for everyone. To the returning troops, she says, 
``Welcome home.'' To those headed out, it is ``See you on the way 
back.'' And she will.
  Today K-I-S-S radio in Bangor is holding a roast in honor of Kay 
Lebowitz. This event will include the ceremonial ``retirement'' of a 
pair of her trademark eyeglasses very stylish eyeglasses into the Troop 
Greeters Hall of Fame at Bangor International Airport. This is 
precisely the kind of lighthearted gesture Kay enjoys most, and it is 
fully in keeping with her generous spirit.
  I am sure my Senate colleagues join me and all Americans in thanking 
the Bangor Troop Greeters for their extraordinary efforts in expressing 
the gratitude we all share, and in wishing the very best on this 
special day to Kay Lebowitz. She is a remarkable woman and a great 
patriot.

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