[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 61 (Thursday, April 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E646]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO JANET ELIZABETH THIESSEN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. RICK LARSEN

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 17, 2008

  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute 
to a woman who spent more than 20 years working for the people of the 
2nd District of Washington State. Janet Elizabeth Thiessen, who passed 
away last month at the age of 78, was at the side of former Congressman 
Al Swift, throughout the years he represented the 2nd District from 
1978 until 1995.
  Ms. Thiessen's service to the 2nd District didn't begin with Rep. 
Swift; she first worked for his predecessor, Congressman Lloyd Meeds, 
as a caseworker in the district office and later as a member of his DC 
staff.
  After graduating from Western Washington State College, Ms. Thiessen 
started out her career as a teacher. When she and her husband moved to 
Skagit County, she turned her attention to raising sons Kyle and Scott 
and volunteering in the community. One of her volunteer projects she 
was most proud of was helping to bring childcare to migrant families in 
Skagit County so children wouldn't have to be in the fields while their 
parents were in the fields picking fruit and vegetables. It was during 
her years as a volunteer for the local Democratic Party that she met 
Lloyd Meeds. Her volunteer efforts for Rep. Meeds led to a job helping 
his constituents, first in the district office and then in Washington. 
DC. Ms. Thiessen and Swift both worked for Rep. Meeds and when Swift 
was elected, she became office manager and ultimately his Chief of 
Staff.
  Ms. Thiessen was respected and admired by all who worked in the 
office. She set high standards and expected top-quality work from all 
staff in the Swift office. Her hand was in nearly every issue that 
Swift worked on throughout his tenure in Congress, from his Motor Voter 
bill, which eventually became law, to the various projects that he 
sponsored around the 2nd District, such as the 88th Street Interchange 
on I-5 and the return of passenger rail service between Seattle and 
Vancouver, BC. She knew the issues, she knew the district, and she made 
sure everything ran smoothly for Rep. Swift and his legislative staff.
  Her writing and grammatical skills were the envy of the entire 
office. I've been told that both she and Rep. Swift were terrific 
editors, but her eagle eyes would rarely let a misspelled word or typo 
slip by in any of the correspondence that went out of the office. 
Outside of the office, her ability to work a crossword or any type of 
word puzzle was legendary!
  She was one of the first to arrive in the office each day and usually 
the last to leave at night. She took young staffers under her wing and 
often pushed them to better themselves in their careers--whether that 
meant going back to school or taking another job. Many of Swift's 
former staffers whom Ms. Thiessen helped nurture have gone on to become 
state legislators, CEOs, judges, attorneys, public affairs officers, 
top congressional staff, archivists, and teachers. I am fortunate that 
my own district director for many years worked with and was mentored by 
Ms. Thiessen.
  Janet Thiessen was an independent woman who made her way in a world 
that was, at that time, often dominated by men. She rose from an unpaid 
volunteer to the Chief of Staff for a veteran congressman, all on her 
own. Her intellect, political skills, loyalty, sense of humor and 
kindness served her well in her career on Capitol Hill and in life. She 
will be greatly missed.

                          ____________________