[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S10710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RETIREMENT OF MARGO CONNOR

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize Margo Connor, who 
has retired after 33 years of service to the Senate community. During 
the past three decades, Margo Connor has assisted in providing catering 
for Senate functions on Capitol Hill. In a fast-paced environment with 
a high turnover rate, she remained dedicated and personal, with a keen 
ability to establish close relationships.
  Margo spent 17 years in the special functions office for the former 
Dirksen Senate Dining Room. She compiled menus and prepared the former 
Senate Dining Room for functions. Meeting and interacting with many 
different people were her favorite aspects of her service; she was on a 
first-name basis with former Senators such as David Pryor, Thomas 
Eagleton, Gary Hart, and Jennings Randolph. Margo's commitment to 
providing a pleasant, comfortable, and professional environment for 
Senate functions resulted in close friendships. Senator Randolph would 
often call her at home, making requests for a special bread with nuts 
on it. After returning from their honeymoon, Senator Joe Biden and his 
wife shared their pictures with her. Instead of calling it the Senate 
Dining Room, Senator Pryor referred to the Senate Dining Room as simply 
``Margo's Room.''
  After working in the Senate Dining Room, Margo took a position in the 
accounting office processing bids for the Senate Restaurant. Several 
years later, she moved to the Capitol Senator's Dining Room where she 
was a hostess. After working as a hostess, she worked in the Senate 
catering office, where she has been for the last 13 years.
  In her years on Capitol Hill, Margo has seen a great variety of 
events. She hosted functions with the NFL, the Dalai Lama, and a number 
of other notable people. Among others, she met Paul Newman, whose 
suitcase she watched in the kitchen as he spoke at an event. During 
annual events at Union Station commemorating Columbus Day, Dr. David R. 
Curfman, president of the National Columbus Celebration Association, 
told her that she was the only one who understood what he needed.
  Margo will miss the people she works with, whom she considers to be 
like family. In turn, I know she will be missed greatly by those who 
have had the opportunity to know and work with her. In fact, Margo has 
been such a presence in the Senate, and has befriended so many over the 
years, that it is difficult to express how much she will be missed. I 
am pleased to join the entire Senate community in thanking Margo for 
her years of service and wishing her a happy retirement.

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