[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2135-E2136]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING MARTHA DODD BUONANNO'S LIFE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 31, 2009

  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a beloved 
friend of mine and many in this body, Martha Dodd Buonanno.
  Martha Buonanno would best like to be remembered as a mother, 
grandmother, and wife. She died after a brief illness on July 6, 2009. 
Her five children, Helena, Bernard, Carolyn, Jody, and Margaret, and 17 
grandchildren surrounded their father Bernard Buonanno crying and 
laughing as they celebrated the life of this remarkable woman.
  Her love of family and children led her to volunteer for many worthy 
organizations in Rhode Island. She was a mentor in Providence public 
schools with the VIPS program; she served on the boards of the 
Providence Preservation Society and the RI Association of the Blind. 
She was proud to chair the research center at the University of 
Connecticut that had been named in honor of her father: Thomas J. Dodd.
  Martha and I became friends more than 50 years ago at Trinity College 
in Washington, DC. We shared in common that we both came from political 
families--in fact, when we first met, both of our fathers were running 
for Senate.
  But our friendship grew over many years because we had so much more 
in common: Martha loved to travel, she loved to laugh, and always, 
Martha loved Democratic politics. In fact, Martha volunteered on every 
single one of her brother, Senator Christopher Dodd's, campaigns. She 
adored all her siblings: Chris, Tom, Carolyn, Jeremy, Nick.
  Martha Dodd Buonanno had a strong connection to this House, where her 
father and her brother served. She lived and raised her family in 
Providence and was admired by our colleagues Patrick Kennedy and Jim 
Langevin, and Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse. Her roots were 
in Connecticut and Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and Congressmen John 
Larson, Joe Courtney, and Chris Murphy join me in expressing 
condolences to the Buonanno and Dodd families.
  It is a fitting tribute to Martha's life that more than 3,000 people 
attended her wake, lining the streets for more than seven hours. Her 
funeral mass was moved from her parish to another simply to be able to 
accommodate everyone. Those who came to pay their last respects to 
Martha included Vice President Biden, United States Senators, and a 
Governor; but Martha would have been equally proud to know that 
children that she tutored, neighbors from her block, and friends from 
growing up joined that day. As I know well, when Martha made a friend, 
she stayed friends with them forever.
  Although Martha was always a sparkling personality, she became even 
more so when she met Bernie. Their love, and their children and 
grandchildren, are her lasting legacy.
  I hope it is a consolation to her family that all of her classmates 
at Trinity College loved her for more than 50 years, and will miss her.
  I am honored to place in the Record the extraordinary eulogy of her 
beloved brother, Senator Chris Dodd, which captures her spirit and 
honors her life.

                 A Tribute to my Fabulous Sister Martha

                        (By Christopher J. Dodd)

       Before sharing some brief comments about my sister Martha, 
     I want to observe that anything I say will only pale in 
     comparison to the incredible comments of Martha and Bernie's 
     children, and the outpouring of love and friendship that over 
     3,000 people shared for over 7 hours at last evening's wake.
       It was obviously a great tribute to Martha--but it is also 
     a great tribute to all who waited for hours to say good by to 
     this bright, shining lady.
       Now, let me begin with the obvious: My sister Martha is one 
     fabulous gal!
       And so we gather today to celebrate the life of a 
     spectacular wife, a devoted mother, an over-the-top 
     grandmother, a trusted fiend, a tireless community activist, 
     a political confidant, an amazing spark plug of a woman, and 
     the best sister a sibling could ever hope to have.
       When most people lose loved ones, they instinctively wish 
     they could have had just a little more time with them. The 
     Dodds and the Buonannos were lucky enough to be with Martha 
     constantly in the last days of her life.
       And those last days were beautiful. Even as I say these 
     words, they sound so inherently contradictory.
       Yet for a little more than a week, my sister insisted on 
     spending time alone with each of her five children and their 
     spouses, each of her 17 grandchildren, each of her five 
     siblings, as many of her close friends as were available, 
     and, of course, Bernie.
       How many of us have lost someone without ever having a 
     chance to say goodbye, or the chance to tell them how much 
     they meant to us?
       Martha left us with remarkable dignity, grace, and courage. 
     She had the incredible gift of deep, deep faith. She was 
     truly at peace.
       And even though Martha has left us, we remain brightly lit 
     by the incandescent life she led. Frankly, as sad as we are 
     today, it's hard not to be overwhelmed with joy and love when 
     we think about a life filled with such vitality and vigor, 
     curiosity and compassion.
       Martha was a few years older than me. At least, that was 
     the case until about twenty years ago. I was always the 
     younger brother until one night at the Dunes Club in 
     Narragansett, when she introduced me as her older, white-
     haired brother.
       But, for most of our lives, she made for one heck of a big 
     sister.
       I learned early how special my sister Martha was.
       One summer afternoon, decades ago, we were about to head 
     off for a family vacation. Our bags were packed, the station 
     wagon was full, and all of us were itching to get out of 
     town--but Martha's 8th-grade championship softball game was 
     running late. So we all waited together and watched.
       In the bottom of the ninth, with the bases loaded and her 
     team behind, my sister Martha hit a grand slam home run to 
     win the game and the championship.
       As I sat next to her on that car trip for our family 
     vacation, I was filled with the kind of awe you only feel 
     when you're a fourth-grader with the requisite dreams of 
     being a sports hero and you've just watched your twelve-year-
     old sister win the big game.
       Every time I drive by that softball field in West Hartford, 
     Connecticut, I can't help but think back to the day I 
     officially, and forever after was dazzled by my big sister.
       Nothing Martha ever did was shy or tentative. When she was 
     just a toddler, during World War II, she once devoured our 
     entire family's monthly ration of butter. And when our father 
     wrote home from Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945, he always made 
     sure to ask how ``Miss Butter'' was doing.
       Over the years, Martha never lost her love of a good meal, 
     but the most important part of any meal, any occasion for 
     that matter, was always the company with which she enjoyed 
     it.
       If Martha were your dinner partner, you never had a better 
     or more enjoyable time in your life. She was that much fun.
       Like most people with a vibrant spirit and a contagious 
     personality, she made a lot of friends in her life.
       If you asked her, she'd tell you that our sister Carolyn 
     was her best friend in the world. Martha had a lot of great 
     friends, because when she made friends, she kept them 
     forever.
       I.want to acknowledge the presence of several of my Senate 
     colleagues who were with us last evening and today.
       Speaker Nancy Pelosi is here with us today. She and Martha 
     became friends in college, and have been close ever since.
       I have never known two people who were better friends to 
     their friends than my sister Martha and her friend Nancy 
     D'Alesandro Pelosi.
       I want to also thank my good friend, and a Martha Dodd 
     Buonanno fan, Vice President, Joe Biden, for making the 
     effort to be with us yesterday.
       Here also with us today are friends from high school, 
     friends from college, friends she made during her 45 years in 
     Rhode Island, and friends she accumulated at every stop along 
     the way.
       Martha was fiercely loyal and compulsively competitive.
       She was a natural politico. She was involved and present in 
     every part of every campaign I ever ran for Congress or the 
     United States Senate. She was my unflinching advocate, my 
     unyielding supporter.
       And when I ran for President--a very brief run, you may 
     recall--she showed up all over South Carolina, Iowa, and New 
     Hampshire--and anywhere else there was a debate or forum or 
     town hall meeting.
       No matter where we were, she put the hard sell on anyone 
     she encountered.
       Even as her health was failing last week, she promised me 
     that she would tear into any opponents I might have from 
     wherever she was.
       And in light of my present political circumstances, I told 
     her there'd be no lack of opportunity to use her talents.
       However, along with Martha's loyalty came the requirement 
     that you stay true to yourself. So, she had no problem 
     calling me anytime to tell me in no uncertain terms when I 
     was screwing up.
       Once, she called me and practically jumped through the 
     phone. ``Why did you vote with Jesse Helms?'' she asked.
       I asked her, ``Well, what issue are you talking about?''
       ``I don't care WHAT the issue is! I just can't believe you 
     voted with Jesse Helms!''
       It is important to point out that Martha could be non 
     partisan in her outrage. She had a similar outburst once when 
     I voted with my friend Bella Abzug!
       When she was in her last days in the hospital in Boston, I 
     received a very kind phone call from President Barack Obama, 
     who was concerned about her failing health and wanted me to 
     pass along his and the First Lady's thoughts and prayers.
       After the call, I walked back into Martha's hospital room, 
     and said in the presence of her family that I had just 
     received a very important phone call--but I didn't want to be 
     a name-dropper.

[[Page E2136]]

       Martha opened one of her blue eyes, and said in a voice we 
     could all appreciate, ``Oh, go right ahead and drop the 
     name.''
       When I told her who had called, and what the message was, 
     she opened the other blue eye, laughed, and said, ``You know, 
     you shoulda beaten that guy.''
       I told President Obama that story when he called from Italy 
     on Tuesday to express his condolences. The President roared 
     with laughter at Martha's reaction.
       Martha and Bernie have been such a magical couple--which, 
     of course, doesn't mean they always had the same tastes. 
     Which may have had something to do with the magic.
       Martha, as you all know, loved to travel, which you'd 
     expect of someone with such an adventurous spirit.
       Her favorite spot was the Dominican Republic, but there 
     wasn't anywhere in the world she wouldn't explore.
       For Bernie, on the other hand, as Martha loved to say, 
     ``foreign travel'' meant going from Providence to Westerly. 
     And a trip to see the Red Sox, the Celtics, or the Patriots 
     was a voyage on par with space travel.
       So, as all of you know, Martha would travel on occasion by 
     herself--to India, to Ireland, to Mexico and Europe.
       On one occasion, she became fascinated with the Lewis and 
     Clark expedition, and decided to follow their trail west--
     with a group of complete strangers. Or, at least, they were 
     complete strangers when they started out.
       It didn't take long for them to become lifelong friends, 
     one of whom is here with us today.
       Even with all the energy she devoted to campaigning and to 
     the many, many efforts she made in this community, Martha 
     would always say, ``My sole ambition is my family.''
       In one of those wonderful, quiet moments last week, when 
     she knew the end was near, she said to me, ``My ambition has 
     always been my family, and I have fulfilled every ambition.''
       Martha and Bernie have been remarkable parents, and the 
     proof exists in their children. They are all frighteningly 
     bright. They are all remarkably successful. They are all 
     unbelievably well-balanced. And those were their mother's 
     descriptions when she was being modest.
       Now, children can be gifted intellectually and athletically 
     just by winning the genetic lottery--but when children grow 
     up with decency, kindness, and humanity, you know that's a 
     direct result of great parenting.
       These five young men and women are the mirror reflection of 
     their parents. And nothing, absolutely nothing, gave my 
     sister Martha greater satisfaction than their goodness.
       Together, these five children are raising 17 terrific 
     children of their own.
       When our parents passed away, Martha was the magnet that 
     kept us all in the same orbit. As we all know, once our 
     parents have passed, it can be hard to get the family 
     together.
       That didn't happen with us, because we all knew that if 
     there was a holiday, there was going to be a get-together at 
     Martha's house.
       There was going to be good food, and a lot of it.
       And there was going to be a lot of laughter, raucous 
     debate, conversation, and the sheer joy of each other's 
     company.
       Her favorite holidays, by far, were Christmas Eve, the 
     Fourth of July, and Thanksgiving.
       In fact, she never let anything get in the way of bringing 
     her family, including her siblings, closer together--not even 
     the law.
       Now, what I'm about to tell you could never happen in my 
     State of Connecticut. Martha once started building a 
     structure on their property in Narragansett which, as far as 
     the local zoning commission knew, was a tool shed.
       She managed to avoid suspicion, even when the tool shed 
     started to get way too big to be plausibly intended for just 
     tools.
       Martha got even more brazen with time, as the tool shed 
     acquired extra rooms.
       And, really, the jig should have been up when she added 
     plumbing to that tool shed.
       But Martha was nothing if not bold, and she got away with 
     building that guest house for our sister Carolyn to stay in 
     when she'd come and visit. Once it was clear that the zoning 
     commission was not about to mess with Martha Dodd Buonanno, 
     she even put up a sign calling it ``Aunt Kitty's Cottage.''
       Martha was so proud of our brother Tom's years at 
     Georgetown, and his time as our ambassador in Costa Rica and 
     Uruguay.
       She never ceased in her amazement of her best friend, my 
     sister Carolyn's achievements reviving American Montessori, 
     and her forty years of teaching.
       The photos chronicling the growth of her wonderful family, 
     taken by our brother Jeremy, which hang in their home, 
     reflect Martha's respect, admiration, and love of her 
     brother.
       And the tales, travels, and exploits of our brother Nick 
     kept her, in Martha's words, laughing and breathless for 
     years.
       I already miss my charismatic, funny, lively, beautiful 
     sister.
       But she touched so many people so deeply that I don't think 
     she'll ever really be gone. I'm going to see her in the faces 
     of her children and grandchildren.
       I'm going to hear her voice whenever I'm on the campaign 
     trail or casting a vote in the Senate--particularly when she 
     would disagree with me.
       And I'm going to feel her presence every time we celebrate 
     a holiday, every time we share a meal, every time I drive by 
     that softball field in West Hartford and remember just how 
     incredible it was to grow up with Martha.
       Since moments like this never give you a chance to express 
     all of your emotions, let me just say, on behalf of all of 
     us, thank you, Martha, for everything.
       All of us love you, all of us miss you, and all of us were 
     so lucky to be touched by your generous spirit.

                          ____________________