[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 53 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2333-S2334]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN PRAISE OF THELMA STUBBS SMITH

  Mr. KAUFMAN. Madam President, I rise once again to speak about one of 
our Nation's great Federal employees.
  We have just returned to Washington, and I know we have a long and 
busy work period ahead in the Senate. All of us will be relying on our 
staff--especially our schedulers and personal assistants--to keep us 
abreast of the latest vote schedules and meetings with constituents and 
colleagues.
  I cannot overstate how much those of us in positions of leadership 
depend on the hard work and expertise of those who keep us organized 
and ever-prepared. This is not just true for me and my colleagues in 
the Senate but also for Members of the House, Cabinet Secretaries, 
agency heads, and other senior officials.
  That is why I have chosen to honor as this week's great Federal 
employee a woman whose long career did so much to help keep our Nation 
safe during the Cold War.
  Thelma Stubbs Smith served for over 40 years in the Defense 
Department as a personal assistant.
  She worked for seven consecutive Secretaries of Defense--both 
Republican and Democratic. Before that, Thelma served under six 
Assistant Secretaries in the Department.
  A native of Chicago, Thelma began her public service career during 
World War II, when she worked for the Selective Service System and the 
Office of Price Administration. After the war, she worked as a 
secretary at the Veterans Administration before coming to Washington to 
work for the Pentagon's Guided Missiles Committee.
  Thelma briefly served on the staff of Illinois Congressman Melvin 
Price in 1952, but she soon returned to the Pentagon.
  In the 1950s and 1960s, Thelma served as the personal assistant to 
six Assistant Secretaries of Defense, including William Bundy, John 
McNaughton, and Paul Nitze. During this time, she began accompanying 
them on what would later total 85 trips overseas during her career. As 
part of her duties during that period, she worked closely with 
Secretary Robert McNamara.
  One of the most harrowing moments in her life came on the 13th day of 
the

[[Page S2334]]

Cuban Missile Crisis. Thelma spent that evening personally burning 
important cables and notes in a small office at the Pentagon, as they 
were too sensitive to be shredded with other papers. When she finally 
left after midnight, she was one of the few Americans who knew just how 
precarious the situation was, and she could not say with certainty 
whether the Pentagon would be there the next morning.
  But, thankfully, that morning came.
  In 1969, when Melvin Laird was confirmed as Secretary of Defense, he 
asked Thelma to serve as his personal assistant. She agreed to do so on 
a temporary basis.
  I know personally how a ``temporary basis'' can evolve into a life's 
pursuit. When Joe Biden asked me to help him set up his Senate office 
in 1972, I took a 1-year leave of absence from my job with the DuPont 
Company, and I ended up staying with Joe Biden for 22 years.
  In that way, Thelma began her service as the personal assistant to 
every Secretary of Defense from Melvin Laird to Frank Carlucci.
  During the course of her service, Thelma visited every corner of the 
world. She was awarded 10 Meritorious Civilian Service Medals and the 
Secretary of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service, which is 
the highest medal a civilian employee of the Pentagon can earn.
  A paragon of professionalism and discretion, Thelma always answered 
those who urged her to write a book by saying that ``It would be 500 
blank pages, and the title would be `My Lips are Sealed.' ''
  All of us who serve in positions of leadership with enormous 
responsibility to the American people owe so much to great organizers 
and assistants like Thelma.
  I know firsthand how Thelma's dedication to public service was passed 
on to her family. Her daughter, Sheryl Rogers, and son-in-law, Geoff 
Rogers, have lived in my home State of Delaware for over 20 years, and 
both were Federal employees as staffers here in the Senate.
  Sheryl used to work in the office of former Virginia Senator John 
Warner, and Geoff spent a few years in then-Senator Joe Biden's office, 
back when I was chief of staff.
  Thelma, now retired, resides in Northern Virginia, not far from the 
Pentagon, where she served for so many years.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in honoring the great contribution 
Thelma Stubbs Smith has made to our Nation as well as thanking all 
those who serve as personal assistants in the Defense Department and 
across our government.
  They are all truly great Federal employees.
  I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. CORKER. I ask unanimous consent that the order for the quorum 
call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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