[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 76 (Thursday, May 24, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3621-S3622]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING DENISE ADDISON

  Mr. NELSON of Nebraska. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the life 
of one of my long-time aides, Denise Addison, who was a devoted public 
servant and cherished friend. Sadly, Denise lost her long battle with 
cancer on May 12, 2012.
  Denise first came to my office back in 2001. While I was just 
starting my Senate career that year, she was already an experienced 
veteran, having worked in Congress for 25 years.
  Although Denise was not a native of Nebraska, having grown up right 
here in our Nation's capital, she found something special in our great 
State and adopted it as her own. In 1998, she began working with former 
Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel, later transitioning to the office of 
then-Senator Bob Kerrey, whose staff members were so impressed by 
Denise's performance that they strongly recommended she be one of my 
first hires.
  Denise's work with my constituent services team was impeccable. She 
was well aware of how important my constituents are to me and, as such, 
took great pride in her work. Her amazing memory and attention to 
detail made her a valuable staff member, and her complete satisfaction 
with her daily work made her irreplaceable. In this town, it is rare to 
find someone who possesses all of the qualities Denise brought to my 
staff, including loyalty, dedication, and genuine fulfillment.
  Yet that was the kind of person Denise was--both at work and in her 
personal life. Even more remarkable than her tenure in the Senate was 
her commitment to her family--her husband Carl, whom she affectionately 
called ``Mr. A;'' her three children, Al, Dominique, and Jasmine; her 
parents; her five brothers; and her cousins, who were always more like 
sisters to her.
  When Denise and I first started working together, her youngest 
daughter, Jasmine, was just starting kindergarten. Today, she is almost 
through high school. Denise was incredibly proud of her children and 
always put the needs of her family before all else.
  Although the last 2 years of Denise's life were definitely a struggle 
for her, she never complained. Instead, she remained, as always, more 
concerned for those around her than for herself. I do not think she 
ever fully recognized what an immense impact she had on all those who 
knew her.
  While Denise was taken from us far too soon, there is solace in 
knowing

[[Page S3622]]

she confronted her illness by continuing to be the same kind, caring 
person she had always been, living life to the fullest right up to the 
end. Denise Addison was truly one of a kind, beloved and missed by 
everyone who had the pleasure of being her friend.
  Thank you, Denise, for who you were and for all you did for me, for 
my staff, and, most important, for the State of Nebraska. The ``good 
life'' will not be quite the same without you.

                          ____________________