[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 165 (Thursday, November 5, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1603]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BETTY GRAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 5, 2015

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Betty Gray, a 
loyal public servant and a key staff member on the House Armed Services 
Committee. Betty has served in Congress for 40 years--a benchmark only 
the most dedicated public servants achieve.
  Betty typifies what it means to be a public servant, a colleague, a 
friend and, most importantly, a mother and wife. Anyone who has had the 
opportunity to meet Betty quickly understands that the most important 
thing to her is her family. Her husband, Dick, and two children, Zach 
and Cal, are at the center of her life.
  We all fear the day Betty decides to retire. While no one is 
irreplaceable, some people come very close. Betty is one of those 
people. Her institutional knowledge and administrative skill set are 
unrivaled. After 40 years of service, Betty has accumulated a wealth of 
knowledge and depth of understanding about the Armed Services Committee 
and Congress that cannot be replaced. When she retires, a part of 
Congress will retire with her.
  Betty is a true professional. Ask anyone who has worked with her 
about the quality of her service and the response is unequivocal: Betty 
has always been the quiet, consistent presence on the committee--the 
person who is never rattled, regardless of how chaotic or stressful 
things become. She is always here to remind us of what has been tried 
before and whether it did or did not work.
  An eagle-eye editor of letters and memoranda, Betty is literally the 
person who makes sure that we ``cross our T's and dot our I's.'' Not 
only is she the person with the clipboard checking off staff at Member 
meetings, she is the person who assures that the Members know the who, 
what, where, when, why, and how of the meeting. Throw five conflicting 
times and dates at her, and Betty can make calm out of schedule chaos. 
As security administrator for classified information, Betty literally 
handles our deepest, darkest secrets. For 37 years, she has shepherded 
every National Defense Authorization Act through committee markup, 
ensured every roll-call vote is tallied correctly, and served as the 
committee's unofficial historian.
  On a more personal level, Betty is the librarian of the House Armed 
Services Committee, the school counselor, the motherly presence who 
remembers everyone's birthdays and, on occasions, even the school 
nurse. She is the go-to person to get things done and the one who lends 
a helping hand or a listening ear.
  Betty has out-lasted eight Speakers of the House, seven Presidents, 
and ten House Armed Services Chairmen. Speaking as someone who has been 
here for a while, I understand the difficulty of achieving that level 
of longevity. We are here today to celebrate all that Betty has done 
for her country and for Congress, and to thank her for her service. You 
are a true public servant, Betty. Thank you.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to recognize Betty Gray for her 
distinguished career. I am confident that others will continue to 
benefit from her service.

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