[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 43 (Thursday, March 17, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S1582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO DON HOOPER

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I want to take a moment to recognize Don 
Hooper, a great Vermonter who is soon to retire from the National 
Wildlife Federation.
  Don is a great environmental conservationist whose advice I have 
sought for at least 20 years on issues affecting Vermont, the United 
States, and indeed the planet. For 17 years, Don has helped lead the 
National Wildlife Federation, NWF, in Vermont and the region. He helped 
to bring the peregrine falcon back from the brink of extinction in 
Vermont and to restore our State's breeding population of bald eagles. 
Beyond Vermont, he advocated for piping plovers, wolves, Atlantic 
salmon, and more. Don helped the NWF become one of the first 
organizations to sound the alarm about the accelerating impacts of 
climate change and to pull together coalitions of environmental 
advocates, conservationists, and sportsmen and sportswomen to push for 
solutions.
  Don's public service extends beyond his conservation leadership. He 
worked hard in the mid-1990s as Vermont's Secretary of State to reduce 
barriers to the ballot box and to make government more open and 
accessible, priorities both he and I share.
  Many Vermonters also celebrate Don's 8 years representing the towns 
of Randolph, Brookfield, and Braintree in Vermont's General Assembly, 
when Don led efforts to divest pension funds from South African 
investments, helped to craft significant environmental and planning 
legislation, and achieved what would be unthinkable in most States--a 
political redistricting map that was adopted by near consensus.
  And as is the story with any great Vermonter, Don's foundation has 
been his family. Since 1974, the Hooper's Brookfield farm, worked by 
Don, his wife, Allison, and sons, Sam, Jay, and Miles, has been a 
mainstay of the community. They have sold hay, vegetables, goat's milk, 
and meat from the farm to friends and neighbors. Don helped found the 
Montpelier Farmers Market that Marcelle and I visit whenever we are 
home in the summer. With Allison in the lead and Don doing much heavy 
lifting and dishwashing, the Hoopers became cheesemakers and founded 
the Vermont Butter and Cheese Company, which has thrived for 32 years, 
employs 77 people directly, supports many more Vermont farmers, and has 
Vermont's specialty cheese industry on the international culinary map.
  On top of all of this, Don is a volunteer for the fire department and 
a member of the local Farm Bureau. It is hard to think of a more 
dedicated member of the community.
  These are just some of the layers of Don's life in Vermont. He has 
also done great work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana and in the 
leadership of national organizations. Don Hooper stands as tall as ever 
in retirement, and while this might conclude his leadership of the NWF 
in Vermont, I know it will not be the last we hear and see of this 
great Vermonter.

                          ____________________