[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 133 (Tuesday, September 6, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Page S5250]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO JANICE MITCHELL

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize the service of my 
staff member Janice Rankin Mitchell of Madison, MS, on the occasion of 
her retirement following a long and distinguished career with the U.S. 
Senate as a constituent service representative.
  Janice joined the staff of U.S. Senator John C. Stennis on January 
15, 1978. She joined my staff in January 1985 following Senator 
Stennis's retirement.
  Janice's tenure as a Senate employee has been historic. Janice 
Mitchell is one of the longest serving staff members in Senate history 
and the only African-American woman to have worked for two Senators 
from Mississippi.
  Janice has been a steady and effective presence in my Jackson, MS, 
field office, where she has directly served Mississippians in need of 
help with Medicare, Medicaid, and the Social Security Administration.
  Janice is compassionate, caring, and proficient. She has exceeded her 
duty to help Mississippians navigate Federal programs and receive the 
benefits to which they are entitled. During her tenure in the Senate, 
Janice has managed nearly 5,000 constituent cases, more than 3,000 of 
which have been resolved favorably.
  One constituent, Mr. Buddy Cooper of Florence, MS, wrote to me about 
Janice's work on his behalf. He described her as ``the person who 
reached out her hand and led us from darkness to light . . . who went 
from being a friend to part of the family.''
  Beyond her service to the Senate, Janice's involvement in her 
community and church reflect her commitment to serve others. Janice is 
a faithful and devoted member of Cade Chapel Missionary Baptist Church. 
She has served in many ministries there, including the choir and the 
Sunday school, where she is currently in charge of all classes for 
teenagers.
  Janice and her husband of 37 years, Johnny Mitchell, have two 
children, Jonathan and Jasmine, and a granddaughter, Ja'Lena, by 
Jonathan, and his wife, Santina. Janice's parents, the late Reverend 
and Mrs. Nelvis Rankin, Sr., would be proud of their ``baby daughter.''
  Retirement will be the end of Janice's 38-year career with the Senate 
but will mark the beginning of many new opportunities for her and her 
family. Janice looks forward to travelling and spending time with her 
family in her favorite role as ``Granny.''
  From myself and all of those who have worked with Janice, we say 
thank you for your years of service to Mississippi and the United 
States.

                          ____________________