[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 207 (Wednesday, January 2, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8056-S8057]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ALISE ORLOFF

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. President, before the 115th Congress draws to a 
close, I want to recognize and thank Alise Orloff, who retired on July 
1, 2017, after serving more than 36 years as a U.S. Capitol tour guide.
  Alise is a proud Marylander and lifelong resident of Silver Spring. 
An alumna of Northwood High School, she graduated cum laude from the 
University of Maryland College Park in 1981 with a bachelor of science 
in education. While at UMCP, she was inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi 
Honor Society in recognition of her academic excellence, integrity, and 
service to the community and into Kappa Delta Pi, the international 
honor society in education.
  Between her junior and senior years in college, in 1980, Alise worked 
as a seasonal Capitol guide and was invited to return for the summer of 
1981. Although Alise received several job offers in teaching, she 
relished the opportunity she had at the Capitol to learn something new 
every day and to make a difference in the lives of visitors. On 
December 19, 1981, she became a full-time Capitol guide, first with the 
U.S. Capitol Guide Service and then, after the opening of the U.S. 
Capitol Visitor Center, with the Architect of the Capitol.
  Capitol guides are Congress's frontline representatives to the 
visiting public. To a great extent, our visiting constituents' opinions 
of us are formed by their experiences on tours. Alise is a patriotic 
American who loves the Capitol Building and treasured the privilege and 
honor of working in it to educate people about our government. As a 
professional educator, she enjoyed researching and learning about 
Congress, art, architecture, history, and the legislative process. She 
could give an accurate and diplomatic answer to any

[[Page S8057]]

visitor's question. In doing so, she hoped that we might be more 
unified as a country, love our country, and appreciate each other's 
differences. At the end of a tour, she found it gratifying when Capitol 
visitors would say, ``Thank you. I learned something new.'' Her 
colleagues especially appreciated the graciousness and poise she 
maintained while providing first-class constituent service. She was a 
role model to her peers.
  Alise's 36 years as a guide began during the 96th Congress and 
concluded during the 115th, spanning many historic events within the 
Capitol and seven Presidencies, from Jimmy Carter's to Donald Trump's. 
In addition to leading public and special tours, she worked at 
Presidential inaugurations, Congressional Gold Medal Ceremonies, Joint 
Sessions of Congress, statue and bust dedications, and lying-in-state 
ceremonies, including those of Senators Claude Pepper and Daniel K. 
Inouye. Having been at work on September 11, 2001, she was especially 
touched by the Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring the fallen 
heroes of that day. Much of her extended family was lost in the 
Holocaust, which made working at the Holocaust Days of Remembrance 
ceremonies especially meaningful for her. Another special moment 
included Speaker Tip O'Neill asking her, ``Are you a baseball fan?'' 
when she went to his office to give a tour to the Boston Red Sox. 
Likewise, the day she gave a tour to the team of NASA astronauts who 
brought Dr. Shannon Lucid back to earth was one she will never forget.
  Today I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our gratitude and 
appreciation to Alise Orloff, who inspired and educated visitors to the 
U.S. Capitol for more than 36 years. We wish her well in her new role 
as scholarship coordinator for the University of Maryland College Park 
Chapter of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

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