[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 21 (Monday, February 4, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S830]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO KATHLEEN GARDNER CRAVEDI

  Mr. WYDEN. Mr. President, today I recognize the distinguished career 
of Kathleen Gardner Cravedi, who is retiring after 41 years of 
dedicated Federal service and for whose public service we should all be 
grateful.
  As somebody who started his career in public service as the co-
director of the Oregon Grey Panthers, I appreciate the work of 
individuals who are committed to improving conditions for older 
Americans. Kathy began her career in public service on Capitol Hill 
working on exactly those issues. As a Member of the U.S. House of 
Representatives, I had the benefit of working with Kathy when she was 
staff director for the Subcommittee on Health and Long-term Care of the 
U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Aging. Working under 
her chairman, the late-great Congressman Claude Pepper, Kathy helped 
pass legislation ending mandatory retirement and providing hospice care 
under Medicare. She worked on fighting elder abuse, health fraud, and 
she worked on the first congressional hearing ever on Alzheimer's 
disease.
  She helped to establish the National Center for Biotechnology 
Information and National Institute on Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and 
Skin Diseases and the National Institute on Deafness and Other 
Communication Disorders.
  Following her service in Congress, Kathy continued her healthcare 
advocacy by directing a nationwide campaign to bring citizens from all 
50 States to Washington, DC, to testify before Congress and talk with 
the First Lady on the need for healthcare reform.
  In 1996, Kathy moved over to the National Library of Medicine, or 
NLM, which is the world's largest biomedical library and a key resource 
for some of the most exciting medical science out there. Serving as 
NLM's first public liaison, she worked hard connecting NLM's work with 
the public, spearheading campaigns that drew huge attention in the 
United States and abroad. She brought in lawmakers and celebrities and 
athletes and scientists to promote the organization's mission.
  Over 23 years at NLM, Kathy steadily moved up the ranks, and she is 
now retiring as the director of the Office of Communications and Public 
Liaison. Her career at NLM has been key to connecting the American 
public with the astounding work this organization does.
  Forty-one successful years in public service is a tremendous 
accomplishment. So I want to thank Kathy for all her many years of hard 
work, and I want to congratulate her on her well-earned retirement.

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