[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 201 (Monday, November 30, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7100-S7101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO TRECIA McEVOY

  Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, as we come here this week, back to 
Washington, DC, to deal with next year's funding package and hopefully 
a COVID package, I want to step back for a second and talk about really 
what is the most important thing in this body, and that is 
relationships.
  Now, as a U.S. Senator, we have relationships with the people who 
elect us and for whom we work. Some of those relationships are 
outstanding; some may be not so outstanding. We also have relationships 
with the people who work for us, and, once again, some of those 
relationships are outstanding; some of them could use a little work.
  Today, I get to talk about somebody who is retiring from my office 
who has had an outstanding relationship with everybody in my office, 
which is a feat that not a lot of folks are able to accomplish. But she 
is retiring. She is my scheduler.
  Her name is Trecia Bickford McEvoy. I would just say that Trecia is 
not here today. Hopefully, she is watching on C-SPAN. The reason she is 
not here is because of COVID. My wife is not here today, and my wife 
dearly wanted to be here today to hear this speech in person. She is 
not here greatly in part because of COVID.
  But the bottom line is, when it comes to Trecia McEvoy--and any 
Senator knows this--the most difficult job in any office in the U.S. 
Senate is the person who schedules the Senator's time. It is tough 
enough to be able to get to the committee meetings on time and be able 
to deal with the floor schedule and make sure you are meeting with 
constituents all in a timely order, not holding anybody up. But in my 
particular case, it is even more difficult because, as the folks in 
this body know, I still farm. So getting back to Big Sandy, MT, to that 
farm 12 miles west, to be able to do the things that I need to do, 
whether it is planting, whether it is harvesting, whatever it is, in a 
timely manner is also really important.

  Not only did Trecia have to deal with my schedule here in the Senate, 
she had to deal with a very, very uncertain schedule on the farm. Let 
me give an example. I may be peeling out of here on a Thursday night 
with full intentions to plant some peas the next day. When I call my 
wife Sharla and say ``What is the weather like?'' she will say ``It is 
raining,'' to which I call back Trecia and say ``Trecia, you have to 
schedule for me for work in the State because I can't do any farming'' 
to which she would go to work and over the next 12 hours, starting at 
about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, would help schedule, working with my 
State schedule

[[Page S7101]]

and working with the staff, a full day of work the next day.
  That didn't happen once in a while. That happened almost every 
weekend because, as those of us involved in agriculture know, it either 
rains too much or not enough; the Sun either doesn't shine enough or it 
shines too much.
  The truth is, Trecia had to juggle all of those balls in the air to 
make sure that everything got done, to make sure that I was able to do 
my job as a Senator, that I was able to meet with those constituents, 
that I was able to meet with those trade groups that were out there, 
and that I was able to meet with different businesses around the State 
of Montana and then also have time enough to be able to operate the 
farm. She did it, and she did it with a smile on her face. The reason 
that is important is because sometimes those calls didn't come at 5 in 
the afternoon; sometimes those calls came at midnight Montana time, 
which, incidentally, is 2 in the morning here, and she always answered 
the phone--always--and she was always there with a solution to any 
problem I might have. It made life so much easier. That is why, when I 
hired Trecia McEvoy, it was the best hire I have ever made in my nearly 
14 years in this body.
  Trecia, when I hired her, was already a seasoned veteran. She spent 
more than 15 years scheduling for Senator Jim Jeffords before I was 
able to hire her. We asked her former colleagues in Jeffords' office to 
reminisce on their time working with Trecia. One of them was something 
that is perfectly Trecia McEvoy. The quote goes like this: Trecia was a 
fierce keeper of the gate and protector of Senator Jeffords. The staff 
didn't worry too much about Jim getting mad at us but, rather, Trecia 
getting mad at us. Whether she was protecting his time with an 
important dignitary, protecting his popcorn and his frozen yogurt 
lunches, or making sure that Jim wore his Senate softball uniform 
underneath his suit to hit the field after the vote, she never missed a 
beat.
  Coincidentally, here in the Senate, she met her husband Jeff when she 
worked in Jeffords' office. Some of you may know Jeff. He is one of the 
Senate's longest serving photographers. Jeff was an Army veteran, 
serving from 1981 to 1989. Coming to the Senate after his retirement, 
where he has been ever since, he worked his way up, holding positions 
as official photographer, lead photographer, photographic services 
supervisor, and lastly, branch manager.
  Jeff and Trecia still have--at least until the pandemic hit--lunch in 
the Dirksen cafeteria every single day. Between the two of them, they 
had two kids, Zach and Ian. It has been a privilege of my lifetime to 
watch those kids grow up, to go to an occasional hockey game--something 
that I know nothing about--and have Trecia tell me how the sport works.
  Look, it is never easy when you have somebody who sits right outside 
the door of your office--usually the first person you see when you come 
into the office, and it is usually the last person you see when you 
leave it. But Trecia was a pro. She is a pro.
  Today I should feel sad, but I don't. I actually feel very happy for 
her because she gets to retire, and she gets to move up to New 
Hampshire. I think, if she is watching in Washington, DC, right now, 
she is probably sitting on cardboard boxes full of clothes or dishes or 
whatever it might be because my guess is, as of tomorrow, she will 
probably be in New Hampshire in short order. But the truth is, she will 
be able to go up there and enjoy life and look back at her time here in 
the Senate and understand that she has done a job well done. I would 
just say that the next chapter in her life, I have no doubt, will be 
just as exciting as the last one.
  Trecia said: I remember there was a day--she told me that when she 
retires, she will look up at the dome and no longer feel a sense of 
wonder. I don't believe that is true. I think now that she is retired, 
she will look up at this dome that we all work under and think of the 
incredible stories and the incredible experiences and the incredible 
people, that she was able to enrich their lives and make life better 
for them.
  Even though, Trecia, you are going to be a shot up north in New 
Hampshire, you will always be a part of my team, Team Tester. And I 
will tell you that Sharla and my kids and my staff and I thank you for 
everything you have done. Hopefully you won't be a stranger. Hopefully 
you will come back on occasion, come into the office and tell us what 
we are doing wrong and what we are doing right, because you are the 
best.
  I yield my time.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Lankford). The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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