[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 34 (Tuesday, February 23, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     REMEMBERING JANE ANNE BOORMAN

 Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I would like to pay tribute to 
Ms. Jane Anne Boorman, a native South Dakotan and dedicated public 
servant, who passed away in December. Jane was deeply respected among 
her peers and beyond, having earned a superb reputation with her hard 
work and integrity. Jane was active and well-known in South Dakota 
Republican Party politics, and she was a thought-leader and friend, who 
no doubt helped inspire countless leaders and support important efforts 
throughout our great State. I extend my deep condolences and prayers to 
the Boorman family.
  The following is Jane's obituary honoring the life of this great 
South Dakotan.
  The material follows:

       Jane Anne Boorman (1932 to 2020), a retired federal 
     employee, Congressional aide, and newspaper editor died on 
     December 11, 2020, at Arbor Place Retirement Home in 
     Rockville, Maryland. She was 88.
       Jane was born in Lemmon, South Dakota to Anne Sutton 
     Boorman and Lloyd Bruce (LB) Boorman. She graduated from 
     Lemmon High School and Marquette University.
       Jane's life straddled South Dakota and Washington, DC. Born 
     and raised on the high plains in Lemmon, South Dakota, Jane 
     embodied the flinty independence of its early settlers. She 
     was hard to know and always pushed for perfection, but once 
     you were in her life you had a steadfast, loyal, and loving 
     friend.
       In Lemmon, Jane was editor and held other roles at the 
     Lemmon Leader--the family-owned newspaper--where she worked 
     until 1973. She also was named co-editor for ``Dakota 
     Panorama''--an history of South Dakota published by the South 
     Dakota Territory Centennial observance in 1961.
       Jane's passion for Republican party politics started early 
     in her life. She was selected Outstanding Young Republican 
     Woman in South Dakota and represented South Dakota as the 
     state's Young Republican National Committee woman in 1961. In 
     1963 she was elected Vice Chairman of the National Young 
     Republican Federation.
       In 1973, she moved from Lemmon to Washington, D.C. to be a 
     Press Secretary for then Congressman James Abdnor when he was 
     elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She followed 
     Abdnor to the U.S. Senate in 1981 as the Senator's personal 
     secretary. As the Washington Post noted in 1986, Jane was 
     ``the embodiment of that Hill legend--the furiously devoted 
     personal secretary, a combination mother, wife and watchdog, 
     protecting as she sees best the beloved senator behind the 
     door.''
       Boorman joined the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) 
     in 1987 as Director of Communications after President Ronald 
     Reagan appointed Abdnor as Administrator of the SBA. During 
     her 28 years at the Agency, Jane held various positions 
     including managing the agency's relationship with SCORE and 
     coordinating activities when international delegations 
     visited the SBA. She retired from the SBA in 2015.
       In Washington, she made her home at Riverside Condominium 
     for 48 years and was active on the condo board, Southwest 
     Neighborhood Assembly, and was a long-time organist at Fort 
     Leslie J. McNair, and at St. Dominic Catholic Church.
       Although she lived in Washington DC, Jane maintained a 
     strong foothold in South Dakota through memberships in the 
     S.D. Newspaper Association, the S.D. Historical Society, and 
     in championing growth for her hometown of Lemmon. She was 
     also a lifetime member of the Society of Professional 
     Journalists.
       She is survived by her brother Bruce Boorman, Santee, 
     California, and numerous nieces and nephews. Jane was 
     preceded in her death by her parents and a sister, Katherine 
     Becker, Hartford, Wisconsin.
       In remembrance of Jane Boorman's life, the family asks that 
     any charitable donations be made to WETA, Jane's favorite 
     classical music station or to Jewish Social Service Agency 
     (JSSA), her amazing hospice care team.
       Memorial services will be held in Washington, D.C. and 
     Lemmon, S.D after the pandemic threat has diminished.

                          ____________________