[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 53 (Monday, March 22, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1669-S1670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOHN GOODROW

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, all of us have been sent here by the people 
of our States to represent them. I have always felt a true measure of 
the quality of our service is reflected in the kind of people we hire 
to help us do these awesome jobs. The people in our State offices, on 
our frontlines, are critical in this effort.
  John Goodrow is one such public servant. I hired him in 1987 from his 
job at a local radio station. John brought his radio voice and Vermont 
sensibility. He has a great sense of humor and could see the 
challenges, frustrations, and occasional absurdities of everyday life 
in a Senate office. This was coupled with a determination to serve all 
Vermonters.
  On March 4 of this year, John Goodrow marked 34 years as a loyal and 
dedicated service. With deep appreciation and respect and more than a 
little bit of sadness, I recently informed my staff that John has 
decided to retire on March 31.
  At the age of 25, John came to my office scheduling appointments and 
events, and serving as my on-the-ground Vermont press secretary. He 
clipped news items in a time when they were actually cut and copied 
from newspapers, and John loved his typewriter. It was just a few years 
ago that he reluctantly let go of the typewriter in his office. Staff 
may have even spirited it away when he wasn't there.
  He understood the importance of my travel throughout our State to 
meet with Vermonters, and in his bones, he knew it how meaningful it 
was for Marcelle and me to be home at our farmhouse in Middlesex.
  He fielded the scores of scheduling requests that came to my office. 
And later, as my deputy State director, he has helped in overseeing an 
exceptionally skilled and dedicated staff.
  What I also treasured was how direct John could be with me. When 
something was wrong, he let me know. If I was reluctant to do something 
he deemed important, he made his case. In our jobs, we are frequently 
surrounded by people who are too quick to flatter. That was never a 
problem with John and something I always valued.
  John has been a valuable resource and coach to countless staff 
members and interns over the years. His institutional memory, his good 
judgment and steadiness of purpose, and his connections to Vermonters 
across our State are unmatched. His droll sense of humor, including 
practical jokes, and his gifted storytelling can take you back many 
years, including back to every one of my campaigns. And his empathy and 
compassion for others is a gift.
  Marcelle and I value John's friendship, his loyalty, and his 
dedication to helping those in need. We have watched his family grow 
and prosper as he and Mary Ellen raised their two boys, Joe and Jamie.
  While we will miss his booming voice when we walk down the hall of 
the Burlington office, we will take comfort in knowing that voice will 
continue to be heard at Centennial Field as baseball season begins 
anew.
  Marcelle and I congratulate John for all he has accomplished, we 
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him for his service to Vermont, and we thank him for his friendship and 
loyal service to our State. We will miss our daily interactions with 
him, but we are grateful that he forever will be part of the Leahy 
family.

                          ____________________