[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 133 (Thursday, July 29, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S5149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          REMEMBERING BOB DOVE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on a completely different matter, for 
the second time this week the U.S. Senate family must bid a sad 
farewell to a member of its alumni society.
  Only six different individuals have served as Senate Parliamentarian 
since the position was formally established back in 1935. It is a 
unique and remarkable position that seems to require unique and 
remarkable people.
  Bob Dove served two stints as Parliamentarian from the early 1980s to 
the early 2000s. He passed away yesterday at the age of 82 after a long 
illness.
  I was just a rank-and-file Senator during Bob's stints on the dais, 
but everyone in the entire Senate knew all about Bob's brilliance and 
his incredible spirit. Bob Dove knew this body's history and its rules 
to the tenth decibel place.
  He was also a constantly jovial person, as approachable as he was 
smart. His love for the Senate was tangible. It was palpable, and it 
was not only a love for the institution, itself, as an abstraction, it 
was also a love for the human beings who comprised it.
  I understand that back in the day, Bob had a go-to one-liner to help 
himself and his fellow professionals here on the floor through the 
tougher days. Here is what he said: ``You may love the Senate,'' he 
would dryly declare, ``but the Senate may not love you back.''
  But a little gruff sarcasm couldn't conceal Bob's true affection. In 
fact, his enthusiasm for this place was so contagious that it swept up 
multiple generations of his family. About a year and a half ago, we 
said goodbye to Bob's daughter, Laura Dove, herself a long-serving, 
well-loved and widely respected Senate staff leader as she left the 
post of Secretary for the Majority.
  Even now, two of Bob's grandchildren are spending their summers right 
here in the Senate, helping out in different positions.
  Either Bob Dove's brood just cannot quit this multigenerational 
addiction to public service or perhaps it is the Senate that cannot 
quit them.
  So our condolences and our prayers go out to Bob's wife Linda, to 
Laura and her brother and sister, and to Bob's grandchildren and 
extended family.

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