[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 157 (Monday, September 13, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6446-S6447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                         Tribute to Tim Hudson

  Madam President, let me change the subject. We have, throughout the 
Federal Government, wonderful people working for us. We have people 
working in all the Agencies. They work diligently; they work for many 
years; they work under difficult conditions; and they serve the 
American people. We speak of ourselves as public servants, but there 
are also public servants who are out there every day answering phone 
calls, doing the work of the government in whatever Agency, wherever 
they are, and they are doing important work.
  I want to talk about one of them today just for a couple of minutes, 
a guy named Tim Hudson. Tim's mustache is a lot better than mine. Tim 
Hudson is retiring this week after 54 years with the National Park 
Service--54 years with the National Park Service. That is dedication to 
the public service. He has served in Alaska. He has served at 
Yellowstone. He came East after Superstorm Sandy to supervise the 
reconstruction and maintenance of national parks in the East. He is an 
expert on maintenance, on keeping these places up to speed, up to 
snuff, so that our citizens can enjoy them.
  He came out of retirement or he slowed his retirement to do his last 
5 years in the State of Maine. President Obama created Katahdin Woods 
and Waters National Monument, a spectacular spot in the middle of the 
North Woods of Maine. It was somewhat controversial at the time. I 
spent days up

[[Page S6447]]

there in public meetings and took a lot of flak and listened to a lot 
of contrary opinions, some much positive, some negative.
  When he created the national monument, the question was, OK, who is 
going to get it going? Who is going to make it happen? And Tim Hudson 
answered the call. He spent the last 5 years up there working with the 
local community. He has done a huge amount of work with the local 
community to give them confidence in what the Park Service is doing. He 
has worked with the people, the Friends of Katahdin Woods and Waters. 
He has worked with the people who are helping to develop this wonderful 
facility for more and more people every year. I think this year, the 
visitation will be 35, 40, or 55,000 people. It is a spectacular spot.
  Tim Hudson started from scratch. I just want to recognize Tim and the 
thousands like him throughout this country who work on our behalf 
quietly every day without a Senator making a speech about them, but 
they go about their work on behalf of the American people. I just 
didn't want Tim Hudson's retirement to go unremarked because not only 
does he deserve recognition, so many of his colleagues, whether it is 
in the Park Service, the Department of Agricultural, the Department of 
Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Internal Revenue Service, all 
the people who work on behalf of this country, the brave men and women 
in the Department of State who work around the world, often in 
dangerous situations--we need to recognize them. We need to support 
them. We need to let them know that we know what they are doing and 
that we care what they are doing.
  That is why I am here today to talk about Tim Hudson, a guy who has 
made a difference for this country for 54 years, and he has made a huge 
difference for the people of Maine over the past 5 years.
  I want to say thanks to Tim and his wife Mary and wish him the best 
in his retirement. He is the best of what America is all about. He has 
served us well and he has served the people of Maine well and I 
appreciate it and thank him for it.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Tennessee.