[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 107 (Thursday, June 23, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S3102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Remembering Leona I. Faust

  Now, Madam President, on a different and sadder subject, I wish to 
offer a few words this morning in honor of Leona Faust, the Senate 
Librarian, who passed away after decades of working to serve in this 
body.
  In Psalm 19, it is written:

       Day after day they pour forth speech;
       Night after night they reveal knowledge.

  This Chamber is well accustomed to long speeches from many Members 
day after day, but for a century and a half, it has been the 
responsibility of one person, the Senate Librarian, to help reveal, 
preserve, and safeguard the knowledge and work of this body. For 44 
years, that was the work Leona dedicated herself to with intelligence 
and grace.
  Leona's first day on the job was very different from what library 
employees might encounter today. When she was first hired in 1978, her 
responsibilities were primarily to manage hundreds of calls that came 
every day inquiring about the status of this or that piece of 
legislation.
  In time, Leona, who became the Librarian in 2010, worked dramatically 
to improve the efficiency of the Library. She modernized it, digitized 
it, and made it far more accessible for Members and their staffs. Her 
accomplishments forever changed the way information flows across the 
Senate and democracy--democracy itself--is better off for her work.
  But most of all today, we pay tribute to Leona not for what she did 
but for what she was--a beloved member of the Senate community, a 
friend to so many, and someone whom we will miss very, very dearly.
  Today, all of us keep her memory permanently in our hearts and her 
family in our prayers.