[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 8 (Tuesday, January 10, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E11]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CELEBRATING THE RETIREMENT OF DON KELLAHER, SENIOR ADVISOR TO THE 
                            SERGEANT AT ARMS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 10, 2023

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I want to honor a constituent from Maryland's 
Fifth District who has served this institution faithfully for decades: 
Senior Advisor to the Sergeant at Arms Don Kellaher. He recently 
retired after spending 45 years in service to the House of 
Representatives and deserves recognition for all that he has 
contributed and accomplished in that time.
  Don began his long career in 1976 as a staff assistant in the former 
Office of the Doorkeeper before moving to the Office of the Sergeant at 
Arms three years later. Throughout his decades in that office, he 
worked in every division and held important positions, such as Director 
of Special Events, Director of Police Services, Deputy Sergeant at 
Arms, and Senior Advisor to the Sergeant at Arms.
  Don played a key role in ensuring that this institution could 
continue to carry out its work For the People. During his tenure in the 
Office of the Sergeant at Arms, he helped organize 12 presidential 
inaugurations, ranging from President Carter's in 1977 to President 
Biden's in 2021. Additionally, Don has participated in the planning of 
dozens of State of the Union Addresses.
  Crucially, he has worked to keep visitors, staff, and Members of the 
People's House safe. That includes historic figures who have visited 
our Capitol, such as the Dalai Lama, Pope Francis, Mother Teresa, and 
Queen Elizabeth II. From anthrax and ricin attacks to murders of U.S. 
Capitol Police officers and bombings of the Capitol Building, Don has 
also helped our brave Capitol Police navigate many challenges over the 
years. Recently, he supported them during the deadly insurrection that 
gripped our Capitol on January 6, 2021. Everyone who was here that 
infamous day owes a debt to Don and the others who worked to 
reestablish order and security on Capitol Hill, as do the American 
people whose democracy came under attack that day.
  Mr. Speaker, Don is truly a guardian of the House of Representatives. 
We could not fulfill our duty to the American people without Don and 
numerous other staffers like him who work behind the scenes to make 
this institution function. He ought to be proud of all he's done for 
Congress and the country, and I hope he knows how much we appreciate 
him and his work.
  I ask that all my colleagues join me in wishing Don, his wife 
Antoinette, his children Amanda Walker and Anthony Kellaher, and his 
grandchildren Rhett Walker and Rosalie and Ainsley Kellaher happiness 
as he begins his well-earned retirement

                          ____________________