[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 172 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5094]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO BETTY K. KOED, SENATE HISTORIAN

  Mr. SCHUMER. Finally on our wonderful Senate Historian. An old quote 
goes:

       To study history means submitting yourself to chaos, but 
     nevertheless retaining your faith in order and meaning.

  That is a great quote, very relevant today in this Congress. I don't 
imagine that the author of that line was thinking about the U.S. 
Senate, but I cannot think of a more apt description of the duties of 
the Senate Historian.
  For the last 8 years, the Senate has been blessed with the wonderful 
erudite Historian, Betty Koed--only the third Historian ever and the 
first woman to hold the position.
  Sadly, this week marks the end of Betty's remarkable tenure in the 
Senate, which dates back to her earliest days as Assistant Historian in 
1998. So she began in the Senate Historical Office the same year I 
began running for the Senate. I didn't know her at that point, but I am 
sure glad I have gotten to know her now.
  It is a great undertaking to chronicle the history of an institution 
so unique, so rich with significant events, so influential in the 
landscape of our Nation. But for the last 25 years, Betty has done that 
with the utmost professionalism, devotion, and a bit of a flair.
  Every week, she gives us a little history lesson at our Tuesday 
lunches, and every Member looks forward to hearing what she has come up 
with, and it is amazing. We learn a lot, and we enjoy it.
  As Senate Historian, Betty was tasked with the extraordinary 
responsibility to preserve, protect, and promote the history of the 
Senate and the multitudes of Members who served in this Chamber. She 
has not only been a student of Senate history but a teacher of it as 
well. Thanks to her work developing education programs and exhibits, 
generations of Americans will have the means to learn about the Senate 
and the U.S. Capitol.
  I was proud to lead a resolution with Leader McConnell and all other 
98 Senators commemorating Betty's decades of service and officially 
designating her--congratulations, Betty--as ``Historian Emerita'' of 
the United States Senate.
  So on behalf of a grateful Senate, a grateful country, and a very 
grateful majority leader, I thank Betty for her service and wish her 
the best moving forward.
  Congratulations, Historian Emerita.
  I yield the floor.

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