[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 172 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               TRIBUTE TO BETTY K. KOED, SENATE HISTORIAN

  Mr. McCONNELL. Now, one final matter, I would like to take a minute 
to thank an all-star member of the Senate community as she departs on a 
well-deserved retirement.
  For the past 25 years, recording, preserving, and sharing the stories 
of the U.S. Senate has been Betty Koed's top responsibility. As Senate 
Historian, Betty has immersed herself more than pretty much anyone in 
the lore of this remarkable institution.
  Betty joined the Senate as Assistant Historian in 1998, in time to 
witness history with the impeachment trial of President Clinton. And 
her intelligence and determination came in handy immediately as the 
Historian's office phones rang off the hook with questions about the 
complex rules, procedures, and precedents that surrounded the first 
such event in more than a century.
  But as much as Members of this body are prone to make history, 
Senators also tend to like consuming history. I myself am no exception. 
So back in 2009, when former Senate Historian Richard Baker retired, I 
invited Betty to start visiting the Republican conference lunches to 
deliver weekly presentations on Senate history.
  By all accounts, Betty's ``History Minutes'' were the highlight of 
many a lunch. In fact, they were always so popular that we asked her to 
turn these stories into a book, and I am glad to say that an impressive 
volume illustrating some of the most dramatic and significant events in 
the Senate's history was actually published earlier this year.
  Over her time in the Senate, Betty has been a fierce advocate for the 
preservation of Senate records. Her colleagues describe her as a role 
model and mentor who is highly knowledgeable, considerate, and 
persistent. It would be no exaggeration to call Betty Koed's tenure as 
Senate Historian a historic milestone in its own right.
  So I would like to thank Betty, with heartfelt thanks for her loyal 
service to this institution, and I know our colleagues join me in 
wishing her all the best.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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