[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 111 (Friday, June 27, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3580-S3581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MOLLY ROWLEY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, the late Jack Valenti, the once Special 
Assistant to LBJ turned longtime President of the Motion Picture 
Association, once said:

       Every good speech contains six words: Let me tell you a 
     story.

  I have taken Jack Valenti's advice to heart. I have often told 
stories that might otherwise have been ignored--stories of the most 
vulnerable members of our community, those who might not be able to 
obtain the services of communications agencies, white-shoe law firms, 
and high-profile lobbyists. For decades, I have been honored to

[[Page S3581]]

have one of the best storytellers on Capitol Hill helping me.
  For more than 20 years, Molly Rowley, my director of speechwriting, 
has helped shaped some of my spoken words. Monday, June 30, will mark 
her final day on my staff.
  Molly is not from Illinois. Her family hails from Missouri, and she 
is always happy to remind us and our colleagues that her Kansas City 
Chiefs are regular playoff contenders and repeat Super Bowl champions.
  She began her career as a newspaper reporter, but she eventually 
found her way into public service, writing speeches from New Jersey 
Gov. Jim Florio, the late-Senator Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania, and 
Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota.
  In 2005--20 years ago--Molly came to my office after working for 
Senator Daschle when he was the Democratic leader of the Senate. Before 
leaving Senator Daschle's office, Molly had written a compelling floor 
speech that caught my attention. I went over to Senator Daschle and 
asked if he had a staffer who helped him write that speech, and he 
mentioned Molly.
  Fast-forward to 2005, when I was the brandnew whip of the Democratic 
caucus looking for staffers with leadership office experience. Molly 
was the perfect person to bring on board.
  Speechwriting is part art and part science but really not either one. 
It is translating complex policy issues into a compelling narrative. 
That is not always an easy thing to do.
  For Molly, her process starts with a simple question: How would this 
affect the average family in Illinois? She has a knack for turning 
arcane legislative text into poetry, and she often did so with little 
time and even less background.
  If you were to strike up a conversation with Molly, it would not take 
long for you to notice her passion for language, creativity, and a deep 
pride in her Irish roots, like so many in my home State of Illinois.
  She was able to add some special Irish charm to many of my speech 
materials over the years, from immigration events to Chicago's notable 
St. Patrick's Day celebrations.
  Molly's source material knew no bounds. She would artfully weave into 
my remarks quotes from our Nation's Founding Fathers; landmark speeches 
of Presidents like Illinois' very own Abraham Lincoln; civil rights 
icons like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the late-Congressman John 
Lewis; prose of the Irish literary giants James Joyce and William 
Butler Yeats; and even hit Broadway musicals like Lin-Manuel Miranda's 
``Hamilton.''
  She excelled at uncovering obscure facts about a small town or 
community and using it as a centerpiece to tie a speech together. 
Whether ribbon cuttings for local health clinics, naturalization 
ceremonies, commencement addresses, or Senate floor speeches, Molly did 
so much more than prepare remarks; she found the heart of the story.
  Molly's interest and commitment to social justice and civil rights 
has been evident not only in her work but in the way she participated 
in life on Capitol Hill.
  A lot of history has been made in these hallways, and Molly has made 
herself a part of it, whether chronicling the lying in honor of Rosa 
Parks, State of the Union speeches by President Obama, or being seated 
in the middle of the room for the Judiciary hearings for the nomination 
of Ketanji Brown Jackson to be a Justice of the Supreme Court.
  I am grateful to have had Molly as a member of my team for all of 
these years and to help me tell these stories. I am confident she will 
use her gift of words to raise awareness of current events, not just in 
her community and country but globally.
  But, first, she will take a well-deserved break and explore Europe 
with her mom before returning to spend time with her beloved four-
legged roommate Liam.
  I will miss Molly's wisdom, skill, and rhetorical flourishes.
  I would like to close my remarks with her own words about leaving 
Capitol Hill. Molly wrote recently:

       My favorite part of the Capitol has long been the soft dips 
     in the stairs where the hard marble has worn down by more 
     than a century and a half of footsteps.
       Those indentations always remind me that we are part of a 
     great continuum.
       We do our best while we are here to protect our beloved 
     democracy and then we move on, hoping and trusting that those 
     who come after us will also safeguard this priceless gift.

  Molly, on your watch, you kept this gift safe. I am glad to be part 
of your career on Capitol Hill and a recipient of so much good work. I 
wish you the best.

                          ____________________