[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 22394]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   A TRIBUTE TO LETITIA HOADLEY WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2001

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay 
tribute to Letitia Hoadley White, a congressional staff member who has 
spent two decades representing the highest values we in Congress want 
to provide to our constituents: courtesy, commitment and a dedication 
to public service.
  Letitia Hoadley Joined my staff on November 9, 1981, as a 
receptionist. She quickly showed a sensitivity toward constituents, and 
an eagerness to help them solve their problems. It wasn't long before 
people began calling our office looking specifically for ``that young 
lady who was so nice on the phone.''
  Her intelligence and willingness to go the extra mile led to her 
promotion to executive secretary after just a month, and to legislative 
correspondent in less than a year. Letitia wasn't sure she wanted the 
second promotion--it paid more and had more responsibility, but she 
worried she would miss the chance to talk to and help the people who 
called and came in our front door. Happily, she agreed to take the new 
job, and did it so well we promoted her to legislative assistant four 
months later.
  Letitia has always been someone I could turn to for the most 
difficult jobs. When it appeared we would never convince Congress in 
1983 to pay for a flood control project that would protect more than a 
million Southern California residents, she helped convince colleagues 
from four counties to work together--and got the project started in our 
district.
  She has also shared with me a desire to encourage innovation and 
small business. Years ago, I asked Letitia to help me make sure the 
Pentagon provided increased funding for rapid development of a radical 
new technology--unmanned aerial vehicles. Through her work, we managed 
to move up testing and evaluation of the Predator UAV program by two 
years. Now, of course, it is one of the most highly touted new weapons 
in our war against terrorism.
  After years of toiling in the legislative trenches and solving 
problems for my constituents and district, Letitia became an 
appropriations associate in 1986, and now works directly with the 
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. Since taking that job, she has 
taken the dedication to constituent service to a new level.
  Appropriations staff members have a special role in Congress, helping 
to ensure that our government spending meets the needs of the public 
and stays within our budget. At the same time, they must help us to win 
the support of a majority of Congress, since these spending bills must 
pass every year. New staff members working on appropriations would do 
well to learn from Letitia, who has made an art of providing 
``constituent'' service to other House members and the agencies we 
oversee.
  She is the epitome of what we mean when we speak of dwelling on the 
positive. She looks for the good in people, and really works at 
building on their strengths. At the same time, she uses every bit of 
her energy to help them succeed in what they need. The members of the 
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, on both sides of the aisle, will 
attest to Letitia's intelligence, hard work, courtesy and optimism. She 
is one of the primary reasons we are able to pass a $300 billion 
spending bill with almost no debate or rancor.
  Twenty years after she took her first call as a receptionist, Letitia 
still jumps to answer the telephone when she is in the front office. 
She will still spend 15 minutes talking to constituents who are in town 
for a visit, and then take on the most technical meetings with generals 
and assistant cabinet secretaries. She will undertake any job and work 
nights, weekends and through her vacation to get it done. And she lives 
by a rule I often quote: It's amazing what we can accomplish if we 
don't worry about who gets the credit.
  Mr. Speaker, we often think of our congressional staff members as our 
``family,'' and many times during the year they spend more time with us 
than their real families. We certainly owe a debt of gratitude to 
Letitia's husband, Dick White, for being understanding when she must 
work long hours--and then take more work home. I ask you and my 
colleagues to join in thanking Letitia for her dedication to the 
American people, and wishing her well in the years to come.

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