[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20534-20535]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE RETIREMENT OF SHARON PETERSON

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute and express my 
deepest appreciation for a member of my staff who has served the U.S. 
Senate, me personally, and the State of Montana admirably.
  Today is my State director Sharon Peterson's last day. She retires 
today after more than 22 year of service in the Senate.
  Sharon's career in public service is the culmination of a lifetime of 
hard work.
  Sharon became interested in public service after seeing the late 
Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield speak in Lewistown. He inspired 
her to give back to Montana. Which she's been doing ever since.
  As a Fergus County rancher, along with her husband Garde, she has 
always been interested in the policies that affect Montana agriculture. 
And she's considered an expert in the field.
  Sharon helped organize Montana Women Involved in Farm Economics--or 
WIFE--in 1975. This led to an appointment from President Jimmy Carter 
to the U.S. Commission on Alcohol Fuels, where she served from 1979 to 
1981.
  I remember vividly Sharon bending my ear on ethanol. She once 
traveled to Washington--before she was on my staff--to advocate for 
increased ethanol production. I remember being late for a Capitol Hill 
press conference and Sharon literally dragging me by my shirtsleeves to 
make it on time. She was just like that--always on the move, always 
aggressive.
  A former State Chair for the Montana Democratic Party, Sharon was 
very politically active. And she was a familiar face in Helena during 
many state legislative sessions.
  Sharon joined my staff in Billings in 1981. Back then, we didn't have 
c-span, no e-mail, no Blackberry on Palm Pilots. We didn't even have 
computers in my State offices when Sharon first started. Only an old 
roll-paper fax or two. This made it challenging for our State 
operation. But they worked hard to stay in touch with Washington.
  Sharon served as my scheduler for 10 years. And she was tenacious in 
making sure I was on time, which is, as we all here in the Senate know, 
not an easy task--especially back then.
  I once did a work day--I work alongside Montanans at least one day a 
month--at the Stillwater Mine in Columbus. I was having so much fun 
working in the mine, I didn't want to leave. Sharon, afraid of nothing 
and against the caution of mine workers, came down into the mine shaft 
to get me to my next meeting.
  She once called the kitchen of a restaurant in Choteau and told the 
dishwasher to get me moving.
  Sharon helped organize the 1989 Montana Cattle Drive celebrating 
Montana's bicentennial. Again, I was having so much fun I stayed out on 
the drive for several days longer than I was supposed to. Sharon drove 
out to camp and took me to a pay phone to call my Washington staff.
  Sharon helped on my first Senate campaign, in 1978. She helped 
deliver Fergus County, which she later realized was a lot harder than 
one might think.
  I appointed her my State director 1993. In this role, she was a key 
advisor to me. She was a strong voice for Montana on agriculture, 
transportation,

[[Page 20535]]

rural health and education, trade and natural resources. She fought for 
rural communities and Main Street businesses.
  She was a tireless advocate for farmers and ranchers, helping to pass 
numerous farm bills and helping producers through the drought of the 
1980s.
  She organized the first of many trade trips to foreign countries.
  As State Director, Sharon took great pride in making sure our State 
operation ran smoothly and served Montanans well. She answered my toll 
free line for 22 years. That's the 800 number Montanans use to get in 
touch with me. She was dedicated to case work. She personally helped 
thousands of Montanans.
  For many years I have counted on Sharon to educate us on the 
realities of living in rural areas. She insisted we apply good Montana 
common sense to everything we do. She believes strongly in protecting 
the Montana values of doing what's right, common sense, faith, hard 
work, a strong connection to the land, and community.
  Her Montana roots run deep. Long ago, we tried to get Sharon to move 
to Washington. She stayed for two weeks and went home. Montana is her 
home. She loves our State. I doubt she'll ever leave. Sharon's a 
rancher. She's a salt-of-the earth Montanan.
  When I asked Sharon what the best part of the job was she said: ``The 
ability to help people and make Montana an even better place.''
  She did both.
  I'll miss her. My staff will miss her. The Senate will miss her. And 
most importantly the State of Montana will miss her.
  She truly made ``The Last Best Place'' even better. For that, we are 
eternally grateful. And we wish her and Garde all the best.

                          ____________________