[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 22976-22977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING MARY ARNOLD

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, as we approach this Christmas season, our 
joy is tempered by sorrow over the loss in late November of one of our 
Senate family members. The sorrow is borne of shock and loss as we 
mourn the sudden departure from this earthly life of our dear friend, 
Mary Miller Arnold. Yet, as we grieve, we must also give thanks for her 
life and for the enrichment she brought to all of the lives she 
touched.
  It has been my honor and privilege to have served in the U.S. Senate 
for nearly 50 years. During this time, I have come to greatly 
appreciate and revere the work of the staff of the U.S. Senate. These 
wonderful women and men play a sometimes invisible but always crucial 
role in the work of the Senate. They are dedicated, professional public 
servants who work long and unpredictable hours. When the Senate is in 
session, their families' lives suffer and their social lives are almost 
nonexistent.
  These are noble people who contribute to the history of our country 
every day, but, sadly, they will rarely be mentioned in the history 
books. Yet their lives are perfect examples of humble attention to duty 
and service. Such a life was Mary Arnold's.
  I came to know Mary from her previous positions in the U.S. Senate 
and to appreciate her work as well as to like her personally. I was 
pleased and proud to have the opportunity to appoint Mary Arnold to her 
position as a Senate doorkeeper when I was the Senate majority leader, 
September 1, 1987. She did not disappoint. One year later she was 
promoted to doorkeeper supervisor.
  Mary Arnold carried out her responsibilities superbly and with 
distinction, in just the same way she conducted her life. She worked 
professionally, energetically, and with dignity. She was a caring, 
thoughtful, and very special person. Everyone who worked with her loved 
her. Selflessness was the hallmark of Mary Arnold's personality. She 
was kind, thoughtful, polite, with a kind of old-world graciousness not 
seen so often these days. Mary exuded grace in this often graceless 
age. A tall woman, Mary had a quiet sense of authority about her which 
served her well on the Senate floor. Her elegant bearing commanded 
respect, and she knew just how to compel without offending. I admired 
her.
  To me, Mary was a dear friend. I shall never forget her kindness to 
my dear wife Erma. Especially at Christmas, a season Mary really 
enjoyed, Mary's love for her friends and family lighted our lives and 
set her apart. She fairly glowed as she made her Christmas visitations 
with thoughtful notes and gifts which she must have spent hours 
preparing. She was a red rose among the pale lilies, and her memory 
will ever warm our hearts.
  Her passing is a loss to the Senate, her community, and, of course, 
her family.
  To her loving husband of 48 years, Edwin, and her children, Mary 
Elizabeth and Edwin, our hearts and prayers are with you.
  Take comfort in knowing that Mary is now in the embrace of an all-
loving God. As the Scriptures assure us:

       And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and 
     there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, 
     neither shall be any more pain: for the former things are 
     passed away. (KJV, Revelations 21:4)

                  The Rose Still Grows Beyond the Wall

     Near a shady wall a rose once grew,
     Budded and blossomed in God's free light,
     Watered and fed by the morning dew,
     Shedding its sweetness day and night.

     As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
     Slowly rising to loftier height,
     It came to a crevice in the wall,
     Through which there shone a beam of light.

     Onward it crept with added strength,
     With never a thought of fear or pride.
     It followed the light through the crevice's length
     And unfolded itself on the other side.

     The light, the dew, the broadening view,
     Were found the same as they were before;
     And it lost itself in beauties new,
     Spreading its fragrance more and more.

     Shall claim of death cause us to grieve,
     And make our courage faint or fall?
     Nay! Let us faith and hope receive:
     The rose still grows beyond the wall.

     Scattering fragrance far and wide,
     Just as it did in the days of yore,
     Just as it did on the other side,
     Just as it will forevermore.
                                  ____


                           Scent of the Roses

     Let fate do her worst, there are relics of joy,
     Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy;
     that come, in the night-time of sorrow and care,
     And bring back the features that joy used to wear.
     Long, long be my heart with such memories filled,
     Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled,
     You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will,
     But the scent of the roses will hang around it still.''
                                                    --Thomas Moore

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