[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Pages 23499-23500]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 SECRETARY OF THE SENATE EMILY REYNOLDS

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I came to the floor to recognize two 
individuals who have been very close to me and contributed 
significantly to the progress I have made here in this body and, 
indeed, the progress that we make as an institution.
  I rise to pay tribute to Emily Reynolds, our magnificent Secretary of 
the Senate. Abraham Lincoln once said, ``I am a success today because I 
had a friend who believed in me, and I didn't have the heart to let him 
down.''
  Looking back at the past 13 years, those words ring true. I know for 
a fact that successes and triumphs I have enjoyed throughout my years 
in office are largely attributable to family and friends and staff, 
people who have stood with me, people who hold me to a higher standard, 
people who compel me to meet that standard.

[[Page 23500]]

  Today, I specifically speak about one such person who has been at the 
center of everything I have done over the past 13 years, Emily 
Reynolds. No one has believed in our mutual vision for the future of 
Tennessee and the country--that mutual vision that she has shared and I 
have shared, that we have shared for the people of Tennessee--nobody 
has articulated and stood behind that more than Emily Reynolds.
  Most of my colleagues know Emily as the Secretary of the Senate. She 
is the woman who keeps the legislative machine well oiled, moving and 
running smoothly, no matter what the circumstances; the woman largely 
responsible for bringing us the Capitol Visitor Center, and the woman 
who signs our paychecks every other week.
  Thirteen years ago this month, I came out of the operating room 
having made the decision to run for the Senate. I learned early on from 
my experiences in the operating room--part of the surgical team--how 
important it is to surround yourself with the best of the best. So I 
sought counsel from former Majority Leader Howard Baker, who very 
quickly introduced me to his former chief of staff Jim Cannon. They 
both within a few days steered me to a remarkable fellow Tennessean who 
has literally been with me every step of the way over the last 13 
years, currently serving as Secretary of the Senate, Emily Reynolds. It 
should come as no surprise after meeting her that I wanted Emily on my 
team.
  In that first campaign, I was a political novice. I was the underdog. 
I had no political experience whatsoever. The pundits said I didn't 
have a fighting chance. But Emily had faith in our vision. She moved 
from Washington back home to Tennessee to join our fledgling campaign. 
She believed in our mission.
  When we set up our 24-hour-a-day campaign headquarters over a 
restaurant in Nashville, Emily was there almost 24 hours a day. When I 
opened my first official Senate office, she was there. And now, as I--
as we all--carry our last boxes out of our offices and out of this 
majority leader's suite, she is there standing with me.
  She served as my deputy campaign director back in 1994, and as my 
state director at home in Tennessee, and as my campaign manager for my 
reelection campaign in 2000, as chief of staff of my Tennessee office 
here in Washington, and for the past 4 years, she has served all 100 
Senators as the 31st Secretary of the Senate.
  To this day, the range of Emily's capabilities astounds me. She is a 
genuine people person. People love her. People are attracted to her 
warm personality. She makes you smile. She makes you laugh.
  And what versatility. She is comfortable shooting the breeze with 
farmers down in rural Tennessee. But she is just as comfortable walking 
the Halls of the Senate and the Congress with Senators, with diplomats 
and foreign heads of state. No matter what the situation, whether it is 
singing on the stage of the Grand Old Opry or standing on the floor of 
the Senate, Emily's passion for people shines through that warm smile.
  But beyond possessing the rare capability of being able to set just 
about anybody at ease, Emily is a talented administrator. She juggles 
the demands of all 100 Senators, Democrat and Republican alike, and 
their staffs, a thankless task, while always wearing a friendly smile. 
She is loved and respected by Members on both sides of the aisle.
  Under her direction, the Senate has benefited from an ambitious 
overhaul of our computer systems, bringing them up to date with the 
latest in modern technology.
  Emily humbly describes her job as ``making the trains run on time.'' 
That is true. But it doesn't give the complete picture of who she is or 
what she does. Within the Senate, she has fostered a stable environment 
of mutual respect and mutual trust. Her supreme attention to detail has 
served the Senate and our Nation well. Whether she is collaborating 
with the Sergeant at Arms to develop crisis contingency plans, or 
working with the Senate Historian's Office to produce new publications 
that augment and preserve the Senate's history, Emily is a born leader. 
Her devotion is unmatched.
  Emily comes from a very close family whom I have had the privilege to 
know. That is where her values come from. That is where her sunny smile 
comes from. That is where her work ethic comes from. I can only imagine 
how proud of her accomplishments her dad Clarence is, her sister Ellen, 
and her brother Ernie, and how proud her mother Josephine would be, 
too.
  Clarence, you did good. You did well.
  Emily's service to the Senate will surely be missed. As an 
institution, we can only hope that she again returns to our body as she 
did after her service to another Tennessee majority leader, Howard 
Baker. Yes. In fact, Emily Reynolds worked in the very Republican 
Leader's office which I now occupy, from 1980 to 1984, where she worked 
for then chief of staff Jim Cannon, chief of staff for Howard Baker.
  I cannot tell you how thankful I am having had her at my side for the 
past 13 years. She is a true friend and a trusted adviser. I cannot 
think of anyone more fittingly described by Lincoln's words.
  Great things lie ahead for Emily Reynolds. The sky is the limit. And 
while I don't know exactly what direction she will travel, I am certain 
that, as always, the people of Tennessee and the entire United States 
of America will benefit.

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