[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 390-391]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO LINDA HAWKER

  Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to a great 
friend of mine, an amazing woman in Springfield, IL, a dedicated public 
servant, Linda Hawker.
  After nearly 30 years in public life, Linda is retiring as Secretary 
of the Illinois State Senate and starting a new chapter in her life. 
Those who worked with Linda in the Illinois State capitol can tell you 
what an amazing difference she made in the office of the Secretary of 
the Senate. The job is a tough one. The hours are long. But Linda has 
worked tirelessly to serve the people of the Senate and the people of 
my State.
  Linda is going to be missed. Linda and I started together working in 
the Illinois State Senate. I was fresh out of law school. She had just 
started as a secretary to one of the State senators back in the early 
1970s. She was born and raised in Springfield. Linda is one of eight 
children. She worked hard throughout her life to raise her daughter. 
She graduated from Sangamon State University, now known as the 
University of Illinois-Springfield, with a degree in political studies.
  Linda has worked so hard not only for the Senate but for many 
candidates for the Illinois State Senate over the years. She was the 
first woman to serve as Secretary of the Illinois Senate, the guardian 
of the public records of that institution. Before serving in that 
position, she was assistant secretary. Prior to that, she worked for 
the Senate Democratic leadership staff and served as special assistant 
to former Illinois Senate president Phil Rock.
  As Secretary of the Senate, Linda is best known as the chief 
administrative and fiscal officer of the Senate. But those terms don't 
tell the whole story.

[[Page 391]]

She brought a state-of-the-art computer system into the Illinois State 
Senate to make it easier to track bills and debate them. She was also 
instrumental in the creation and development of the Illinois Women in 
Government Organization. In 2004, she was honored by the Illinois 
Democratic Women with the Eleanor Roosevelt Outstanding Democratic 
Woman of the Year Award--an award presented to only one woman each 
year--for her work in grassroots politics. Linda is also a founder of 
the Illinois Women in Leadership Organization, which provides 
opportunities and training for women to become more politically 
involved in my State.
  Linda is deeply involved in her community, having worked in a lot of 
organizations, including the Committee to Study the Honesty and 
Integrity of Springfield Elections, the University of Illinois at 
Springfield Alumni Council, the Springfield Urban League, and is a 
former member of the Executive Committee for the American Society of 
Legislative Clerks and Secretaries.
  But if you ask those who know Linda well, they will tell you that her 
story should not just be told in terms of what she has done but the 
people's lives she has affected. She is known as the go-to person in my 
part of the world, especially if you want to run for office. She is 
known not just as a fabulous adviser and mentor; she is the hardest 
working person I have known in the political scene. She is not afraid 
to roll up her sleeves and get into the thick of it. Linda managed the 
campaign of Senator Penny Severns, whose life was taken away too soon 
by breast cancer. They were quite a team. Penny Severns won a district 
she was never supposed to win, and Linda was right by her side. She has 
always been a great person to talk to. She always had time to listen. 
To be Linda Hawker's friend is to know loyalty, honesty, a diligent 
worker, and the best kind of friendship.
  Her leadership as both Secretary and Assistant Secretary of the 
Illinois Senate has been an example of quiet integrity to all of those, 
including myself, who have worked with her. She will start a new 
chapter in her life with retirement, but I know no matter what she does 
she will be successful.
  Last night, they had a reception for Linda in Springfield and I was 
told by press accounts this morning it was one of the largest 
bipartisan turnouts in history, which she truly deserved. She was that 
kind of a person and still is and will be for many years to come. We 
hope she has many great adventures in the future.
  Linda, congratulations for your hard work, and thanks for being my 
friend.

                          ____________________