[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 21145]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO DON DIXON

  Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor Don 
Dixon, who is retiring from Senate service. Don has been a trusted 
advisor and dear friend for many years.
  Approximately 15 years ago, I was blessed to have Don join my staff 
as my State director of agriculture. He brought to the position his 
experience as a farmer and his sincere dedication to solving challenges 
facing the agricultural community. Throughout his Senate service, Don 
has covered thousands of miles and spent countless hours meeting with 
constituents and ensuring that their concerns and interests are 
properly addressed. It has been said that anytime two farmers meet in 
Idaho, Don is there. This illustration, while not too far from the 
truth, emphasizes Don's deep personal commitment to ensuring sound 
representation of Idaho agriculture. For example, he has assisted with 
multiple farm bills, gathering input from Idahoans to craft the best 
policy possible, contributing throughout the drafting and providing 
information to farmers and ranchers when the laws were enacted. He 
sacrificed weeks with his family when he stayed in Washington, DC, to 
assist with the crafting of the 2002 farm bill. I have always been able 
to count on Don to literally go the extra mile for constituents.
  Don's dedication and exemplary service led to his appointment to 
serve as the Idaho State executive director of the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, FSA. While this appointment, 
unfortunately, led to Don leaving my staff for the first time in 2007, 
his work on behalf of the agricultural community during his time at FSA 
and his return to Senate service were welcomed. I feel blessed to have 
once again benefited from his on-the-ground knowledge of production and 
agricultural policy for the past 3 years.
  His enthusiasm and sincere desire to do all that he can for people 
are part of what make Don exceptional. His unsurpassed energy, faith, 
and optimism also set him apart. The humor and get-up-and-go Don brings 
to any challenge has enabled many accomplishments for Idahoans, and Don 
is widely respected for his integrity and devotion to achieving 
results.
  Although for many, retirement provides time to slow down and relax, 
knowing Don, he will likely work as hard in his retirement as he does 
on the job. ``Idle'' is not a word in Don's vocabulary. However, I hope 
that retirement provides Don with more time to spend with his family 
whom he loves so much: his wonderful wife Georgia; his children 
Lucinda, ``Cindy,'' Lorin, Paul, and Tobin; eight grandchildren; and 
six great-grandchildren. Lucky for me, Don is also one of my neighbors 
in my hometown of Idaho Falls, so I hope to see him often. We have 
shared many laughs over the years, and I look forward to sharing many 
more.
  Don, you are model public servant, and I feel very fortunate to have 
benefitted from your wise counsel and hard work for so many years. I 
wish you the happy retirement you so greatly deserve for your years of 
dedicated service. Don, thank you for all that you have done on behalf 
of Idahoans.

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