[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16574]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO CARL FRITTER

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I wish to say a few words of thanks 
this morning to a member of the Senate family who is leaving us today. 
After 44 years of government service, including 32 here in the Senate, 
Carl Fritter has decided it is time to go.
  Carl has been a real friend to my office over the years, through his 
work in the Office of Conservation and Preservation, and we are sorry 
to see him leave us. But before he does, I want to say how grateful we 
are for his outstanding work over the years.
  Carl learned the art of bookbinding in an apprentice program at the 
Government Printing Office many years ago. He says he never saw himself 
as a bookbinder, but after working outside one January during the 
construction of the Kennedy Center, he started thinking about getting a 
job indoors, and his supervisors over at the GPO gave him the 
opportunity. Carl would learn his trade from bookbinders from all over 
the world, each of whom taught him different techniques, which he put 
to good use in the Senate Library for many years.
  In 1990, the Office of Conservation and Preservation was created. 
Carl was named Director 4 years later.
  In addition to binding and repairing books, Carl taught himself a lot 
of other crafts. I am told he makes some pretty amazing decorative 
boxes, bowls, gavels, and books. One of Carl's most memorable projects 
was a fall-down box that he built as a gift for Margaret Thatcher. It 
was a box that opened to reveal a plate in the middle, with two 
congressional resolutions on either side. I am sure Prime Minister 
Thatcher loved it.
  Carl, thank you for lending us your talents for so long and for 
giving so much of your life to this institution. We wish you and Bunny 
all the best in your retirement. I am sure you will enjoy passing down 
your skills to your grandkids. They will have a great teacher. But the 
entire Senate community will miss your craftsmanship and your 
commitment to excellence, and we will miss your friendship.
  Carl, thank you very much.

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