[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9299]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO DR. JAMES BILLINGTON

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, we have recently learned that Dr. James 
Billington, the Librarian of Congress, who has been with us for almost 
30 years, will be retiring in January. He plans to spend more time with 
his wife of nearly 58 years, Marjorie. He wants to see more of his 4 
children and 12 grandchildren. I am sure he would also like to catch up 
with his buddy who plays for the Grateful Dead or maybe just sit back 
with a box or two of the Mallomars he loves so much.
  But I don't think Dr. Billington is ready to take his scholar's cap 
off quite yet, because he is preparing to do a little writing, too, 
about folks who played an important role in the history of--what else--
the Library that means so much to him.
  Dr. Billington has called the Library of Congress the ``greatest 
collection of knowledge and copyrighted creativity in human history,'' 
and I know how proud he is of the many initiatives he has undertaken to 
expand its reach and its relevance.
  I noted yesterday that we are unlikely to come across many guys who 
can say they have been a Princeton valedictorian, a Harvard professor, 
an expert on the Kremlin, a veteran, and a Rhodes Scholar. But that is 
our Librarian of Congress.
  He speaks 7 languages, he has 42 honorary doctorates, and I am hoping 
he will soon be able to start catching a full 8 hours of sleep every 
night.
  Dr. Billington has certainly earned it, and we wish him the very best 
in his retirement.

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