[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4166]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO CHRISTINE CATUCCI

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, 40 years ago this week, Christine 
Catucci set out to spend her summer as a tour guide at the Capitol. She 
still remembers her first day in the summer of 1976. It was a much 
different time back then, without the screening protocols and 
limitations on where visitors could go as we have today. Christine 
parked her car and walked straight up the main Rotunda steps, ready to 
work.
  She didn't have intentions of staying past the summer, much less for 
four decades. But today, some 16 Sergeants at Arms and 7 Presidential 
administrations later, Christine is still a smiling, friendly face to 
those who enter, which is important because, as director of the Senate 
Appointment Desk, she is often the first person a visitor sees when 
visiting the Capitol.
  As the years have gone by, Christine's responsibilities and 
admiration for the Senate have grown. She still considers it an honor 
and a privilege to help those visiting the Capitol, and that is true, 
she says, ``whether it is an official business visitor or a `starry-
eyed' tourist.'' She says that she loves seeing the awe people have 
when they visit the Capitol and she is proud to be a part of that 
experience.
  The joy this institution and this career have brought to Christine 
obviously made a pretty big impact on the love of her life, her 
daughter Nichole. Nichole works just one floor up from her mom, and in 
Christine's words, she is ``a constant reminder . . . that family comes 
first.''
  Today, Christine's Senate family would like to congratulate her on 
this notable milestone. We thank her for her four decades of steadfast 
service, and we look forward to seeing the impact she will continue to 
make here in the Capitol.

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