Tony Thurmond: “In my almost 42 years of service to the U.S. Senate, I have probably had more than one thousand individuals work for me…”

“In my almost 42 years of service to the U.S. Senate, I have probably had more than one thousand individuals work for me as members of my personal and committee staffs. Among these legions, I have been fortunate to have had a number of particularly capable, dedicated, and selfless men and women who truly went above and beyond the call of duty in assisting me and in carrying out their duties as staffers. Today, I rise to pay tribute to Miss Kathryn Hook, a person who has been with me for just short of 30 years, whose work and efforts have been invaluable, and to many South Carolinians, is as much a part of my office as I am. Sadly, today marks Kathryn's last day on the job. A woman with a warm and outgoing personality, Kathryn first arrived in my office in 1967 and immediately began to make friends not only among my staff, but with our neighbors in other Senate offices. I recall that at that time the late Bobby Kennedy was one of my colleagues, and he had an office adjacent to mine. As he would walk down the halls with his dogs, he would almost inevitably stop into my reception room to say 'hello' to Kathryn. It is my understanding that later, when Senator Kennedy ran for President, he asked Kathryn if she was interested in working on his South Carolina campaign activities, and as tempting and flattering an offer as that most certainly must have been, commendably, Kathryn chose to stay in my employ. It is a decision that I am grateful she made.”