Cord Byrd: “the work of the Senate would be impossible were it not for the talents and tireless efforts of our staffs. These are the…”

“the work of the Senate would be impossible were it not for the talents and tireless efforts of our staffs. These are the men and women who serve behind the scenes, with few expectations of reward save for the opportunity to make a difference. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge a member of my staff who has worked for me on behalf of the people of West Virginia for 25 years. Mary Jane Small joined my staff on August 1, 1977. I was Majority Leader at the time. She came to my office with 6 years of Capitol Hill experience, having worked for Congressman Ed Jones of Tennessee and then-Congresswoman Barbara Mikulski from Mary Jane's own home town of Baltimore, MD. Over the years, Mary Jane Small has worked in my legislative department, providing a much-valued link between my Washington office and the people of West Virginia. There have been a lot of changes in how Senators correspond with constituents since the time Mary Jane started working for me. Back in 1977, no one had heard of e-mail. We did not have fax machines. Mary Jane joined my staff before we had computers. She was with me in the days when we produced letters the old-fashioned way--on typewriters--which must seem archaic to the younger generation of Capitol Hill staff. But despite the lack of telecommunications and high-tech gadgetry, our staffs produced quantity and quality. I am proud to count Mary Jane as one of those staff members who has been with me through so much change.”