Chuck Grassley: “just 2 weeks ago a former staffer and longtime friend, Ally Milder, and a business associate of hers came to spend the…”

“just 2 weeks ago a former staffer and longtime friend, Ally Milder, and a business associate of hers came to spend the weekend at the Grassley farm in New Hartford, IA. I tried to get Ally to step out of her fancy shoes for a couple of days and learn a little about farming. I never did persuade her to feed pigs, but we had a lot of laughs. Today I stand before the Senate with great sadness because Ally Milder--my former chief counsel and a good friend to Barbara and me-- died suddenly last Thursday at the age of 50. Ally is gone suddenly and too young. I extend my deep sympathy to her mother Frances and sisters Julie and Kelly, and pay tribute to Ally Milder with much regard. I met Ally in 1981. She was one of my first counsels on the Senate Judiciary Committee. I was a freshman Senator. She was fresh out of law school and stayed on my staff until 1987, becoming chief counsel during that time. Ally and I shared a great interest in religious freedom. Her leadership helped me to be very active in Soviet Jewry issues as a Senator, including a 1983 trip to the Soviet Union where we met with Russian Jews, the refuseniks, in Moscow. Ally was instrumental in forming the InterParliamentary Group for Human Rights in the Soviet Union, an important weapon in the fight against abuses and for freedom for Soviet Jews.…”