On the recordMay 1, 2014
I also come to the floor to give special tribute to our Sergeant at Arms, Terry Gainer, who is retiring. If one is not from Chicago and one doesn't know the scene very well, one may not understand what I am about to say. Let me make it clear. When one asks where Terry Gainer is from and someone says Chicago, one would then say: And? He would add: The South Side. And? Beverly. And? Saint Barnabas. When a person reports their parish in that section of Chicago, they have really identified themselves as being part of that great city and part of a great American Catholic tradition--Irish Catholic tradition in many respects--that Terry Gainer represents. I think about him today and what his life has meant, but first I think of his family name. There aren't many names like the Gainer family name that carry with it so much respect in the city of Chicago. I think of his relatives I have worked with, the families who are related to him that I know, neighbors to staffers--the list goes on and on of the Gainers who have made an impact on the city of Chicago and the State of Illinois. Few can make the claim Terry can make in terms of what he has given to the city, the State of Illinois, and to our Nation. Terry Gainer, of course, is the Sergeant at Arms today and has announced his retirement soon, after 7\1/2\ years serving in that capacity, or at least serving in the Senate with the Capitol Police and with the Sergeant at Arms office.…
