Peter Torkildsen: “tonight I rise in affectionate remembrance of a good friend and a great Republican, Augusta "Gusty" Hornblower. Earlier…”

“tonight I rise in affectionate remembrance of a good friend and a great Republican, Augusta "Gusty" Hornblower. Earlier today the House voted to name the Post Office in Gusty's hometown in her honor. Gusty Hornblower was an unwavering selfless public servant. This post office, this public space, is a fitting tribute to a woman who devoted her life to the citizens of Massachusetts. As a sophomore on summer break from UMass-Amherst, I first met this courageous woman when we were both working on a congressional campaign. I was awed by her sense of humor, her political acumen, her colorful personality, and, most of all, her sense of commitment. Later we would both be elected to the Massachusetts House in the class of 1984 and serve together in the Committee on Taxation. There was one thing that Gusty could always be counted on to do and that was advocate for a tax cut any time of the year. In addition to serving five terms in the Massachusetts House, Gusty sat on many boards and community efforts and worked tirelessly to preserve the Commonwealth's rich cultural heritage.”