Political Quotes

“as our Nation mourns the loss of thousands of our citizens in the terrorist attacks on America, many of us in Washington and in Maine also grieve the passing of a very special person who devoted her professional life to public service, Mary Berry Gerwin. Mary was only 46 when she died on September 18, after a courageous 9-year battle with cancer. In her short time on Earth, however, Mary had a greater impact on public policy and on those of us who knew her than most people accomplish in lifetimes that last twice as long as hers. I will share with my colleagues a little bit about Mary's remarkable career in public service. Most recently, Mary held the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. During her tenure at the Pentagon, she received the Outstanding Public Servant Award from then-Secretary of Defense Bill Cohen. Among Mary's duties at the Pentagon were working with service members, retirees, and their families on a variety of health care issues. She traveled extensively to the Middle East, Korea, and Bosnia, to meet firsthand with service members to discuss health care and quality-of-life issues. She also visited refugee camps in Kosovo to help improve conditions there as well. I came to know Mary when we worked closely together as staff members on the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management from 1981 to 1987. The very first day I met her, I knew Mary was a star.”