William H. Frist: “the Senate community is losing a longtime and valued employee. After 18 years of loyal and distinguished service, Marty…”

“the Senate community is losing a longtime and valued employee. After 18 years of loyal and distinguished service, Marty Berman is retiring from the Senate Recording Studio. Marty played an integral part in the television broadcast of the Senate's proceedings and in helping facilitate the audio and video needs of Senators and their staffs. His service to his country really started 45 years ago. Marty served faithfully, enlisting twice in a military career that began when he was 17 and lasted 6 years from 1961 to 1967. Before leaving the military he was a communications specialist with duty in Vietnam. Marty brought extensive television experience to his job at SRS. In the private sector he worked at Satellite News Network, CNN, and finally at CBS. His work for Charles Kuralt and CBS Sunday Morning was nominated for an Emmy. A 13-minute-long story he had photographed was aired, which is the television equivalent of a long book. His career at the recording studio began in 1988 where he quickly came to specialize in audio operations. However, his contributions were not just technical. He also had just the right personal touch with Senators. It isn't always easy to get up in front of TV cameras and lights to speak, even for Senators, but Marty had the ability to put any Senator at ease. When floor directing, he spoke to each Senator easily and with warmth, and they trusted him. He was never intimidated but he was always respectful.…”