Political Quotes

“These are tasks that we often do not find welcoming. I rise this morning to pay tribute to a public servant among us, someone who served in this House as a staff person, a chief of staff in my office. I rise this morning to pay tribute to Kathleen ``Kathi'' Wilkes, whose memorial service will be held this afternoon, July 24, 1:30 p.m., at the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Kathi died suddenly last Saturday. The good news is that so many of her friends were able to fly in, as I was able to do from Houston, and to be with her in those waning hours. One can always ask the question why, and there is no explanation for someone so full of life, so ready to serve, so willing to help, to lose their life so suddenly, even as she was so active the week of her death. Kathi had a wonderful history of coming from Ohio, touching down in Pennsylvania, in Houston, and Washington, D.C. How often can what we call a ``civilian'' touch the lives of so many States and so many people? Kathi pulled herself up by her bootstraps, supported herself, and became a nurse. As she was so good at nursing as well, she continued to nurture people, maybe in the spirit of Florence Nightingale. That was not enough for Kathi. She continued to put herself through school and ultimately graduated and became a lawyer. That brought her to Houston, Texas, working for one of the major corporations there, but it brought her into my life so many years ago.…”