Orrin Hatch: “one of the things I remember fondly about Tom is that his measure of a man's judgment was often to look up and question…”

“one of the things I remember fondly about Tom is that his measure of a man's judgment was often to look up and question, Is he a long-ball hitter? Judging Tom by his own measure, we all must conclude he could hit the home run ball. More important than his many professional achievements, Tom Burke was a good family man. I want to take this opportunity to offer my condolences to his wife, Sharon; daughters, Rosemary, Heather, and Kerry; and, son, Brendan. Although the love of a husband and father can never be replaced, with God's help and strength, his family will make it through this trying time. It seems to me that far too often in this institution we get so engrossed in partisan and policy battles that we forget that ultimately it is people that matter. In losing Tom Burke we have lost a good public servant and a good man. We will all miss him.”