Gerald Kleczka: “I rise today to dispel a myth. Most of us who frequent this Chamber, if we ever stop to consider it, probably think the…”

“I rise today to dispel a myth. Most of us who frequent this Chamber, if we ever stop to consider it, probably think the mace just magically appears and disappears at the start and conclusion of each session. The truth is much harder to believe. For the past 21 years, without missing a single day, a gentleman named Ed Nichols has faithfully carried out the ceremonial duties associated with the mace. An historic symbol of the duty of the Sergeant at Arms to keep order in the House of Representatives, the mace, right behind me, lets us know at a glance when we are meeting in the full session. Ed has decided to retire at the end of the 105th Congress, and that end has come tonight. His career on Capitol Hill began in 1976 with the office of Sergeant at Arms. Previous to that, he spent several years in the Navy living for a time in Japan with his wife Joan. As assistant to the Sergeant at Arms, Ed's duties extended beyond the care and feeding of the mace, to include accompanying delegations of Members for a variety of activities, most recently to the funeral services for our late colleague Walter Capps. Members new to the institution found Ed a willing and friendly source of information as they struggled to get a handle on the legislative process. Perhaps this is where we will miss Ed most of all. The sense of loss we feel in Ed's retirement is tempered by the knowledge that a long-cherished dream is about to become a reality.”