The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO JOHN GOODROW” mentioning Patrick J. Leahy was published in the Senate section on pages S1669-S1670 on March 22.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO JOHN GOODROW
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, all of us have been sent here by the people of our States to represent them. I have always felt a true measure of the quality of our service is reflected in the kind of people we hire to help us do these awesome jobs. The people in our State offices, on our frontlines, are critical in this effort.
John Goodrow is one such public servant. I hired him in 1987 from his job at a local radio station. John brought his radio voice and Vermont sensibility. He has a great sense of humor and could see the challenges, frustrations, and occasional absurdities of everyday life in a Senate office. This was coupled with a determination to serve all Vermonters.
On March 4 of this year, John Goodrow marked 34 years as a loyal and dedicated service. With deep appreciation and respect and more than a little bit of sadness, I recently informed my staff that John has decided to retire on March 31.
At the age of 25, John came to my office scheduling appointments and events, and serving as my on-the-ground Vermont press secretary. He clipped news items in a time when they were actually cut and copied from newspapers, and John loved his typewriter. It was just a few years ago that he reluctantly let go of the typewriter in his office. Staff may have even spirited it away when he wasn't there.
He understood the importance of my travel throughout our State to meet with Vermonters, and in his bones, he knew it how meaningful it was for Marcelle and me to be home at our farmhouse in Middlesex.
He fielded the scores of scheduling requests that came to my office. And later, as my deputy State director, he has helped in overseeing an exceptionally skilled and dedicated staff.
What I also treasured was how direct John could be with me. When something was wrong, he let me know. If I was reluctant to do something he deemed important, he made his case. In our jobs, we are frequently surrounded by people who are too quick to flatter. That was never a problem with John and something I always valued.
John has been a valuable resource and coach to countless staff members and interns over the years. His institutional memory, his good judgment and steadiness of purpose, and his connections to Vermonters across our State are unmatched. His droll sense of humor, including practical jokes, and his gifted storytelling can take you back many years, including back to every one of my campaigns. And his empathy and compassion for others is a gift.
Marcelle and I value John's friendship, his loyalty, and his dedication to helping those in need. We have watched his family grow and prosper as he and Mary Ellen raised their two boys, Joe and Jamie.
While we will miss his booming voice when we walk down the hall of the Burlington office, we will take comfort in knowing that voice will continue to be heard at Centennial Field as baseball season begins anew.
Marcelle and I congratulate John for all he has accomplished, we commend him for his service to Vermont, and we thank him for his friendship and loyal service to our State. We will miss our daily interactions with him, but we are grateful that he forever will be part of the Leahy family.
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