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[Page S7194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO NICOLAAS BUDDE
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to a longtime member
of my staff, Nicolaas Budde, who is departing my office after 15 years
of service.
Nic has been my systems administrator, responsible for keeping all of
the technology in my personal and leadership Senate offices here in
Washington and in our three State offices in good working order, among
many other things.
Needless to say, a key part of the job description for a systems
administrator is the ability to be extremely patient with those of us
who may not be as up to speed on the technology available to us. And I
would say that there are very few people who are as patient and kind as
Nic.
From fixing a recalcitrant printer to setting up a new, high-tech
studio for the Senate Republican conference, Nic always does what can
often be frustrating and time-consuming work with a cheerful smile and
a reassuring word. He comes to work every single day with a sunny and
enthusiastic attitude, and he doesn't accept anything less than the
best when it comes to serving South Dakotans and our fellow Americans.
Nic grew up in Harrisburg, SD, and worked on both of my Senate
campaigns as systems administrator while he was in college at Dakota
State University in Madison, SD. For those who may not know, Dakota
State University is the ``high-tech'' college in our State, and
students who graduate from DSU often go on to prestigious jobs at
technology companies and the like. Nic could have done any of those
jobs, but instead he chose to dedicate his career to serving here in
the Senate.
Nic is very involved in the Senate community, often vetting new
technologies and participating in pilot projects and working groups
regarding the use of technology in the Senate. Nic manages my official
website, and during his tenure the site has earned several Mouse Awards
from the nonpartisan Congressional Management Foundation, including a
Gold Mouse Award. Our website is a critical part of our efforts to keep
constituents informed about the work we do on their behalf, and I am
grateful to Nic for all the work he has done to make our site a helpful
resource for South Dakotans.
Before I came to my current leadership position as majority whip, I
was head of the Senate Republican Conference, and Nic was a key part of
the conference team. While we were there, Nic managed a complex and
highly technical project to upgrade the technological infrastructure of
the office, an important but often unsung part of our ability to get
our conference's message out to the nation.
Nic is currently managing a similarly difficult project at the Senate
Republican Conference, setting up a new, high-tech studio that will
greatly expand our technological and communications capabilities in
that office. This is incredibly important work, and Nic has done all of
this while at the same time putting out fires in my whip office and in
the personal office whenever the phones go down or someone's email
isn't working--and always with a smile and a great deal of patience.
I want to thank Nic for his service and also thank his wife Jackie
and his children, Ella and Frederick, for letting us have their husband
and dad for these many years.
Thankfully, Nic won't be going far. He will just be down the hall
continuing his work at the Senate Republican Conference, where all of
my colleagues will get the benefit of his expertise.
Nic, thank you again for your many years of service, your
cheerfulness, your kindness, your hard work, and most importantly, your
patience.
We wish you the very best for the future.
____________________
