Mr. SHIMKUS. I thank my colleague. Now someone who spends a lot of time with you also, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Foley), would like to say a thank you.
Mr. FOLEY. I warn all of you not to cry in front of me, please, so I can get through this very important day with you without shedding tears as well.
First, I want all of you to salute two people that I know at times were tough on you. They are taskmasters, they are disciplinarians; but they love you in an incredibly personal way. I would like all of the pages to clap for Ms. Sampson and Ms. Ivester, your supervisors.
Ms. Sampson is on the back rail. She does not like to come too close here because she may cry, too; and she does not want any of the kids before you depart on Saturday to see her being a vulnerable person. It is true.
I hear so much laughter here and I am glad that there is laughter, because this is a wonderful time of your life. Every time we celebrate the departure of a page class, we remember your first day here and, of course, we are here at your last. You came in very shy and meek and very polite and for the most part you have remained polite, but no longer shy and meek. You have taken on your respective roles as junior Members of Congress and oftentimes I get a kick when I walk by the back row, Mr. Foley, please mention the pages so our parents will hear us on C-SPAN. The nice thing about today is you are on C-SPAN. And this is recorded. And you will get to see this replayed. And you will get to see your faces now assembling as if you were Members of Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record a list of the page graduating class.
Katherine Alesse, Lauren Arango, Matthew Arthur, Adam Bacot, Jane Becker, Matthew Benson, Nicholas Bruckner, Laura Burlingame, Allison Bybee, Amber Childress, Rachel Dick, Saul Dingfelder, Jason Dykstra-Carlson, and Jessica Eanes.
Robert Edmonson, Jordan Edmund, Nicole Eickhoff, John Eunice, Michelle Fuentes, Dulce Gonzalez, Timothy Gorman, Jason Green, Megan Grimland, Christopher Harrington, Gretchen Hartje, Paula Hodges, Mallory Kunz, and Mary Kate Leonard.
Matthew Loraditch, Alicia Luschei, Christopher Marquart, Patrick McDonald, A. Edward Mehnert, Elizabeth Mooers, Lauren Oswalt, Joseph Overton, Julia Owen, Timothy Read, Elizabeth Rilley, Allison Robinson, Katherine Roehrick, and Tyler Rogers.
Amanda Rudd, Dominic Rupprecht, Taurean Snow, Mark Spong, Hilary Styer, Diane Sutherland, Melanie Tate, Alissa Turnipseed, Xavier Vanegas, Marisa Vasels, Charlotte Vasquez, Amelia Williams, Krystle Williams, and Gregory Wright.
Also see this Free Republic thread for the original topic.