Ann Eppard

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Ann Eppard

TRIBUTE TO ANN EPPARD

______

HON. BILL SHUSTER

of pennsylvania

in the house of representatives

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Mr. SHUSTER. Mr. Speaker, on Christmas Eve, Ann Eppard, long-time chief of staff to Congressman Bud Shuster, passed away from complications from Barrett's disease. The following tribute to her by Bud Shuster, M.C., ret., appeared in several papers throughout Pennsylvania:

A Tribute to Ann Eppard

(By Congressman Bud Shuster, Ret.)

Once upon a shining time there was a team that had a 35-

year winning streak. I was the coach and Ann Eppard was the

captain of the team. Over the years we had all-star teammates

who became lifelong friends.

It all began when I instructed a manager at Datel Corp. to

find me an executive assistant. After I nixed several who

didn't quite fit, he said he located an outstanding gal at

Computer Sciences Corporation who although only 26, was

managing 28 people. ``She's smart, personable, energetic,

knows computers and she's good-looking. I said I preferred a

man, and the last thing we needed was a good-looking babe to

distract the salesmen. Just interview her, he pleaded.

Reluctantly, I agreed, and she was impressive. When I asked

her to take a test she asked if I had taken it. When I said

``no'' she smiled, ``Then I'll take it after you do.''

``You've got spunk. You'll do,'' I laughed. ``But I'd like

to talk to your boss at Computer Sciences.'' After he

confirmed her capabilities I asked if she had any weaknesses.

``Oh yes,'' he said, `` Overload her with work or she'll

pester you.'' So I did. For nearly 35 years!

When I announced for Congress, Ann volunteered along with

some Sigma Chi brothers. She moved into an old converted

smokehouse at the farm with my daughter, Peggy, and our team

campaigned 24/7 for several months. My wife, Patty, and I

went door-to-door with Ann, my daughter, Gia, and others

advancing us. Ann's sister, Karen, and her mother did nightly

polling to measure our progress. Ann helped design a superb

computer system to mail thousands of personalized letters on

the weekend before the election. Campaigning at the railroad

shops, she wore a red miniskirt and white boots. The guys

didn't pay any attention to me, and for years afterward when

we went through the shops they would yell, ``Hey, Annie,

where's your white boots?'' We surprised everyone by winning,

and as they say, the rest is history.

Ann loved political combat. Once when she was deeply

involved in reapportionment, she had a Democratic legislator

make a last-minute change to the map, putting an opponent's

residence a few yards outside the district. The opponent

insisted that a Republican had changed the map, for no

Democrat would do that. He was wrong! Another time, when an

opponent's petitions were being circulated at a Democratic

hangout, they suddenly disappeared. On election night, a

Democratic leader proudly produced the purloined petitions

but Ann whisked him across the room to the bar before I saw

them.

Ann loved the people of the District. She had Pennelec

relocate a light pole because an elderly lady couldn't sleep

with the light shining in her window.

The story behind creating the Loysburg bypass exemplified

her dedication. Still in the minority, I worked for months to

get District projects in a transportation bill, through the

House, the Senate Conference. On the last day of the

Conference she whispered that we should put in a project to

build a Loysburg bypass. I said it was impossible, the

Conference was ending.

``But the people need that dangerous hairpin curve

eliminated,'' she pleaded. ``Get away,'' I ordered.

``What if I can get Chairman Howard and Senator Moynihan to

agree?''

``Don't you breathe my name to them,'' I hissed.

``I won't.'' She went over and whispered to Howard and

Moynihan. A few minutes later, Howard said, ``If Senator

Moynihan agrees, I'd like to add a project to replace a

dangerous curve in Loysburg, Pennsylvania, with a bypass.''

Moynihan replied, ``Absolutely! I agree!''

When I'm on the bypass I think, this is really the Ann

Eppard bypass.

Ann may be the only person to ever hang-up on the President

of the United States. One day she answered my private line

and a voice said, ``This is Ronald Reagan. Could I please

speak to Bud?''

``Quit fooling around, Ralph,'' she slammed down the phone.

It rang again and the White House operator said, ``President

Reagan was trying to call the Congressman but got

disconnected. Could you please put him on?''

When I was going through several operations at Bethesda

Naval Hospital to repair my broken neck, she practically took

over the ward, making sure I got my pain medicine on time.

When she discovered a lost sailor hobbling through the hall

pushing his I-V, searching for the X-ray lab, she chewed out

the attendants and got him help. ``Harrisburg: Online''

recently wrote, ``She was the epitome of the self-made,

tough-as-nails kid from Pennsylvania's hard coal region.''

Ann loved coming to our farm, pestering me to let her work.

One spring when we were going to move the cattle into the

barnyard, she showed up in her designer jeans and red cowgirl

boots. I explained to everyone that we had to walk slowly

behind the cattle, arms outstretched, pushing them toward the

barn. If one cow broke away, they all would and we would have

to start over. Finally we got them in. Losing her balance in

the mucky barnyard, she cried, ``I fell in the mud!'' My farm

manager replied, ``Miss Annie, that ain't mud.''

Few knew of Ann's many charities. Father Paulko in

Hollidaysburg called her when a deserving family needed

financial help. She quietly responded.

When troubles came, as they sometimes do in her life, her

grace under pressure epitomized class, as she ultimately

prevailed.

When she retired, the accolades poured in. The entire

Pennsylvania delegation published a letter praising her as

``a straight shooter whose word was trusted and advice was

much sought after . . . you also served as a pathfinder for

the now increasing number of women assuming leadership

positions on Capitol Hill. Your dedication . . . helped this

delegation achieve legislative prodigies.'' A lecturer at the

Library of Congress stated: ``Ann Eppard was the most

effective Chief of Staff on Capitol Hill.''

Forming Ann Eppard Associates, she established a highly

respected lobbying firm. Congressman Jim Oberstar publicly

credited her efforts with helping pass the historic ``Truth

in Budgeting Act,'' to unlock the Highway Trust Fund.

But above all, she loved her family, especially her two

darling granddaughters, Kelly and Shannon. They, need to know

that their ``Annie'' was a larger-than-life super-lady:

dedicated, smart, energetic and compassionate. Ann was devout

and there is little doubt that she is in God's arms. She's

probably telling St. Peter how to better organize the place.

To paraphrase Shakespeare, she may have had the body of a

tender woman, but she had the heart of a lion. And we might

add, the soaring spirit of the indomitable American eagle.