Correction Appended

Hill Climbers always thought of “Love Hurts” as a rather tawdry ’70s song by a bad Scottish rock band. But then she heard Anders Reynolds belt out a version of the song that rivaled any Nazareth performance.

“Geo-rrrge Buuush!” he sang. “Geo-rrrge Buuush!” [IMGCAP(1)]

Climbers is unsure how much his singing talent will be put to use as the new legislative correspondent for Rep. Marion Berry (D-Ark.), but it did serve to send Berry’s entire office into fits of laughter, causing the 2004 graduate of Rhodes College to flash a goofy grin.

The 25-year-old Wynne, Ark., native takes care of housing, labor, education and arts for the Congressman. He really likes the weekly cookies in the office and also praises Berry’s wife, saying that she and the Representative are “a great team.”

Reynolds majored in theater at Rhodes.

“Jazz hands! Jazz hands!” Gabe Horwitz said at the mention of Reynolds’ theater background. Horwitz is Berry’s new policy adviser and a Lincolnwood, Ill., native. He was married five weeks ago in one of the fastest ceremonies in the history of matrimony, at less than 10 minutes.

“I’m an old man. I just got a dog and a house. I’m boring,” he said.

Horwitz, 28, is a 2001 graduate of Dartmouth College, where he was a member of the Phi Delta Alpha fraternity. He hopes to see his alma mater go to a bowl game someday.

Today is Erica Hall’s third day in Washington, D.C., and her third day in Berry’s office as a new staff assistant. Hall, 24, moved with her husband to the District to be with her family.

Originally from Clarksdale, Miss., she worked in banking and as a dental assistant before coming to Capitol Hill. She graduated in 2005 from the Mississippi State University with degrees in psychology and criminal justice.

Now that she’s here, Hall wants to learn everything she can from the “wonderful” people in Berry’s office. And if she could be anything for Halloween, she would be a cat.

“They’re mysterious,” she said. [IMGCAP(2)]

Jeff Adkins helps the jazz-hands-Nazareth-rocker with legislative correspondent duties, having recently been promoted from staff assistant. His issues include government reform, telecommunications, justice and science.

Adkins previously worked in the office of Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.). He likes sports and learning languages and has a goal of being fluent in French and Spanish by age 25. He once had to give a Capitol tour in French.

He minored in the language and majored in political science at The George Washington University, receiving his degree in May.

Adkins wants to “stay on the Hill and accumulate as much knowledge as possible,” at least for the next couple of years, he said.

The health care guru in Berry’s office is Shoshana Derrow, a new legislative assistant and lawyer from Ohio. Her law degree is from Ohio State University and her undergraduate degrees are from the University of Michigan in English and psychology.

Besides health care, Derrow is responsible for the issues of Social Security, veterans’ affairs and financial services. She hopes to be involved in health care in the long term, dealing with elder care issues.

Derrow was once a registered financial adviser and also worked for a mutual fund. She likes horseback riding, shopping and wine.

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Correction: Oct. 17, 2007
Erica Hall’s name and university affiliation were incorrectly stated in the article.