Senate Floor: JON BROSCIOUS: A WELL-EARNED RETIREMENT AFTER A CAREER OF LOOKING AFTER AMTRAK'S GREATEST ASSETS

Mr. President, after this week, someone very special will be missing from my morning commute from Wilmington. Jon Broscious, one of the Amtrak conductors who has been riding the trains with me for the past 25 years, is beginning a well-earned retirement. The mornings will not be the same without him.

Jon is one of those individuals -- like so many of the conductors, baggage handlers, flagmen, and attendants I have known who have worked so hard to maintain Amtrak's excellent reputation as an efficient and user-friendly service -- who takes a great deal of pride in his work, making the care and comfort of his passengers always his first priority. These are men and women who have long understood that Amtrak's greatest assets are neither its miles of track nor its extensive rolling stock, but the good will of the thousands of Americans who depend upon rail transportation to get to work, to visit their loved ones, and to expand their horizons. For many years, Jon Broscious has earned the good will of countless passengers, some of whom -- like myself -- see him every day, and others for whom his conscientious service is their one and only contact with America's rail system. He has treated each and every one -- whether in club car or in coach -- as a first-class passenger. His example is one which all of us would do well to follow.

During the twenty-five years that I have been sharing my mornings with Jon, we have learned a great deal about one another's lives and families. He has heard all about my children as they grew up, began to face the challenges of adulthood, embarked on their own careers, and gave me the joy of being a grandfather. And I shared Jon's pride as his son passed the bar and set up his practice in Virginia; anguished with him throughout his son's battle with cancer; and shared his joy when the disease was finally conquered. I'll never forget the time that Jon and his whole family, including his grandchildren, visited with me in my office here in Washington. Though it was my first meeting with many of them, I felt like I knew each one well because Jon had spoken of them so often.

Jon and his family have a great many plans for his well-deserved retirement. He has earned the comfort and happiness that he brought to so many others over the years. Along with his colleagues and the many others who ride the trains each morning, I wish him all the best.

But the mornings will never be the same. I'll miss you, Jon.