The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBUTE TO LYNN CLANCY” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S7000-S7001 on June 4, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO LYNN CLANCY
Mr. CONRAD. Mr. President, today I recognize and honor my friend Lynn Clancy, who retired in January after 20 years of service as my State director. He is a friend to me, and he is a friend to North Dakota.
Over two decades as my State director, Lynn touched the lives of thousands of North Dakotans. He handled countless casework requests and hundreds of speeches and appearances on my behalf. I could not have had a better ambassador.
Twenty years in itself is a lifetime of public service, but the 20 years that Lynn spent with me was really the culmination of a much longer career in service to the public. This is a man who genuinely lives on the tenant that it is best to do good to your fellow man. He devoted his life to helping other people.
Not many know this, but when Lynn joined my staff after my 1986 election, he was working as the right-hand man to the Catholic bishop of North Dakota, overseeing operations in the diocese. And that was after a long career serving North Dakota's farmers. So he came to work for me with an already long history of public service.
That public service began after Lynn graduated with an education degree from the State college in his hometown of Valley City. His degree in hand, Lynn left North Dakota for Turkey and England to teach high school on U.S. military bases.
After returning home to North Dakota, he went to work for the North Dakota Farmers Union, first as its education director and then assistant secretary-treasurer. About that time, he was elected to the North Dakota legislature as a representative from his hometown of Valley City.
Lynn later received an appointment as North Dakota's deputy commissioner of agriculture, before finally going on to work for the diocese. And that is where I found him.
Part of what drives Lynn is his affinity for the land, and his affinity for those people who are the stewards of the land. In North Dakota, those stewards are our farmers and our good friends, the first Americans.
Lynn shares a special bond with North Dakota's Native Americans. Leaders of the American Indian community liken Lynn's special qualities to that of a tribal elder. Over the years, he worked tirelessly to ensure that our tribes had equal access to all parts of our Federal and State government. His goal was always to make sure Native Americans were equal before the law.
In the 1990s Lynn was instrumental to the success of the Walking Shield Housing Project, which helped alleviate a housing crisis on the reservations of Spirit Lake, Fort Berthold, Standing Rock, and Turtle Mountain.
When he told me about his plans for retirement, Lynn said one of his greatest joys has been working closely with Native Americans, learning about their culture and experiencing their hospitality. So while it is true that Lynn is a naturally gentle and soft-spoken man, it is also true that North Dakota's Native Americans may not have a fiercer advocate than Lynn Clancy.
Lynn's devotion to the family farmer started with his own experiences on the farm where he lived and worked as a young man. Over the years, from his time with the Farmers Union to his leadership in the State agriculture department, Lynn became the ``go to'' person in North Dakota for any farm-related concern. Whether it was helping one farmer cut through the bureaucratic red tape, or helping organize a massive farm rally, Lynn showed patience, persistence, and skill.
Farmers and Native Americans shared that special place in Lynn's heart with one more thing--Marketplace for Entrepreneurs. Never were Lynn's passion, creativity, and dedication more evident than with Marketplace.
Today, Marketplace is North Dakota's signature initiative to develop the State's economy--the largest and longest running business development effort in North Dakota. But in 1988, it had much humbler origins. North Dakota farmers were suffering through a searing drought. The auction barns were buzzing while the grain silos went silent. Nothing was in as short a supply in North Dakota as hope.
Lynn gave our farmers hope. Lynn was the force behind making Marketplace possible year after year, creating an opportunity for farmers and others from around the State to gather and think of new ways to update their operations to reach new markets--and ultimately stay in business and stay on the land. Lynn's vision and determination were vital to the eventual recovery of many farmers and to making Marketplace the enormous success that it is today. That first Marketplace drew about 800 people. Today, thanks to Lynn, we draw more than 10,000 people. It is a tremendous success.
Hearing all this may lead you to ask how a man could devote so much of his life to service. The answer is that Lynn has faith. It is central to his life. He serves as an ordained Catholic deacon in the Bismarck parish. In March, he was appointed to the Rural Life Committee of the North Dakota Conference of Churches. And even in retirement, Lynn and his wife, Janice, are working long hours as volunteers.
In both his public life and his personal friendships, Lynn's fellowship, devotion, and loyalty set examples for us all. Whenever I needed him, he was there. Whenever North Dakota needed him, he was there. He lives his life in service, making other people's lives better.
____________________
