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 DON DIXON” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Senate section on pages S8729-S8730 on Dec. 16, 2011.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO DON DIXON
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor Don Dixon, who is retiring from Senate service. Don has been a trusted advisor and dear friend for many years.
Approximately 15 years ago, I was blessed to have Don join my staff as my State director of agriculture. He brought to the position his experience as a farmer and his sincere dedication to solving challenges facing the agricultural community. Throughout his Senate service, Don has covered thousands of miles and spent countless hours meeting with constituents and ensuring that their concerns and interests are properly addressed. It has been said that anytime two farmers meet in Idaho, Don is there. This illustration, while not too far from the truth, emphasizes Don's deep personal commitment to ensuring sound representation of Idaho agriculture. For example, he has assisted with multiple farm bills, gathering input from Idahoans to craft the best policy possible, contributing throughout the drafting and providing information to farmers and ranchers when the laws were enacted. He sacrificed weeks with his family when he stayed in Washington, DC, to assist with the crafting of the 2002 farm bill. I have always been able to count on Don to literally go the extra mile for constituents.
Don's dedication and exemplary service led to his appointment to serve as the Idaho State executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency, FSA. While this appointment, unfortunately, led to Don leaving my staff for the first time in 2007, his work on behalf of the agricultural community during his time at FSA and his return to Senate service were welcomed. I feel blessed to have once again benefited from his on-the-ground knowledge of production and agricultural policy for the past 3 years.
His enthusiasm and sincere desire to do all that he can for people are part of what make Don exceptional. His unsurpassed energy, faith, and optimism also set him apart. The humor and get-up-and-go Don brings to any challenge has enabled many accomplishments for Idahoans, and Don is widely respected for his integrity and devotion to achieving results.
Although for many, retirement provides time to slow down and relax, knowing Don, he will likely work as hard in his retirement as he does on the job. ``Idle'' is not a word in Don's vocabulary. However, I hope that retirement provides Don with more time to spend with his family whom he loves so much: his wonderful wife Georgia; his children Lucinda, ``Cindy,'' Lorin, Paul, and Tobin; eight grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Lucky for me, Don is also one of my neighbors in my hometown of Idaho Falls, so I hope to see him often. We have shared many laughs over the years, and I look forward to sharing many more.
Don, you are model public servant, and I feel very fortunate to have benefitted from your wise counsel and hard work for so many years. I wish you the happy retirement you so greatly deserve for your years of dedicated service. Don, thank you for all that you have done on behalf of Idahoans.
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