Senator Specter was the best boss I ever had--tough but fair, gruff but with a wry sense of humor. During my first week of staffing votes, the Senator led me on a wild goose chase through the Capitol building. After failing to find him and brief him for the first three votes, I was convinced that I would be fired. On the fourth vote, I ambushed him outside of his hideaway and grabbed him before voting began. I managed to brief the Senator and he listened to me patiently (it wasn't a complicated vote). He paused and said to me, "Thank you, Sylvia, for being persistent in trying to find me. I know I'm not easy to find." He had an impish grin on his face and winked at me. The Senator knew full well that I had been chasing him down for several days...and that was just the first of several tests.
I can't begin to recount the hilarious comments and funny stories and poignant moments from my time with the Senator--from his questions about my personal life to sitting with him on the Senate floor for two hours while he waited to make remarks after his 10,000th vote to being the first female to do train duty...there are too many. In addition to being my boss, he was also like a grandfather to me. I'm sad that I can't make it to Philly tomorrow to say good bye, but I will always cherish the experiences I had in the Specter office, as well as my former coworkers who I now count as family. We will miss the Senator greatly.
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