Long, Carolyn Bason.

Carolyn Elizabeth Bason was born December 1, 1922, in Caswell County, North Carolina to Samuel Murphy Bason and Martha Eliza (Marnie) Hatchett Bason. Her father was a former North Carolina state senator and the president of the Bank of Yanceyville (N.C.), and her mother was a homemaker. In 1943, Carolyn completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Secretarial Administration from the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina in Greensboro. Her first job after graduation was at Duke University, and in January 1945 she relocated to Washington D.C. to work as an office assistant for the North Carolina Senator Clyde R. Hoey. In 1951 she transferred from the Senate Civil Service to the U.S. Dept. of the Navy's Eastern Atlantic Military Assistance Program Advisory Group and spent the next two years stationed in London and Frankfurt. She returned stateside in 1953 and resumed work in Senator Hoey's office until his death in 1954. Hoey was succeeded by Samuel J. Ervin, and Carolyn remained on his staff as his personal secretary through the early 1970s. On December 23, 1969, Carolyn Bason married Louisiana Senator Russell B. Long. During her tenure in Washington D.C., Mrs. Long devoted much of her time to charitable and cultural causes, particularly in promoting historic preservation and the performing arts. She was a member of the International Neighbors Club and the Red Cross unit of the Senate Wives. She served as an officer of the Ladies of the United State Senate and the Congressional Club, and held board positions on the Wolf Trap Foundation and the District of Columbia Multiple Sclerosis Society. Long was an advocate for improving the quality of living and healthcare for the elderly and received the Better Life Award from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society in 1983. She was also a booster for the state of Louisiana, frequently visiting to lend her support to educational and cultural enterprises. Senator Long retired in 1986 and died in 2003. Mrs. Long resides at their home in Washington D.C. and was in attendance at White House and Senate events as recently as 2006.