[Senate Document 108-7]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Strom Thurmond
LATE A SENATOR FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#15
DELETE
hon. strom thurmond
a
z
1902 -2003
hon. strom thurmond
a
z
1902 -2003
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T1870.000
Strom Thurmond
Memorial Addresses and
Other Tributes
HELD IN THE SENATE
AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OF THE UNITED STATES
TOGETHER WITH A MEMORIAL SERVICE
IN HONOR OF
STROM THURMOND
Late a Senator from South Carolina
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TONGRESS.#05
One Hundred Eighth Congress
First Session
a
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Allard, Wayne, of Colorado.....................
52
Bennett, Robert F., of Utah....................
33
Biden, Joseph R., Jr., of Delaware.............
16, 52
Brownback, Sam, of Kansas......................
51
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
63
Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
57
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
47
Craig, Larry E., of Idaho......................
49
Daschle, Thomas A., of South Dakota............
3
DeWine, Mike, of Ohio..........................
61
Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
47
Dole, Elizabeth, of North Carolina.............
41
Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
38
Dorgan, Byron L., of North Dakota..............
16
Frist, Bill, of Tennessee
...........................................
3, 4, 8, 25, 26, 51
Graham, Lindsey O., of South Carolina
...............................
4, 28, 38
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
6
Hollings, Ernest F., of South Carolina.........
4, 43
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
56
Kyl, Jon, of Arizona...........................
60
Leahy, Patrick J., of Vermont..................
60
Levin, Carl, of Michigan.......................
45
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
59
Sessions, Jeff, of Alabama.....................
9, 53
Stabenow, Deborah Ann, of Michigan.............
25
Stevens, Ted, of Alaska........................
11
Warner, John W., of Virginia...................
13
Proceedings in the House of Representatives:
Tributes by Representatives:
Wilson, Joe, of South Carolina.................
65
Memorial Service......................................
67
BIOGRAPHY
James Strom Thurmond was born December 5, 1902, in
Edgefield, SC. After graduating from Clemson University in
1923, he became a high school teacher and athletic coach.
Soon thereafter he became the county superintendent of
education and then State senator. At night he studied law
under his father, and was admitted to the South Carolina
bar in 1930. He practiced law until 1938 when he became a
circuit judge.
At the age of 21 he joined the U.S. Army Reserve,
becoming a second lieutenant. When World War II was
declared, he was 40 years old. Even though he was beyond
draft age, and, as a judge, held a draft-exempted status,
he volunteered for active duty the day war was declared
against Germany. He served with the Headquarters First
Army in American, European, and Pacific theaters.
On June 6, 1944, Strom Thurmond took part in the D-day
invasion with the 82d Airborne Division and arrived by a
glider on the beaches at Normandy. He was awarded 5 battle
stars and 18 decorations, medals, and awards, including
the Legion of Merit with oakleaf cluster, the Bronze Star
Medal for valor, the Purple Heart, the Belgian Order of
the Crown, and the French Croix de Guerre. After the war
he became a major general in the U.S. Army Reserve.
In 1947 he became Governor of South Carolina. In 1948
Governor Strom Thurmond ran for President as a States
rights Democrat, carrying 4 States and winning 39
electoral votes.
In 1954 Strom Thurmond was elected to the U.S. Senate as
a write-in candidate. This made him not only the first and
only person in U.S. history elected to the Senate in this
manner, but the only person ever elected to any major
office in the United States in this manner.
Senator Strom Thurmond set a record for the longest
individual speech ever delivered in the Senate--24 hours
and 18 minutes, from August 28 to August 29, 1957.
In 1964 Senator Thurmond switched from the Democratic
Party to the Republican Party, a move that marked the
beginning of the ``southern strategy'' that has reshaped
the Republican Party.
In 1981, when Ronald Reagan became President, Senator
Thurmond was chosen as Senate President pro tempore,
placing him third in the line of succession to the
Presidency. He was chosen as President pro tempore two
more times and once as President pro tempore emeritus--a
total of four occasions serving in that capacity.
On March 8, 1996, Senator Thurmond, at the age of 93,
became the oldest person ever to serve in the Senate.
On May 25, 1997, he became the longest serving Senator
in the history of the Senate, surpassing the record of 41
years and 10 months held by Carl Hayden.
In 1998, Senator Thurmond became the second Senator ever
to cast 15,000 votes.
During his Senate career, he served as chairman and
ranking member of both the Armed Services Committee and
the Judiciary Committee. He was chairman emeritus of the
Veterans' Affairs Committee and a member of the Labor and
Human Resources Committee.
Senator Thurmond worked tirelessly for the State of
South Carolina and for the Nation in general. South
Carolina showed its gratitude by honoring the Senator in
many ways. The people of Edgefield County, SC, built and
erected a life-sized statue of Strom Thurmond on the
Edgefield town square. The Strom Thurmond Lake, Dam and
Highway in Clarks Hill; the Strom Thurmond Mall in
Columbia; and the Strom Thurmond National Guard Armory
have all been named in his honor.
There is a Strom Thurmond High School, Auditorium and
Student Center. There are numerous Strom Thurmond chairs
and scholarships. There's the Strom Thurmond Foundation,
which assists in educating 80 to 100 needy, worthy
students annually.
Some of the numerous awards that Senator Thurmond
received are the Disabled American Veterans Outstanding
and Unselfish Service Awards (1964 and 1981); the Medal of
the Knesset, Israel (1982); the Audie Murphy Patriotism
Award (1982); the NY Board of Trade ``Textile Man of the
Year'' (1984); the Presidential Citizens' Medal from
President Ronald Reagan (1989); and the Presidential Medal
of Freedom by President George Bush (1992).
MEMORIAL ADDRESSES
AND
OTHER TRIBUTES
FOR
STROM THURMOND
Proceedings in the Senate
Thursday, June 26, 2003
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, a few moments ago we were made
aware that at 9:45 tonight a close friend, a confidant, a
colleague to most of us in this body, Strom Thurmond,
passed away.
It was a century ago when Mark Twain was alive and Teddy
Roosevelt was President that James Strom Thurmond was born
in South Carolina and at that time began a life unmatched
in public service. Just about all of us in this body have
had the real privilege of serving alongside Strom
Thurmond. A longtime friend of Senator Thurmond, Hortense
Woodson, once said of him: ``Everything he's done has been
done to the full. There's no halfway doings about Strom.''
Indeed, Strom Thurmond will forever be a symbol of what
one person can accomplish when they live life, as we all
know he did, to the fullest. To his family and his
friends, we offer our sincerest sympathies.
It was unexpected that he would die this evening while
we are in the middle of completing a very historic bill,
and it would be clearly appropriate for us to make
recognition of his passing for a moment now, with plans,
either after completion of the bill tonight or tomorrow,
for people to make more extended statements.
Again, we extend to his family our deepest sympathies
and our continued prayers.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Democratic leader.
Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I join with the majority
leader in expressing our heartfelt condolences to the
family and to the State of Strom Thurmond. In many
respects, he was a legend. Many of us had the good fortune
to serve with him as a Senator. He was a Governor, a
Presidential candidate, a soldier, a father, a citizen. In
many respects, he fought, lived, contributed, and
legislated in a way that will be written about and
commented on for years and decades to come.
Much more will be said, but I think as we consider his
contribution tonight we can say, as we consider the
opportunity that we had to serve with him, Republicans and
Democrats, that it was our privilege to do so.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, my friend and colleague of
36 years in the Senate is gone. A giant oak in the forest
of public service has fallen.
I started with Senator Thurmond as a young law student
in 1946 when he first ran for Governor and have been more
or less with him over these many, many years. I will have
a real recount of our work together later. That is the way
it was even though we ended up on opposite sides of the
aisle. There was never any doubt about the interests of
South Carolina.
We have all these arguments going on now with respect,
for example, to judges. He and I got together very early.
We agreed when his President was in office from his
particular party that he had the appointment, but he
always asked me about it and, of course, I in turn asked
him about it. We checked with each other. That is the kind
of way we worked together over 36 years.
I can say a living legend of South Carolina now has been
terminated. But I want to give Nancy and the children my
heartfelt condolences. Peatsy and I have known them and
been with them over many, many years. I will have more to
say at a later time. I thank the leadership for their
recognition. I hope, perhaps, when we complete our work
tonight, we might adjourn out of respect for our
colleague.
Mr. FRIST. Why don't we take just a moment of silence in
honor of Strom Thurmond.
(Moment of silence.)
STROM THURMOND
Mr. GRAHAM of South Carolina. Mr. President, I rise to
make a brief statement, like my colleague from South
Carolina, Senator Hollings, about the passing of Senator
Thurmond. This is something I really don't know how to put
in words. All of us from South Carolina knew Senator
Thurmond in so many ways. But his colleagues in this body,
the vast majority of you, have served with him for many
years. You have great admiration and fondness for Senator
Thurmond but I stand before you as his successor. I often
state back home that we change Senators every 50 years and
that so many people have been waiting to take Senator
Thurmond's place. The jokes just go on and on about what a
rich life he has lived.
Tonight his family is mourning his passing. Whether a
person lives to be 100 or 200, it is difficult to lose
your father. If you lose someone you love, it is always
difficult. But when you think about Senator Thurmond, you
always have a smile on your face.
He lived a rich life. He lived at times a controversial
life. But the biggest testament I can give to Senator
Thurmond is that he changed. He changed with the times.
Those of you who embraced him during difficult times
your love was much appreciated. Recently people have tried
to freeze Senator Thurmond in time which is unfair to him
or anyone else. Those who knew him best understood that he
changed with the times. And his legacy in my State across
party lines, across racial lines, and across regional
lines was that he was the go-to guy. If you had a problem
with your family or with your business, the first thought
in your mind, if the government was involved, or if
somebody was treating you unfairly, was get on the phone
and call Senator Thurmond. You would get a phone call
back, and he would go to bat for you. Whether you owned
the company, or you were the janitor, whether you were
black, white, rich or poor, his office and he as a person
had a reputation of going to bat for individuals. To me,
that is his greatest legacy.
I stand before you as his successor--but not only that,
as his friend. He embraced my campaign in 1995. He came to
campaign for me when he was 93 years of age. And I was
worried to death about whether he could make it through
the day. Three days later I was glad to see him leave
because he about killed me.
He had enthusiasm and passion like no one I have ever
met in my life. He did things he didn't have to do. He was
a sitting judge in South Carolina in his forties. He left
the judgeship to go volunteer for the Army. He landed in a
glider on D-day, he was shot up, the pilot was killed, and
he fought the Germans until they quit, and then he went
over to Japan and fought until they quit.
This man, your friend, my friend, South Carolina's
favorite son, is gone but he will never be forgotten. His
biggest legacy is in the small things he did--not the
large things he did. There are so many large things he
accomplished. But he lives on in families. Great
relationships were established, and good constituent
service. He won his last election by getting more African
American votes than any Republican in the South.
All I can say about Senator Thurmond is that we pray for
his family, we mourn his loss, but we thank God that He
provided us a great public servant.
Well done, Senator Thurmond.
Thank you, Mr. President.
HONORING SENATOR STROM THURMOND
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I wish to take a minute to say
a few words in honor of Strom Thurmond, our friend and
former colleague, who passed away today.
From the moment Strom Thurmond set foot in this Chamber
in 1954, he has been setting records. He was the only
person ever elected to the U.S. Senate on a write-in vote.
He set the record for the longest speech on the Senate
floor, clocked at an astounding 24 hours and 18 minutes.
He was the longest serving Senator in the history of the
U.S. Senate. He was also the oldest serving Senator. Many
of my colleagues will recall the momentous occasion in
September 1998 when he cast his 15,000th vote in the
Senate. With these and so many other accomplishments over
the years, he has appropriately been referred to as ``an
institution within an institution.''
In 1902, the year Strom Thurmond was born, life
expectancy was 51 years--and today it is 77 years. Strom
continued to prove that, by any measure, he was anything
but average.
He saw so much in his life. To provide some context, let
me point out that during his lifetime, Oklahoma, New
Mexico, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii gained statehood, and
11 amendments were added to the Constitution. The
technological advancements he witnessed, from the
automobile to the airplane to the Internet, literally
spanned a century of progress. Conveniences we have come
to take for granted today were not always part of Strom
Thurmond's world. Perhaps this explains why, during
Judiciary Committee hearings, he was often heard asking
witnesses who were too far away from the microphone to
``please speak into the machine.''
The story of his remarkable political career truly could
fill several volumes. It began with a win in 1928 for the
Edgefield County superintendent of schools. Eighteen years
later, he was Governor of South Carolina. Strom was even a
Presidential candidate in 1948, running on the
``Dixiecrat'' ticket against Democrat Harry Truman.
I must admit, he came a long way in his political
career, given that he originally came to the Senate as a
Democrat. I am happy to say that wisdom came within a few
short years when Strom saw the light and joined the
Republican Party.
When I first arrived in the Senate in January 1977, he
was my mentor. As my senior on the Judiciary Committee, it
was Strom Thurmond who helped me find my way and learn how
the committee functioned. He was not only a respected
colleague, but a personal friend.
During his tenure as chairman of the Judiciary
Committee, Strom Thurmond left an indelible mark on the
committee and the laws that came through it. He became
known and respected for many fine qualities and
positions--his devotion to the Constitution, his toughness
on crime, his sense of fairness.
He was famous for his incredible grip. Many of us in
this Chamber had the experience of Strom Thurmond holding
our arm tightly as he explained a viewpoint and asked for
our support. I might add that this proved to be a very
effective approach.
Strom was also known to have a kind word or greeting for
everyone who came his way, and for being extremely good to
his staff. Despite his power and influence, he never
forgot the importance of small acts of kindness. For
example, whenever he ate in the Senate dining room, he
grabbed two fistfuls of candy. When he returned to the
floor of the Senate, he handed the candy out to the Senate
pages. Unfortunately, it was usually melted into a
kaleidoscope of sugar by then. I have a feeling that the
pages preferred it when Strom took them out for ice cream.
Strom Thurmond was truly a legend--someone to whom the
people of South Carolina owe an enormous debt of gratitude
for all his years of service.
Clearly, the people of South Carolina recognize the
sacrifices he made and are grateful for all he did for
them. In fact, you cannot mention the name Strom Thurmond
in South Carolina without the audience bursting into
spontaneous applause. He truly was an American political
icon.
Abraham Lincoln once said, ``The better part of one's
life consists of friendships.'' With a friend like Strom
Thurmond, this sentiment could not be more true. I am a
great admirer of Strom Thurmond, and I am proud to have
called him my friend.
One final note about Strom Thurmond. He was a great
patriot. A decorated veteran of World War II who fought at
Normandy on D-day, Strom Thurmond loved this country. Let
me close by saying that this country loved him, too.
PROGRAM
Mr. FRIST. Tomorrow, the Senate will be in a period for
morning business. Members will be able to pay tribute to
our departed friend and colleague Strom Thurmond. We will
give Members an opportunity to submit statements for the
Record so they can be compiled for a printed tribute to
Senator Thurmond. There will be no rollcall votes
tomorrow.
Again, I thank my colleagues for their hard work over
the past several weeks. We will have more to say about
recent accomplishments of the Senate tomorrow and the
events which culminated in tonight's passage--or this
morning's passage--of the historic prescription drug
benefits bill.
ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 10:15 A.M. TOMORROW
Mr. FRIST. If there is no further business to come
before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
stand in adjournment as a mark of further respect for the
late Senator Strom Thurmond.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 1:15 a.m.,
adjourned until Friday, June 27, 2003, at 10:15 a.m.
Friday, June 27, 2003
The Senate met at 10:15 a.m. and was called to order by
the President pro tempore (Mr. Stevens).
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. Today's prayer will be
offered by our guest Chaplain, the Reverend Daniel P.
Coughlin, Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.
prayer
The guest Chaplain offered the following prayer:
Before the Congress of the United States leaves to
celebrate Independence Day, we pause to pray to You, Lord
God, for the repose of the soul of Senator Strom Thurmond.
Lord, reward this most senior statesman for his many years
of pledged service to this country.
As the Source of life and justice that will last
forever, You have inspired the Founders of this Nation,
individuals such as Senator Thurmond and citizens across
this land, to continually seek what is right: to pursue
lasting values for themselves and for all their brothers
and sisters; and to pray always that they may grow in
virtue and so strengthen this democracy.
Our national celebration this year is an occasion for us
to thank and praise You for this form of government, for
its leaders and for the natural and human resources with
which You continue to endow this great Nation.
May we also take this moment to pray for the new
Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, Chaplain Barry Black. Guide
him by Your holy inspiration to ably respond to the needs
of the Senators and this community. Gift him with the
spirit of wisdom and prayer. And may he always find joy in
serving You by serving in this august chamber. You, Lord
God are America's boast now and forever! Amen.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I wish to take a few
minutes at this time to express my sympathy to the family
of Senator Strom Thurmond, one of America's most dynamic
leaders in this past century, a man who lived through
extraordinary change in his life, a man whose commitment
to his country was unwavering.
I had the opportunity in 1997 to travel with him to
China. He was 94, I believe, at that time. His vigor and
his strength were extraordinarily impressive to me and all
of us who traveled with him. He wanted to see The Wall. He
wanted to meet the people of China. He would tell them:
America and China are friends. We want to be better
friends. He made very perceptive and appropriate remarks.
Then we met Jiang Zemin at his resort in the month of
their vacation time and Strom made an extraordinary speech
that reflected so well America and had so comprehensive an
understanding of the relationships of our countries. That
just struck me particularly.
We went out to a Chinese army base. He trooped the line
of a group of Chinese troops. I remember saying to him
afterward that I never thought I would be in Communist
China, seeing Strom Thurmond, the great cold warrior,
troop the line of a group of Chinese troops. But he was
extraordinary in that way.
I had come up to this Senate in the mid-eighties as a
nominee and it wasn't a very pleasant experience. I will
never forget and will always appreciate his courtesy and
support for me at that time and enjoyed responding a
little bit to that when I was able to come back to this
Senate and he was leader on the Senate Judiciary
Committee, chairman of the Armed Services Committee. It
was just a pleasure to work with him.
He lived through a complete change in the South. He
reflected the change that went on in our region of the
country. I think he did it in a positive and especially
important way. His leadership in moving from the days of
segregation to a new era of relations between the races
was very important and positive throughout the South.
He served his country in an almost unprecedented way. He
was 40 years old when World War II began. He was an
elected judge in his home State and he was an Army
reservist. He insisted that he be allowed to be on active
duty and they allowed him to do so. I understand at first
it wasn't going to happen.
He ended up in England when they were planning for the
Normandy invasion. A number of people were called upon to
fly gliders in during that invasion at the time. He
volunteered to fly on a glider, one of the most dangerous
missions there could be. The planes would pull up these
gliders and get them going and just let them go and they
would have to find a place to land down behind enemy
lines--extraordinarily high risk. Many were killed on
landing. Many were killed in combat, many were separated,
many were injured. That is the kind of man Strom Thurmond
was.
I asked him one time, ``Strom, did you stay in until
Germany surrendered?''
He said, ``Oh, yes, we stayed until Germany surrendered
and we were on a train coming back when they declared the
war on Japan was over. We were being sent to the East.''
He was prepared to go there. As long as this country was
in combat he wanted to be there, committing his life, his
every effort to the defense of this Republic. He did so in
the Senate and he did so in uniform and as a leader in
South Carolina.
He was beloved in his State, respected to an awesome
degree. He won his Senate race on a write-in vote with a
substantial majority, the only Member, I believe, in the
history of this Senate ever to be elected on a write-in
vote. That shows the power and the energy and the vigor
and the leadership of this man. I have appreciated his
friendship.
I know his family is hurting at this time and my
sympathies are extended to them. I know the great members
of his staff, Duke Short and the whole team that worked
with him for so many years, are hurting today and our
sympathies go out to them as well as to the family.
Mr. President, I know you served with Senator Thurmond
so many years. The two of you together have conducted a
remarkable effort to maintain our military strength and
leadership in the world. He was certainly committed to
that.
There are many other things I could say. I will not at
this time. I just express my sympathy to his family, his
friends, the people of South Carolina, and those around
this great country who will mourn his passing.
I thank the President and yield the floor.
The PRESIDENT pro tempore. May the Chair request the
Senator to occupy the Chair so this Senator may speak
about Senator Thurmond?
Mr. SESSIONS. I will be honored to.
Mr. STEVENS addressed the Chair.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sessions). The Senator from
Alaska.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, next Tuesday it will be my
honor to be part of the funeral delegation to South
Carolina to attend the funeral of our departed President
pro tempore. When I first came to the Senate, I was in the
gallery up there watching the debate on the Alaska
statehood bill. A filibuster was being led against that
bill by the Senator from South Carolina. As a matter of
fact, he held up the bill for a considerable period of
time.
Because of his opposition, we developed a strategy of
trying to get the bill passed by the Senate without
amendment--passed by the Senate as it had come to us from
the House, without amendment. It was, I think, the only
statehood bill in history that ever passed both Houses in
identical form without amendment by the Senate. We did
that because we knew if the bill went to conference and
came back, Strom Thurmond would have another shot at the
bill and another filibuster.
I remember that today because I remember how, when I did
finally arrive here in 1968 as a Member of the Senate,
Strom came up to me and said, ``I remember you, boy.''
And he remembered I had been part of the group from the
Eisenhower delegation that worked on our bill. We formed a
friendship that day that I never expected to have.
Strom was, as I have said, a distinguished member of the
U.S. armed services. He was the oldest officer to land in
Normandy. As we all know, he landed in a glider. The pilot
was killed. I talked about that with Strom because I had
been trained to fly gliders. Even though I was a pilot,
some of us were trained to fly gliders in case they needed
glider pilots and I had anticipated I might have gone to
Normandy. Instead, I was sent to China. When I returned
and was a Member of the Senate here, we often discussed
our wartime service. Of course, he was considerably older
than I was and his experience was entirely different. But
over the years I grew, really, to have great fondness for
Senator Thurmond, despite our original, really,
antagonism. Believe me, as an advocate for statehood for
my State, anyone who was going to filibuster that bill was
not exactly a friend at that time. But as we grew together
and grew older together here in the Senate, Strom became a
person who did give me a lot of guidance. At one time he
was chairman of the Armed Services Committee and I was
chairman of the Defense Subcommittee for Appropriations,
and we did a lot of work together.
But my memory of Strom really goes back to the time
after 1981 when we had a dinner for the new President pro
tempore as we had taken the majority in the Senate. Strom
became President pro tempore. I was the assistant leader.
Senator Baker was the leader. We had a dinner at one of
the local hotels. Senator Baker and his wife Joy and I and
my wife Catherine were at the head table. When it became
Strom's time to thank the people there for honoring him,
he started talking with the people at the head table, and
he came to me. I had just been remarried. Catherine and I
were married in December 1980. Just before that dinner,
she had informed me we were going to have a child.
Strom stood up and was introducing people. He came to me
and made some kind remarks about me. And he turned and
said, ``Here is his lovely lady who has now joined our
family. She is a beautiful woman, and isn't it nice that
she is with child?''
I thought Catherine was going to break my arm and bust
my head. I grabbed Strom and asked him to come over and
tell Catherine I had not told him that. She did listen to
him for a moment or two. And he smiled, and said, ``Child,
he never told me. He never told me anything about that.''
He said, ``I just looked at you. I can tell when a woman
is in flower.''
Mr. President, being from Alabama, you can understand
the way he pronounced that.
It is something I will never forget.
When our child came, he became Uncle Strom to Lily
Stevens. Every day he sat here in that chair, he would ask
me about Lily. Lily, as a matter of fact, last evening had
a tear in her voice as she called to tell me she had heard
about Strom.
Strom was really a member of this Senate family. He got
to know every one of us in a way that I think no one else
did because no one else was near 100 years old. He was
like a 1,000-pound gorilla around here; he did what he
wanted to do, but he did it in a way which really
reflected his southern heritage. He was a southern
gentleman to the core.
I have to tell the Senate that there are many things
Senator Strom Thurmond did in his life with which I didn't
agree. There were many votes he cast here on the floor
that I opposed. But I can't think of a person who more
epitomized being a Senator and what it meant to be a
Senator. He lived up to his principles, and he lived up to
the idea of what this democracy is about. He was, I
believe, one of the finest Senators who will ever serve in
this body.
I am honored, following him as President pro tempore, to
go back and participate in the services and to once again
remind his people who sent him to the Senate that he was a
person who became a very distinguished Senator whom
history will always admire.
Thank you very much.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I am deeply moved this
morning, as are Senators all over America today--not only
those who are present in the Senate, but so many who have
gone on from the Senate to other careers--about the loss
of our distinguished colleague Senator Thurmond. I think
it is coincidental, and indeed most fitting, that the
presiding officer in the Chamber this morning is the son
of the distinguished Senator from Rhode Island, Senator
John Chafee.
I first met Senator Thurmond when I joined the then-
Secretary of the Navy, John Chafee, as his principal
deputy and in later years to succeed him. Really, our
first call was to come to the Senate to meet with Richard
Russell, John Stennis, Strom Thurmond, John Tower, and
Barry Goldwater. I remember our calls as the brand-new
team of the Secretary of the Navy during the height of the
war in Vietnam--at least one of the periods of great
intensity--was in 1969. Senator Thurmond greeted us in his
office in the same way that he greeted me throughout my 25
years in the Senate. Each of those years--except since his
retirement in January that I shared with him, as did John
Chafee and others--it was a learning experience every day
you were with him.
I stop to think of the men and women of the Armed Forces
today all across the world, engaged in fighting in
Afghanistan and Iraq, and guarding the outposts of
freedom. They have not lost Strom Thurmond because they
have the wealth of the memories of him. I don't know of
any class of individual--perhaps other than his immediate
family--for whom Senator Thurmond had a deeper or more
abiding love and devotion than those in uniform.
This record last night covered briefly his distinguished
military career, and I don't doubt others will address
that. But we always remember that he was a judge in the
State of South Carolina. By virtue of his age at that
time--I think right on the brink of 40, give or take a
year--he would not have been subjected to the draft. He
would not, by virtue of his judicial position, have had to
leave that position and go into the Armed Forces--other
than by his own free will. He resigned his judicial post
to go into the ranks of the U.S. Army, where he served
with great distinction, going in on D-day with the
airborne assault divisions, landing, helping those who
were wounded--that was his first call--and then marshaling
the forces to mount the offensive against the German army,
and going through those matters until victory in May 1945.
When we walked into his office, two things always struck
me. One was the portrait that was obviously painted in the
period when he was Governor--straight, tall, and erect,
eyes that were penetrating, eyes that reflected a
tremendous inner confidence and conviction, but eyes that
had a soft side, because he did have a soft side. He loved
humor. He was very often the object of a lot of humor,
including respectfully from this humble Senator. But what
a tower of strength. I served with him these many years on
the committee as really an aide-de-camp--yes, a fellow
Senator, but I was happy to be ``General'' Strom
Thurmond's aide-de-camp on many missions--missions that
took me abroad on occasions when he was chairman, and
missions from which I learned so much at the hand of the
great master on the subject of national events. He was
unwavering in his steadfast support of Presidents, be they
Democrat or Republican, and unwavering in his resolve for
the care of the men and women in uniform on active duty,
their families, the retirees. And, oh, Mr. President, did
he love the National Guard. There wasn't a bill that went
through the Armed Services Committee and conference when
he wouldn't tug on my shoulder and say let's beef up a
little bit for the Guard and Reserve here. Remember, in
times of crisis, they are among the first to respond.
That bit of wisdom has proven ever so true. Going back
to the Balkans campaign, the Guard was actively engaged at
all levels of that campaign. The Air Guard, for example,
flew many of the missions carrying food, medicine, and
other supplies to the ravaged civilians and others in
Sarajevo. I remember I joined one time in one of those
missions. I remember it so well because the plane behind
ours was shot down and lost--just to point up the risks
that those Air Guard took on those missions.
Now, today, in Operation Iraqi Freedom, worldwide
efforts against terrorism, once again the Guard and
Reserve are in the forefront--a Guard and Reserve that
have benefited through the many years of Strom Thurmond
being a Senator and receiving a fair allocation of
equipment and money, often in competition with the regular
forces.
But Strom Thurmond was there with his watchful eye on
the Armed Services Committee to ensure that degree of
fairness for the Guard and Reserve. He rose to the rank of
major general. I mentioned his portrait as you walked in.
Then, in a very discreet way, there was a large frame that
contained all of his many decorations. He rarely talked
about them. As a matter of fact, only after one tried to
elicit facts from him would he share facts about the
combat of war and what he received in World War II, and
the other recognitions by our government and other
governments for his contribution to freedom worldwide.
So I say to my dear friend--really a big brother--I
thank him for all he has done for the world, for the
Nation, for this humble Senator and, I daresay, many
others of my comtemporaries, as we came along in this
institution on the learning curve that was often at the
hands of Strom Thurmond.
My final thoughts are with his family, his wife and
children, all of whom I have known throughout these years,
and with whom I have had the privilege so often to be
photographed, from little sizes all the way up, as we do
through the years with our colleagues. But I know the
presiding officer's father, were he here today, would join
in the most fervent and heartfelt expressions with regard
to our comrade, our colleague, our dear friend, Strom
Thurmond.
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, let me add my voice to those
of my colleagues who last evening and this morning have
expressed sympathy to the families of Senator Strom
Thurmond. I was privileged to serve in this Chamber for
many years while Senator Strom Thurmond was a Senator. He
was quite a remarkable American. He was a hero in many
ways. His life was controversial in some ways.
I talked to Strom Thurmond one day about the Second
World War. Americans should know, when he was in his
forties, this man volunteered for service in the Second
World War, volunteered to fly at night in a glider and
crash land behind enemy lines, behind German lines. All of
the rest in that glider were young kids, 18-, 19-, 20-
year-old GIs. This 40-plus-year-old lawyer and judge who
volunteered for service in the Second World War was in
that glider that crash landed behind enemy lines.
He was quite a remarkable American and had a remarkable
political career. In his later years as he suffered health
challenges and difficulties, but he never complained,
ever. He showed up for all of the votes in the Senate even
at times when it appeared to us it was difficult for him
to do so.
The American people, I know, will thank Senator Strom
Thurmond for the service he gave to his country. I wanted
to add my voice to the many others in this Chamber who
wish to remember the memory of this remarkable American.
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I would like to proceed in
morning business to briefly discuss two totally different
subjects, if I may.
I rise initially to acknowledge the passing of a good
friend of mine. People may find it strange to hear the
Senator from Delaware say that, because they are used to
so much hyperbole from all of us in the Senate, in
Congress, and many in public office. They find it
difficult to believe that people with disparately
different views, as Strom Thurmond and I had, were good
friends.
I received a call not too many weeks ago from Nancy,
Strom Thurmond's wife, telling me she had just spoken to
the Senator. To use Nancy's phrase, she said that Strom
``was now on God's time, Joe.'' I wondered for a moment
about exactly what she meant. She went on to say that he
doesn't have much time left, his body is shutting down.
She said he made a request which both flattered me
greatly and saddened me significantly. She said he asked
her to ask me whether or not I would deliver a eulogy for
him at his burial, which is going to take place on Tuesday
next--this coming Tuesday.
It might come as a surprise to a lot of people that on
Tuesday, somewhere approaching 4 or 5 o'clock, people--
including representatives from Strom's family--will stand
up to speak of him and that I will be among them. I am a
guy who as a kid was energized, angered, emboldened, and
outraged all at the same time by the treatment of African
Americans in my State--a border State--and throughout the
South. When I was not much older than the young pages who
are now sitting down there I literally ran for public
office and got involved in public office and politics
because I thought I would have the ability to play a
little tiny part in ending the awful treatment of African
Americans. I will stand up to speak about Strom Thurmond.
In the 1950s I was a child in grade school, and in the
late 1950s and into the 1960s I was in high school. As
hard as it is to believe now, that was an era where, when
you turned on your television, you were as likely to see
``Bull'' Conner and his German Shepherd dogs attacking
black women marching after church on Sunday to protest
their circumstance, or George Wallace standing in a
doorway of a university, or Orville Faubus.
This all started to seep into my consciousness when I
was in grade school, as it did, I suspect, for everyone in
my generation. It animated my interest, as I said, and my
anger. I was not merely intellectually repelled by what
was going on in the South particularly at the time, I was,
as is probably a legitimate criticism of me, angry about
it and outraged about it.
The idea that I would come to the Senate at age 29--to
be precise, I got elected at age 29; by the time I got
sworn in, I turned 30--and 2 years later to be serving on
a committee with J. Strom Thurmond, him the most senior
Republican and me the most junior not only Democrat but
junior member of the committee. Over the next 28 years he
and I would become friends. He and I would, in some
instances, have an intimate relationship.
The idea that my daughter, who is now a 22-year-old
grown woman, would, to this day, in her bedroom, have one
picture sitting on her dresser of all the pictures she has
since she was a child. From the moment she was born--her
father was a Senator and her entire life I have been a
Senator--she has had the privilege of being able to meet
Senators and Presidents and kings and queens. She has one
picture sitting on her bureau. It startled me when I
realized it the other night. She does not live at home.
She, like all young people, is on her own. It is a picture
of her and Strom Thurmond, taken when she was 9 years old,
sitting on her desk.
If you had told me--first off, if you had told me when I
was 20 years old I was going to have a child, that would
have been hard to believe. But if you told me when I was
29 years old--when I did have two children--that one of my
children, as I approached the Senate roughly 30 years
later, would have a childhood picture of her or him in
Strom Thurmond's office, standing next to his desk with
his arm around her, and it was kept on her bureau, I would
have said, ``You have insulted me. Don't do that.''
The only point I want to make today, as I do not intend
at this moment to attempt to eulogize Strom, is that I
think one of the incredible aspects of our democracy--even
more precisely, our government, our governmental system--
that is lost today on so many is it has built into it the
mechanisms that allow you not only to see the worst in
what you abhor and fight it but see the best in people
with whom you have very profound philosophic disagreement.
There is an old expression: Politics makes strange
bedfellows. That is read today by most young people, or
anyone who hears it, as meaning what it maybe initially
meant: that they are strange bedfellows because people
need things from each other, and they compromise. So you
end up being aligned with someone with whom you disagree,
out of self-interest.
But the majesty of this place in which I stand--this
Senate, the floor of this place, the floor of the Senate
at this moment--is it has another impact on people I do
not think many historians have written very well about,
and I think it is almost hard to understand, even harder
to articulate; and that is, it produces relationships that
are a consequence of you looking at the best in your
opponent, the best in the people with whom you serve, the
best about their nature.
I remember, as a young Senator--I guess I was 31--
wandering on the floor one day. New Senators will not like
what I am about to say, but when you are a newer Senator,
you have less hectic Senate responsibilities than you do
when you are a more senior Senator. You are no less
important. But being chairman of a committee gives you the
honor of turning your lights on and turning them off,
meaning you are the first and last there. When you are not
a senior Member, you are not required to do that as much.
So I was wandering literally onto the floor, like my
friend from Montana just has, and there was a debate going
on.
(Mr. BURNS assumed the chair.)
Mr. BIDEN. One of my colleagues, who also became a
friend, was railing against something I felt very strongly
about. And at the time, because of the circumstance in
which I got here, I was meeting regularly, once a week,
with one of the finest men I ever knew, the then-majority
leader Senator Mike Mansfield.
When I got here, between the date I got elected and the
date I arrived, my wife and daughter were killed in an
automobile accident and I was not crazy about being here.
Senator Mansfield, being the great man he was, took on the
role of sort of a Dutch uncle. He would tell me what my
responsibility was and why I should stay in the Senate.
And then, without my knowing it, really, at the time--
looking back, it is crystal clear--he would ask me to come
and meet with him in his office once a week and talk about
what I was doing. But he acted sort of like he was the
principal and I was the young teacher, and I was coming to
tell him how my classes were going. But, really, it was
just to take my pulse and see how I was doing.
Anyway, I walked on the floor one day, and a particular
friend of mine, Jesse Helms--he has become a close friend,
God love him. He is in North Carolina now in retirement--
he was going on about something I had a very serious
disagreement with.
I walked into Senator Mansfield's office--which was out
that door--and I sat down with him. He said, ``How is it
going?'' And I began to rail about how could this Senator
say such and such a thing? It had to do with the Americans
with Disabilities Act or what was being discussed then.
And Senator Mansfield, in his way, just let me go on, and
then he said, ``Joe--I will not bore you with the whole
story. This relates to Strom.'' He said, ``Joe, you should
understand one thing.'' And he told me the story about
Harry Truman.
When Harry Truman first got to the Senate--I will
paraphrase this--he wrote back to his wife Bess and said,
``I can't believe I am here. I can't believe how I got
here with all these great men.''
Apparently, not long thereafter, he wrote back to Bess
and said he couldn't understand how all these other guys
got here.
Well, he told me that story. And he said, ``Let me tell
you, every single solitary man and woman with whom you
will serve in the Senate has something very special that
their constituency sees in them. And your job is to look
for that.''
I can't imagine anybody saying that today, can you? I
can't imagine, in this raw political environment we are
in, somebody having the insight Mike Mansfield had and
telling a novitiate, if you will, a new, young Senator,
that part of my job was to look for that thing in my
colleague, a colleague with whom I have a bitter
disagreement, to look for that thing in him that his
constituency recognized which was special and sent him
here.
Maybe subconsciously, because of that, I became one of
Strom Thurmond's close friends and, as his AA will tell
you, one of his protectors, especially as he got older.
Mike Mansfield was right. I never called Mike Mansfield
``Mike.'' I am standing here as a senior Senator saying
Mike Mansfield. I never called him Mike until the day he
died. I called him Mr. Leader. And Strom Thurmond had a
very special piece of him that his constituents saw that
had nothing to do with the most celebrated aspects of his
career.
The most celebrated aspects of his career were the ones
I abhor the most: The filibuster to fight civil rights and
to keep black Americans in the shadow of white Americans
or signing the Southern Manifesto.
It is funny--I say to my friend from Montana--I actually
got tied up with a lot of Southerners.
Senator John Stennis became my friend. I had his office.
I have the table he presented to me in the conference room
that had been Richard Russell's, upon which--I am told--
the Southern Manifesto was signed. I might note
parenthetically, if you all know John Stennis, he talked
at you like this all the time. He would hold his hand like
this. When I was looking through his office, when he was
leaving, to see whether I could take his office because of
my seniority, he reminded me of the first time I came by
his office as a young Senator to pay my respects, which
was a tradition then. And I sat down at that conference
table which he used as his office desk.
He patted the leather chair next to me. After
congratulating me he said, ``Sit down. What made you run
for the Senate?''
And like a darn fool I told him the exact truth. I said,
``civil rights, sir.''
As soon as I said it, I could feel the beads of sweat
pop out on my head, my underarms get damp. Why am I
telling this old segregationist that the reason was civil
rights? That is not a very auspicious way to start off a
relationship.
He looked at me and said, ``Good.''
That was the end of the conversation.
Over the intervening years, we served 18 years. We
shared a hospital room in Walter Reed for 3 months. He was
in there, and I was. He became supportive of me in my
effort to run for President back in the 1980s. We became
good friends. But 18 years later, when I came back to look
at his office to see whether or not I would take his
office because it was a more commodious space, I walked
into the office. It was during that interregnum period
after the Presidential election. President Bush was about
to take office. There had been this transition.
Anyway, I said to his secretary of many years--I am
embarrassed, I can't remember her first name. I think it
may have been Mildred. He was in the Senate 42 years,
maybe 43--``Is the chairman in?''
She said, ``Senator, you can go right into his office.''
I walked in. He was sitting in the same spot he was 18
years earlier. Only this time in a wheelchair with an
amputated leg was John Stennis. I said, ``Mr. Chairman, I
apologize.''
He said, ``Come in, sit down.'' He patted the chair. I
sat down. He startled me. He said, ``You all remember the
first time you came to see me, Joe?''
I had not. And he reminded me. I looked at him and he
recited the story. And I said, ``I was a pretty smart
fellow, wasn't I, Mr. Chairman?''
And he said, ``I wanted to tell you something then and I
am going to tell you now.'' He said, ``You are going to
take my office, aren't you?''
I said, ``Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman.''
He caressed that table--it was a big mahogany table
about half the size of the table in the Cabinet Room--as
if it was an animate object. He said, ``Do you see this
table, Joe?''
I said, ``Yes, Mr. Chairman.''
He said, ``This table was the flagship of the
Confederacy from 1954 to 1968.'' He said, ``Senator
Russell would have us every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday--I
forget what day--and we would have lunch here. Everybody
had a drawer.'' And he opened one of the drawers. He said,
``We planned the demise of the civil rights movement at
this table.'' He said, ``It is time now that this table go
from a man against civil rights to a man for civil
rights.'' I give you my word on that.
I was moved by that. I looked at him, and he said, ``One
more thing, Joe, before you leave.'' He said, ``The civil
rights movement did more to free the white man than it did
the black man.''
And I said, ``How is that, Mr. Chairman?''
None of you here are old enough to remember him, but
again the way he talked, he went like this, he said, ``It
freed my soul.''
The point I want to make that I am grappling with here
is the men and women who serve here, and Strom Thurmond in
particular, actually change. They actually grow. They
actually, because of the diverse views that are here and
the different geography represented, if you are here long
enough, it rubs against you. It sort of polishes you. Not
in the way of polish meaning smooth, but polishes you in
the sense of taking off the edges and understanding the
other man's perspective.
I believe Strom Thurmond was a captive of his era, his
age, and his geography.
I do not believe Strom Thurmond at his core was racist.
But even if he had been, I believe that he changed, and
the news media says he changed, they think, out of pure
opportunism. I believe he changed because the times
changed, life changed. He worked with, he saw, he had
relationships with people who educated him, as well as I
have been educated.
Hubert Humphrey wrote a book--and I had the great honor
of serving with him--called ``The Education of a Public
Man.'' I watched Strom Thurmond as the percentage of his
staff increased in terms of black representation. He and I
were chairmen, or cochairmen, of the Judiciary Committee
for almost two decades--16 years I believe. I watched him.
He would lean over to me in the middle of a hearing
because we had a genuine trust and say, ``Joe, what did
they mean by that?''
I will never forget we were holding a hearing on a
Supreme Court Justice, and at the end the last group of
witnesses we had--we had six witnesses--included a young
man representing the Gay and Lesbian Task Force. He was
chairing and I was the only one with him because the
hearing was already finished and these were people coming
to register opposition or support. They ranged from all
kinds of groups that were before us--extremely
conservative ones and liberal ones--to give everybody
their say. Everybody on the committee knew it was
basically over. Because of being the ranking Democrat or
ranking Republican or the chairman, you have to be there.
I will never forget sitting next to him and he leaned
over and said, ``What is he saying?'' This young man was
explaining the point of view of why, in fact, to be gay
was not to be in any way maladjusted. But Strom came from
an era and a time that was different, so he looked at the
young man and he said, ``Have you received psychiatric
help, son?''
Now, everybody in that room who was under the age of 40
laughed and thought he was being a wise guy. He was
serious.
He leaned over to me and he said, ``Joe, why do they
call it `gay' ''?
He wasn't being snide. He literally, at 91 years old,
didn't understand that. I guess it must not have been
Rehnquist. It must have been someone later. He did not
understand. Remember, this man was over 100 years old. He
came from the Deep South. People from the far North don't
understand either. But he came from an environment that
was so different. But in this place, over time, he had the
ability, without even knowing it, to apply Mike
Mansfield's standard, which was to look at the other guy
or woman and try to figure out what is the good thing
about them that caused their people to send them here,
with all their warts, foibles and faults.
I deem it a privilege to have become his friend. We were
equals in the sense that our vote counted the same. Our
influence on some issues was the same. But I am 60 and he
was 100. There was always a 40-year chasm between us. I
could say things to Strom and be irreverent with him. I
could grab him by the arm and say, ``Strom, don't''--which
I would not have been able to do if there had been a 10-
year difference. I was like the kid. It is strange--I find
it strange even talking about it--how this relationship
that started in stark adversarial confrontation ended up
being as close as it was, causing Strom Thurmond to ask
his wife whether I would deliver a eulogy for him. I don't
fully understand it, but I do know it is something about
this place, these walls, this Chamber, and something good
about America, something good about our system, and it is
something that is sorely needed--to look in the eyes of
your adversary within our system and look for the good in
him, and not just the part that you find disagreeable or,
in some cases, abhorrent.
I will end on a more humorous note. I had the privilege
of being asked to be one of the four people to speak at
his 90th birthday party. The other people were George
Mitchell, then majority leader, a fine man; Bob Dole; and
Richard Milhouse Nixon. It was before a crowd of a
thousand or more people, black tie, here in Washington. It
was quite an event. It kind of shocked everybody that I
was asked to be one of the speakers. It shocked me to be
seen with Richard Milhouse Nixon, even though he was
President when I arrived here.
I did some research about Strom to find out about his
background before I did this tribute on his 90th
birthday--a combination tribute and roast. You know what I
found? I found a lead editorial--I don't have it now--from
the year 1947 or 1948 from the New York Times, and the
title, if memory serves me correct, is something like
``The Hope of the South.'' It was about Strom Thurmond.
The New York Times, the liberal New York Times, in the
late forties--it must have been 1947--wrote about this
guy, Strom Thurmond, a public official in South Carolina,
who got himself in trouble and lost a primary because he
was too empathetic to African Americans. When he was a
presiding judge, he started an effort statewide in South
Carolina to get better textbooks and materials into black
schools, and he tutored young blacks and set up an
organization to tutor and teach young blacks how to read.
I think it was in 1946 or 1947. The essence of the
editorial was that this is ``the hope of the South.'' In
the meantime, he got beat by a sitting Senator for being
``weak on race.''
I think Strom Thurmond learned the wrong political
lesson from that and decided no one would ever get to the
right of him on this issue again. But I also was sitting
next to him when he voted for the extension of the Voting
Rights Act.
The only point I want to make is, people change, people
grow, and people react to crises in different ways. I
choose to remember Strom Thurmond in his last 15 years as
Senator rather than choose to remember him when he started
his career.
I do not choose that just as a matter of convenience. I
choose that because I believe men and women can grow. I
believe John Stennis meant it when he said the civil
rights movement saved his soul. I believe Strom Thurmond
meant it when he hired so many African Americans, signed
on to the extension of the Voting Rights Act, and voted
for the Martin Luther King holiday.
I choose to believe that he meant it because I find it
hard to believe that in the so many decent, generous, and
personal acts that he did for me that it did not come from
a man who is basically a decent, good man, and the latter
part of his career reflects that.
I choose it not just because I am an optimist. I choose
it not just because I want to believe it. I choose it not
just because I believe there is a chemistry that happens
in this body. I choose it because I believe basically in
the goodness of human nature and it will win out, and I
think it did in Strom.
I will have more to say--or less to say but hopefully
more succinctly and in a more articulate way--at his
funeral.
I close by saying to Nancy, Strom, Jr., and all of his
children, how much I cared about their father, how much,
in a strange way, he taught me, and how much I hope he
learned from those of us who disagreed so much with his
policy on race. The human side of this can never be lost.
They lost the blood of their blood, bone of their bone. It
was a tough time. But I am flattered that he asked me, and
I just hope that I and others are worthy of his memory
when we speak of him on Tuesday.
SENATOR STROM THURMOND
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I take a moment to send my
thoughts and prayers to the family of Senator Strom
Thurmond of South Carolina, a man of a remarkable career
who made his mark in the permanent history books of the
Senate and the country. I know he will be remembered at
the funeral next week that many colleagues will be
attending. We send our thoughts and prayers to his family
at what I am sure is a difficult time as they face this
loss.
THE HONORABLE J. STROM THURMOND, FORMER U.S. SENATOR AND
PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE EMERITUS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH
CAROLINA
Mr. FRIST. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that
the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S.
Res. 191, which is at the desk, and I ask that the
resolution be read.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the
resolution.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 191) relative to the death of the
Honorable J. Strom Thurmond, former United States Senator
and President Pro Tempore Emeritus from the State of South
Carolina.
S. Res. 191
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond conducted his
life in an exemplary manner, an example to all of his
fellow citizens;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond was a devoted
husband, father, and most recently, grandfather;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond gave a great
measure of his life to public service;
Whereas, having abandoned the safety of high position,
the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond served his country during
World War II, fighting the greatest threat the world had
thus far seen;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond served South
Carolina in the United States Senate with devotion and
distinction;
Whereas his service on behalf of South Carolina and all
Americans earned him the esteem and high regard of his
colleagues; and
Whereas his death has deprived his State and Nation of a
most outstanding Senator: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable J. Strom Thurmond, former Senator and President
Pro Tempore Emeritus from the State of South Carolina.
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate
these resolutions to the House of Representatives and
transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the
deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to
consider the resolution.
Mr. FRIST. Madam President, this resolution has been
submitted by myself and on behalf of Senator Daschle,
Senator Graham, and Senator Hollings in honor of the
Honorable and great J. Strom Thurmond.
Last night shortly after 9:45, we were notified of the
death of Strom Thurmond. At that time, I pointed out that
it was a century ago--a long time ago--when Mark Twain was
alive and Teddy Roosevelt was still President, J. Strom
Thurmond was born in Edgefield, SC, and thus began a life
of public service unmatched in the modern history of
America.
Strom Thurmond served as U.S. Senator from December
1954, 2 years after I was born, until January of this
year, nearly a half century of service in this body--this
body we have the honor of participating in on a daily
basis.
Though his period of service is a remarkable
accomplishment in and of itself, Strom led a remarkable
life even before coming to the Senate. Late last night and
over the course of the morning, if one turned on a
television set, they would hear anecdotes, stories about
this great man, and those pre-Senate years when he was a
teacher, an athletic coach, and a superintendent of
education.
He studied law under his father, Judge J. William
Thurmond, and became a city attorney, county attorney,
State senator, and eventually circuit court judge. He
resigned his position as a circuit court judge to
volunteer to fight in World War II. This he did at the age
of 39, 18 years after serving as an Army reservist and
having earned a commission as a second lieutenant.
Indeed, as we all know, age never was an obstacle for
Strom Thurmond. As a member of the 82d Airborne, Strom
landed in a glider at Normandy on D-day and helped secure
the foothold for the Allies to liberate the European
continent.
For his distinguished service, Strom was awarded 5
battle stars and 18 other decorations, including the
Legion of Merit with oakleaf cluster, the Purple Heart,
the Bronze Star for valor, the Belgian Order of the Crown,
and the French Cross of War. No wonder when a speechwriter
once used the word ``afraid,'' Strom Thurmond handed the
text back with the retort: I've never been afraid of
anything.
After the war, Strom returned home to South Carolina. He
was elected Governor in 1946 and then ran for President of
the United States as the States rights Democratic
candidate. Strom won 4 States and 39 electoral votes, and
that tally stands as the third largest independent
electoral vote in U.S. history.
Though he did not win the Presidency, Strom was
determined to serve in Washington. He ran for the Senate
in 1954 and became the only candidate elected to Congress
by a write-in vote in American history, and he was re-
elected eight more times.
In the most recent years, it became increasingly
difficult for Strom to go back and forth to South
Carolina, but that did not stop the people of South
Carolina from coming to him, and it should not have. For
decades, Strom attended every county fair, handled every
constituent request, and sent a congratulatory note to
every high school graduate, many of whom came to intern in
his office. It has been said that almost 70 percent of
South Carolinians have met Strom Thurmond face to face.
Over the course of his long and distinguished career,
Strom Thurmond was a witness to history. As a young man,
he knew people who stood in the presence of Andrew
Jackson. He campaigned for the votes of men who fought in
the Civil War. He and Herbert Hoover won their first
elective office in the same year, 1928.
Strom more than saw history, he wrote it. He was the
first major southern Democrat to switch to the Republican
Party. He served for more than 17 years as President pro
tempore of the Senate. As chairman of the Armed Services
Committee, he ensured that our men and women of the Armed
Forces had the best training, the best equipment, and the
best leadership in the world.
As we all know, Strom did set the record for the oldest
and longest serving Senator. He served with about one-
fifth of the nearly 2,000 men and women who have been
Members of the Senate since 1789. He was nearly half the
age of the U.S. Constitution. Strom certainly faced his
trials. As the Dixiecrat candidate for President in 1948,
he campaigned on a platform of States rights, but in doing
so he also opposed civil rights, as he did for many years
as a Senator.
History will reflect that part of Strom's life. We will
let history also reflect that when Strom saw that America
had changed, and changed for the better, he changed, too.
A longtime friend of Senator Thurmond, Hortense Woodson,
once said of him: ``Everything he's done has been done to
the full. There's no halfway doings about Strom.''
Indeed, Strom Thurmond will forever be a symbol of what
one person can accomplish when they live life to the
fullest. God bless our friend and our colleague from South
Carolina, Senator Strom Thurmond.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
Mr. GRAHAM of South Carolina. Madam President, I
compliment our majority leader for his statement. It was
very eloquent and it means a lot to Senator Thurmond's
family.
I know personally that Senator Thurmond had a great
fondness for Senator Frist. He told me he is a very smart
man and he is a good doctor, too. If you ever need him,
look him up.
I rise today in support of this resolution on behalf of
myself and Senator Hollings. I appreciate the majority
leader and Senator Daschle allowing this to occur. It is
offered in the spirit of Strom Thurmond's life. Something
can be said about Strom Thurmond in the Senate very
easily. He loved the Senate and the Senate loved him. His
colleagues who have served with him so long all have
personal stories of fun, good times, tough fights. He was
a valuable ally and a worthy opponent, and the Senate has
lost its longest serving Member. Many of us have lost a
very dear friend. That goes for the Senate family, the
people who help us with the doors, the clerks, and the
reporters of debates. Everyone enjoyed and appreciated
Senator Thurmond.
It is important to comment on Senator Thurmond, the man.
His children have lost their father. Whether one is 100 or
200, it is always difficult, no matter how long one lives,
to give up their father and mother.
I have talked to two of his three children today, and I
have expressed my condolences. They are doing very well
but they are sad because they have lost their daddy. I
have talked with his wife. We reminisced about their life
together, the raising of their children, and the
experiences they have had. So my prayers, along with the
prayers of everyone in the Senate, go to the family. He
was a good family man. If a script was written in
Hollywood about his life, it would not have ended any
better in this regard.
He became a first-time grandfather at the age of 100
last week. He has three children under 30. He had his
first child when he was 68. He was just a phenomenal
person. He has done things that most of us could not dream
of doing in many ways.
I am convinced that two things drove him in his final
years: That he wanted to finish out his term because he is
not a quitter, and when he was elected to serve his last
6-year term he meant to serve it out. He helped me to
become his successor, and I will be forever grateful. He
also wanted to see his grandchild born, and God allowed
him to do that. He was presented his grandson last week.
They tell me it was a very magic and touching moment. A
week later, he passed on.
He has suffered personal tragedy, lost a daughter in an
accident. He has experienced much good and bad in his
life. He has touched so many people. It is a loss to the
Senate. It is a loss to his family. It is a loss to his
staff.
Duke Short, who served with Senator Thurmond in
Washington for so many years, was a very loyal and capable
staff director. I know that Duke and his family feel the
loss.
Dr. Abernathy in South Carolina has been with Strom
Thurmond since the 1940s when he worked with him as
Governor. Dr. Abernathy is a legend in his own right.
There are so many people who have worked for Senator
Thurmond throughout the years, and I know they feel this
loss. Senator Thurmond has had enough interns to probably
fill up a football stadium. His first group of interns is
now on Social Security.
He was elected in 1954. I was born in 1955. All I have
known in my life is Senator Thurmond, and for 36 years
Senator Thurmond and Senator Hollings served together.
Both of them are distinctive gentlemen, bigger than life.
A lot of us who have associated with Senator Thurmond feel
his loss.
South Carolina has lost her favorite son. Much has been
said and will be said of Senator Thurmond's legacy. The
majority leader, Senator Frist, went over his life very
well, and it is just an amazing story to tell: Being a
superintendent of education in the 1920s; getting elected
for the first time in 1928; being a judge in South
Carolina at the start of World War II; deciding to give up
that job which would have exempted him from service, being
in his early forties; joined the 82d Airborne, landing in
a glider. The pilot of the glider was killed when it
landed. His men were wounded. He led them out and secured
the objective.
When the war in Europe was over, he volunteered to go to
Japan and he fought until they quit. He was just an
unbelievable person who embraced life.
People ask me, ``How did he make it so long?'' He just
had a passion. He had a passion for everything he did--his
family, his constituents. His legacy in South Carolina is
quite simple for every South Carolinian--black, white,
rich, poor, no matter whether you are from upstate,
downstate or middle of the State--I am sure every State
has different regions and different dialects but the one
thing we had in common: If we had a problem, we knew whom
to call. We knew to pick up the phone and call Senator
Thurmond because if he could help you, he would.
The average, everyday South Carolinian, from the company
owner to the janitor, believed that Senator Thurmond was
on their side. And when they called, they received a call
back. When they wrote a letter, they received a letter
back. The reason I know that is people tell me everywhere
I go.
One guy told me Senator Thurmond used to cut his grass.
These stories abound. Some of them have been embellished,
I am sure, but the only way that he could have lasted this
long in politics, doing as many things as he has done,
taking on the issues that he has taken on, is that at the
end of the day people saw that he had a servant's heart.
Part of his legacy is the 1948 campaign, and it needs to
be mentioned. Senator Frist mentioned it. That was a tough
time in our country. He ran as a States rights candidate
with a lot of passion for the limited role of the Federal
Government. He won on the platform that divided the races.
That was a dark time in South Carolina. That was a dark
time in our Nation.
Senator Thurmond made a choice later in life. He could
have done almost anything he wanted. But as the 1950s came
to a close and the 1960s came about and people started
insisting their Government treat them better, Senator
Thurmond made a choice. Instead of hanging on to the
rhetoric of the past and the politics of the past, he
embraced the future.
Here is what he does not get much credit for. Instead of
going with the flow, which some people want to ascribe to
him, he in a subtle way led a change. He could have been a
barrier to change, but he made it easy for people in South
Carolina, politicians on the Democratic and Republican
sides, to embrace change because when Strom came out for
something, it made it easier for you to come out for
something because it gave you cover. When Strom Thurmond
appointed the first African American judge in the history
of South Carolina to the Federal bench, it made it easier
for the people in the statehouse to give appointments to
African Americans. That is what we do not need to lose.
When he embraced traditional black colleges and started
giving them the same recognition and funding as every
other university in South Carolina, it made it easier for
the legislature to improve the quality of life for
everybody. At the end of his life, in 2001, he was awarded
lifetime recognition from the Urban League in South
Carolina, that is designed to build racial harmony, for
his lifetime of service to traditionally African American
colleges.
That needs to be mentioned as much as the 1948 campaign.
He will be held accountable in history for that part of
his life. History should know that in many subtle ways, in
many bold ways, he allowed my State to move forward, and
everybody in my State is better off for it.
From a personal point, when I was in the House, I was
the first Republican to be elected from my Third
Congressional District in 120 years. One reason I was able
to win when everybody behind me was beaten for 120 years
was Senator Thurmond, for the first time in his political
career, embraced a campaign very directly--because he had
been smart enough not to get involved in political races
and try to represent everybody. He took to me, and I am
the beneficiary of that. He said, ``I will come and
campaign for you, Lindsey.'' I said, ``Great.'' And I
turned to my staff and said, ``What do you do with a 92-
year-old man?'' I was worried we would wear him out and we
could not utilize his services. I was worried about him at
age 92. Three days he campaigned for me. When he left, I
said, ``Thank God he is gone.'' He wore me out.
He had a passion I had never seen. I picked him up at
the airport on day 1, in an airplane flown by his personal
pilot who was 75 years old, a single engine plane. We went
to a parade in September. It is hot in South Carolina in
September. We went from one end of town to the other
shaking hands. We went to the funeral home because he
remembered the guy who owned the funeral home always gave
him apples. He walked in unannounced because the Senator
wanted apples, and he got the apples. He campaigned all
day. We had a fundraiser that night. We went to a football
game that night. He made a speech at half time. We went to
a rodeo that started at 9 o'clock at night, and he got up
in the middle of the ring on a barrel and gave a speech.
He wanted to see the third shift change at the textile
plant. I said, ``I am too tired,'' and I went home. That
went on for 3 days.
When he left, I asked him to sign a fundraising letter
for me. We were all worn out. He looked at the letter and
he said, ``You misspelled your own name and you are in the
Third District, not the Second District.''
At 92 years of age, he had a passion and he helped me. I
stand appreciative. When I ran for the Senate, he endorsed
me in a primary. I can tell you, I would not be his
successor if he had not come out and said, ``Lindsey
Graham is the right guy to follow me.'' That will stick
with me forever.
What have I learned from Senator Thurmond? If you are
willing to change, you can serve your State and Nation
well. If you care about people, they will take care of
you. Let it be said that God gave to this Nation, my
State, South Carolina, a public servant, a man of great
character and heart, and that we miss him, but we thank
God that he gave us J. Strom Thurmond.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Utah.
Mr. BENNETT. Madam President, I enjoyed hearing my
colleague from South Carolina tell his stories about Strom
Thurmond. I rise to join the tribute to the memory of
Strom Thurmond that is, very appropriately, the day after
his death.
Most of the time when someone dies, we gather in great
sorrow and we mourn his passing and we think about what
might have been. In Strom's case, there is no reason to
think about what might have been. He did it all. There was
nothing left undone. There was nothing left to accomplish.
This should not be a time of mourning or sorrow but a
time of celebration. So I rise to celebrate the life of
Strom Thurmond. The best way to do that, I think, is to
tell Strom Thurmond stories. All of us are full of Strom
Thurmond stories.
I remember D-day, when the big celebration occurred on
the anniversary of D-day and Strom Thurmond was not there.
Arlen Specter, who was there, greeted him in the Senate
and said, ``Strom, it was a marvelous, marvelous
celebration, and you should have been there.'' And his
response was, ``I was there when it counted.'' It put us
in our place.
My father had the experience of working with Strom
Thurmond. My father was elected in 1950, and, as has been
noted, Strom Thurmond was elected in 1954. They became
instant friends, not just political friends. There were
occasions when they disagreed politically, but they became
personal friends.
When Strom married, my mother--old enough to be Strom's
wife's mother--kind of took Nancy under her wing and they
became friends. The Thurmonds and the Bennetts remained
close for a long, long time, to the point when my children
started getting married, my parents said, ``You have to
send Strom Thurmond an announcement.'' And we did and
thought we had taken care of our social obligation. Then
we get a phone call from Strom Thurmond's office, ``We got
this announcement, and we don't mean to be prying, but who
are you?'' ``Well, we are the children of Wallace
Bennett.'' There was a pause. Then the person on the end
of the line asked, ``And who's Wallace Bennett?''
But Strom knew who Wallace Bennett was, and when I came
to the Senate, Strom greeted me very warmly and called me
Wallace. It took a little while for him to figure out that
I was not my father. And that was a compliment to me
because I was very proud of my father and the service he
performed in the Senate, and I took the opportunity to
touch base with Strom.
From that, I thought: This man in his nineties is not
all that sharp. He confuses me. He does not have all of
this as straight as he might. Then I had a couple of
experiences that set me straight. We had an issue with the
State of Utah that was all wrapped up in the Armed
Services Committee. It was quite a complicated issue.
Someone said to me, ``Explain that to John Warner because
John Warner is second ranking to Strom and is handling all
of the detailed kind of things. You go talk to John
Warner.'' He said, ``You will be talking to somebody who I
know can handle the problem.''
So I went to Senator Warner and I started outlining the
details of this situation to him. He cut me off. He said,
``You are going to have to talk to the chairman.''
I, having had this image of this old man, thought, I
don't really want to have to talk to the chairman. And, as
delicately as I could, I said to John, ``Can't we work
this through and kind of handle it?'' He said, ``No.'' He
said, ``That is a serious enough issue, I don't dare
handle that. You are going to have to talk to the
chairman.''
Just then, Senator Thurmond walked through the doors.
So, gathering up my courage as a freshman Senator, I
walked over to him and said, ``Senator Thurmond, I would
like to visit with you about--'' and I no sooner got the
title of the issue out of my mouth, than he said, ``It's
all taken care of.'' And he kept walking. I followed him
along, sure that he had not understood what I was talking
about. This was a complicated kind of issue, and he had
oversimplified it and assumed that it had been taken care
of.
So I started to intrude again with some of the details.
He was very respectful and wasn't patronizing. But he
said, ``I know; I understand; all taken care of.''
Well, thus dismissed, I went back to my staff and said,
``I think we have a problem here. Senator Warner won't
handle it, and he insists that Senator Thurmond has to
handle it, and Senator Thurmond just said it has all been
taken care of.''
We contacted the Armed Services Committee staff, and
they said, ``Oh, yes, that has all been dealt with.
Senator Thurmond stepped in, he understood the issue, he
made his decisions, he took care of it, and it is all
taken care of.''
So I decided, well, I had better not underestimate this
man in spite of his age.
Then I had the experience while I was on the campaign
plane with Senator Dole in the 1996 election when we were
flying around the eastern States on the day of the South
Carolina primaries. The word came in that Senator Dole was
winning the South Carolina primary. We had some exit polls
that looked pretty good. We decided to change our
itinerary and fly to South Carolina so that Senator Dole
could be there to receive the plaudits and applause and
the excitement of winning the South Carolina primary. So
we did. Of course, this had been a long day. We didn't
leave South Carolina to come back to Washington on the
campaign plane until after the returns were in and all of
the celebrations had been held.
Senator Dole, very appropriately, went up into the front
part of the plane to take a nap as we were flying back.
Senator Thurmond had hitched a ride back to Washington on
the campaign plane. That left Senator Thurmond and me and
one or two others sitting around the table just behind the
front part of the plane chatting.
It was now midnight, way past my bedtime, and here we
were having political discussions on a campaign plane in
the middle of the Presidential campaign--the kind of thing
that political junkies like me love to do. It was a great
discussion. But the interesting thing about it was that
Strom Thurmond not only understood the discussion and
participated in the discussion, but he led the discussion.
He was instructing us about political lore. He was telling
tales out of his past, which is what old people often do.
But he was also analyzing things for the future and had a
firm hand on everything. I thought I was talking to a man
at least 20 and maybe 30 years younger than his
chronological age. I understood: OK, this man still has
all of his faculties, mental as well as physical.
We landed at Dulles Airport well after 1 o'clock in the
morning. Everybody was dragging except Strom, who strode
off to his car in fine style. I remember what he said on
that occasion about how you live a long time. He said you
eat right, you exercise regularly, and you keep a positive
outlook. He did all of those things, although I am not
quite sure about the eating right part because there were
times when I caught Strom eating some things that I am not
sure a dietician would recommend.
The time came for him to run for re-election. I couldn't
believe at 94 he was going to run for re-election. Ninety-
four is the time you retire. Being a skeptic, I had a hard
time believing the people of South Carolina would vote for
a 94-year-old man. So I sidled up to one of his top
staffers as we were getting ready for that campaign. I
said, ``Can Strom Thurmond really win one more time in
South Carolina? Is this going to be close?'' He said,
``No, it is not going to be close at all. Strom is going
to win going away.''
By the way, I remembered when the Republicans had taken
control of the Senate in 1994 and we were having our
discussions about platforms. One of the issues that was
raised by one of the freshman Senators newly elected was
term limits and how we needed to be for term limits. We
were debating back and forth. Strom was sitting there not
talking. Suddenly, he spoke up, and he said, ``I am for
term limits.'' We all kind of giggled a little. He said,
``But if they are not enacted, I am going to run again.''
Here he was running again--94 years old. And I was being
told by his staff that Strom would win overwhelmingly. I
said, ``Look, we all love him. We all love the history.
But 94 years old?'' He said, ``Let me tell you a story.''
This is my favorite Strom Thurmond story.
He said,
Strom's AA got a phone call from a woman in South
Carolina who said, ``I need the Senator's help. Here is
the situation. My fiance and I got married just before he
shipped out in the Navy for a 6-month cruise in the
Mediterranean. We knew we would not like the separation,
but we decided, for a variety of reasons, that we should
get married now rather than wait until after he got back.
He has just called me and said he has been given leave. He
has 2 weeks of leave right now in the middle of this 6-
month tour, except that he cannot leave the theater in
case something should arise that would require him to be
back on the ship within 24 hours. He has to stay in or
around the Mediterranean area where his ship is. So he
said, `catch an airplane, come over here, we can have a 2-
week honeymoon in the Mediterranean and I can still be
available for the military situation, if it should arise.'
''
She said, ``I went down to get my passport and I was
told it takes 2 weeks to get a passport. By the time I get
a passport to fly over to be with my husband, his leave
will be up and he will have to get back on the ship. Can
the Senator help me get a passport any faster than 2
weeks?''
``Well,'' said the staffer, ``I will find out.'' He
called the woman in South Carolina who was handling
passports and introduced himself and said, ``I am calling
on behalf of Senator Thurmond to see what we can do about
getting this woman's passport a little faster.'' The
passport lady said, ``It takes 2 weeks.'' ``Well, Senator
Thurmond would really be grateful.'' She said, ``I don't
care what Senator Thurmond wants. It takes 2 weeks. I
don't care who you are, and I don't care who he is.
Passports take 2 weeks.''
``Well,'' he said, ``I have to tell you that under these
circumstances, I am now going to have to call Senator
Thurmond. When there is a situation I can't handle myself,
I have to involve him. Those are my instructions.'' She
said, ``Call him. Tell him anything you want. He can call
me. I don't care. Passports take 2 weeks.''
So he said, ``Well, I am not threatening you. I am just
telling you. I have to call Senator Thurmond.''
So he hung up talking to the passport lady, and picked
up the phone and called Senator Thurmond. Now, it seems
Senator Thurmond was in Germany, and it was in the middle
of the night in Germany, but his instructions were that he
was to call Senator Thurmond in any such situation. So he
woke Senator Thurmond up, in the middle of the night in
Germany, and started to explain this situation.
He did not get half way through the explanation I have
given here when Senator Thurmond asked, ``What is her
name?''
He said, ``Well, her name is--'' and he started to
describe the wife of the marine who was sent out with the
Navy.
Senator Thurmond said, ``No, no, not her name, the
passport lady's name.''
So he gave Senator Thurmond the passport lady's name.
Senator Thurmond said, ``Thank you very much'' and hung
up.
Ten minutes later the staffer got a phone call from the
passport lady. She exploded over the phone and said, ``He
called George Shultz. The Secretary of State now knows my
name.''
Senator Thurmond called George Shultz and he said,
``George, you've been a marine. This is their honeymoon.
Can't you get this lady to give the woman a passport?''
She got her passport. She got to the Mediterranean. She
had her honeymoon.
The staffer said to me, ``Senator, South Carolina is
full of stories like that. South Carolina is full of
people like that. Strom Thurmond will win, big time. No
matter how old he is, no matter what his situation, that
is the kind of service Strom Thurmond has rendered as a
Senator.''
One of our colleagues was in the Senate doctor's office,
as we go in there from time to time, and he noticed Strom
coming out of the doctor's office with a very worried look
on his face. We were all very concerned about Strom and
his health in his later years. So the colleague said to
the doctor, ``What's the matter with Strom?''
The doctor said, appropriately, ``I cannot discuss the
medical condition of one patient with another patient, so
I can't say anything to you.'' He continued, ``However, I
don't think it would be violating medical ethics to tell
you that Strom is a little worried about the fact that he
can no longer do one-arm pushups.''
This was a man of legend. Eat right, exercise, keep a
positive attitude, always be available for your
constituents, even when it is the middle of the night in
Germany, and never worry about who you may call or upset
as long as you are working on behalf of a constituent.
This was Strom Thurmond.
We have all kinds of stories. These are my favorite
ones. I offer them as part of the celebration of an
extraordinary life, a life fully lived, of someone about
whom we need not say: Well, we worry about what might have
been. In his case, there was nothing left over that might
have been because he did it all.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Cornyn). The Senator from
South Carolina.
Mr. GRAHAM of South Carolina. Mr. President, I thank
Senator Bennett from Utah for that remembrance. It was
just exactly what needed to be said. I say to the Senator,
I know he loved you and your father dearly. On behalf of
the people of South Carolina, I thank you very much for
what you just said.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and
the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 191) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I rise to speak about my
friend, Senator Strom Thurmond. I do not have any prepared
remarks but I want to speak for a few moments about
Senator Strom Thurmond.
Senator Strom Thurmond spent many, many years sitting in
the seat, for those observing the Senate Chamber, right
next to the seat where the distinguished majority leader
is sitting right now.
I have eight children. Senator Thurmond, as everyone
knows, lived a very long life with his first wife without
children. I don't know if that had anything to do with his
huge interest in asking people such as me how my children
were, and I am not one who is very loathe to tell people
about my children's successes.
So he used to say to me, and to anyone around, he would
point at me, and say, ``There is the Senator with all the
smart kids.'' Of course, I was embarrassed, and I would
bend down and say, ``Senator, there are lots of Senators
with smart children.''
Then he would say, ``Well, you told me about one'' . . .
and he would explain what I told him. He would ask, ``how
is that one doing?''
Well, obviously, those days are gone now. I was
privileged, with my wife Nancy, to go to the wedding of
his daughter here in this town not too many years ago. It
was a beautiful wedding, a big wedding. It was a beautiful
daughter and a beaming father, Strom Thurmond.
He was already past 90, for certain, and how thrilled he
was to walk down the aisle and to be part of the normal
wedding activities.
I note that with all the blessings he has received in
his life, and all the legacy that he leaves, he got one
blessing that he deserved; that is, that wedding and that
marriage yielded his first grandchild. And I just wonder
because he had already left the Senate; he was no longer
here; he was in a hospital, but I just wonder, how happy
that day must have been for him. He had a grandchild at
that very old age.
There are Senators, such as from his home State, who
have known him through campaigns and actions and
activities that I hear of. I have read of these
activities, but I did not participate in them, so they
will do better than I in talking about them. But I am 71.
I am very lucky, I feel, in that I have spent 31 years in
the Senate. The only thing I did prior to that is, 6\1/2\
years before I came here, I accepted a dare from a group
of friends to run for an office. I ran and got elected.
And that office was for city council, which put me in a
mayorship of sorts in our biggest city.
So you know, if you write down, at 71, what I have done:
I ran for a nonpartisan office, got elected, served 4
years, waited 2 years, got elected to the Senate, and came
here. But we all know, if we are going to put down what
Strom Thurmond has done as a public servant, all of which
clearly is one's legacy, it would take me quite a while to
discuss it all. Just his military career would be a rather
good speech on the Senate floor.
The other thing that, to me, is of such rare, rare
importance is that when you consider 100 years, and that
80 or 79 of those years he was an adult, you just think of
all the things that have changed during his adulthood.
Governance, governmental changes, cultural changes,
philosophical leanings and tendencies of our great country
changing. You have to conclude that this man, who
represented a State that also changed and had become a
great industrial State, and a great educational State,
with fantastic educational institutions, that this great
man also learned how to change. He changed with time, not
changing in the sense of giving up but rather of gaining
more for himself and becoming more rather than becoming
less.
Now, I have known a lot of great Senators, more than
most, because there are only five or six Senators who have
been here longer than I, as of today, maybe five. So I
have known a lot of them. I think it is only fair to say,
for his family, for Nancy, for his children, there really
have never been any Senators like him that I have been
privileged to know.
He was indeed unique. He was so different that you
cannot forget him. First, he was so personal to everyone.
He never forgot. He was always considerate. He spent more
time and effort at little things.
I know nothing about his constituent work. Let those who
know speak. I speak of little things here in the Senate.
The Chair and I both watched during a week at the end of a
day's work, we watched Strom Thurmond while he was still
around and healthy and walking. We watched what he did. He
went with his staff from one event to another, perhaps
three, four, five events an evening, because he had been
invited and because it was somebody who said, ``Would you
come to my party?'' ``Would you come to my fundraiser?''
``Would you come to my birthday?'' ``Would you come and
join me; we have visitors from my State.'' What it was
that made him that kind of person, who knows? I don't
know. You don't know. The Senate doesn't know. I am not
sure his family knows. But the truth is, we know he did
that.
All of these would appear, what I have said so far, to
be things that one might say are not very important. Well,
I stated them because I think they are very important.
They are of utmost importance. I think they are the
essence of who he is and what he is and what he was.
But don't let anyone think he didn't do his work. When
you look at the committees he chaired, the events that
happened during those years he served as chair, be it on
the Judiciary, on Armed Services, or whatever, you have to
know he had a great capacity for work and he did his work
and got it done.
Can you just imagine not having a chance to know him
when he was a judge? What a great judge he would have
been. Can you imagine, not having a chance to know him,
what a good school superintendent he must have been? Can
you imagine not getting to know him, what a good
commissioner he must have been at the local level where he
governed? For I believe he is what he was. And it is
probable that he took care to do everything right and he
took care to be concerned and worried about people, as he
did his job, and that he never forgot the people who were
good to him and meant something to his success.
I, for one, am very sorry we will be going to a funeral.
But, I guess it is really only fair to say that he has
been very blessed. After all, we won't, any of us, ever go
to a funeral for a fellow Senator who has lived 100
years--none of us. This will be the only one. Because he
has been very, very blessed. The Lord has been kind and
decent to him. Those around him should be very proud.
Obviously, his kinfolk are sad.
I remember at that wedding, while we were celebrating
youth, his daughter was a young lady. I remember meeting
his sister, two sisters I believe. They were alive and
there. I don't mean to cast any aspersions about the fact
they were alive. They were lively, I assure you. They knew
a lot. They were talking. They were carrying on
conversations. Strom Thurmond was talking with them about
us and my wife Nancy.
They were quick to ask us to sit down, and you could
hardly believe that a man almost 100 was there with
sisters at a wedding for a very young daughter of his, who
has just since then had his first grandchild. What a
beautiful, beautiful tribute all of this is to Strom
Thurmond's family, to their heritage, and to those around
them and those who love them.
My wife Nancy and I extend our heartfelt condolences to
Nancy and all of the other kinfolk, to his relatives, and
clearly to his daughter and son-in-law who have that young
grandchild of whom he must have been so proud.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.
Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, last evening we received the
news of the passing of a dear friend and leader in this
Chamber, Strom Thurmond.
Strom retired this year at the age of 100 after more
than half a century serving the people of South Carolina
and our Nation as a U.S. Senator, as Governor of South
Carolina, and as a State legislator.
Remarkably, his career in the Senate spanned the
administrations of 10 Presidents, from Dwight Eisenhower
to George W. Bush. His passing last night certainly will
be felt by so many Members of this Chamber who had grown
accustomed to the courtly gentleman from South Carolina.
But his life leaves a lesson for us all--in compassion,
respect, civility, dedication, and hard work.
Before he was elected to the Senate in 1954, as the only
write-in candidate in history to win a seat in Congress,
Strom Thurmond was elected county school superintendent,
State senator, and circuit judge. He resigned his
judgeship to enlist in the Army in World War II. He landed
in Normandy as part of the 82d Airborne assault on D-day
and, the story goes, arrived in France on a glider, crash
landing in an apple orchard. He went on to help liberate
Paris, and he received a Purple Heart, five battle stars,
and numerous other awards for his World War II service.
My husband Bob and I were honored to have known Strom
Thurmond for so many years and to count him among our very
special friends. He and Bob shared a great deal of common
history, dating from their World War II days. And his
southern gallantry always had a way of making this North
Carolinian feel right at home.
I first worked with Strom Thurmond when I served as
Deputy Special Assistant to the President at the White
House. Strom was an impressive Senator even then.
President Reagan praised his expert handling of nominees
to the U.S. Supreme Court when he was chairman of the
Senate Judiciary Committee.
In fact, it was Strom Thurmond's skill as chairman that
helped to shepherd through the nomination of Sandra Day
O'Connor as the Nation's first female on the U.S. Supreme
Court. I had always admired Strom Thurmond for his
constant dedication to the people of South Carolina and to
the industries of that State.
Bob Dole has joked that someone once asked if Strom had
been around since the Ten Commandments. Bob said that
couldn't have been true; if Strom Thurmond had been
around, the 11th commandment would have been ``Thou shalt
support the textile industry.''
And that industry still needs a lot of help. In fact,
when President Reagan called Strom to wish him a happy
79th birthday back in 1981, Strom Thurmond, with his
constant attention to South Carolina interests, used the
opportunity to talk to the President about the textile
industry.
Indeed, South Carolina is full of stories of how the
senior Senator from South Carolina managed to cut through
redtape to make sure that his residents got the things
they needed. And whenever South Carolinians called, or
anyone else for that matter, Strom Thurmond could always
be counted on to show up--at a Fourth of July parade, a
county festival, or a State fair, armed with his trademark
Strom Thurmond key chains.
North Carolinians developed a fondness for Strom
Thurmond. He often flew in to Charlotte before driving to
his Edgeville, SC, home. He became so familiar in the
airport that many of the workers there knew him, and he
knew them, often stopping to share a kind word or a funny
story.
I was so honored that just before Strom went home for
good to South Carolina, he came in his wheelchair, with
Nancy's help, to my little basement office to welcome me
to the Senate.
Bob and I send our heartfelt condolences to Strom's
family: our dear friend, Nancy; and the children,
including daughter Julie, who worked with me at the
American Red Cross; and, of course, the people of South
Carolina, for whom he worked tirelessly throughout his
career in public service and to whom he chose to return
when his work was done in the Senate. He was a loving
husband, a proud father, and a new grandfather.
Today, as I remember him, his life, and his legacy, I
think of the Bible in the 25th chapter of Matthew, when
the Lord said, ``Well done, thou good and faithful
servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.''
May God bless him and his family.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. HOLLINGS. Madam President, last night with the
passing of our revered colleague, Senator Strom Thurmond,
I indicated I would have a longer recount of his work. The
Nation has lost one of its most distinguished and longest
serving public servants, my State has lost its greatest
living legend, and I would like to add to my comments.
By any measure, Senator Thurmond ranks as a giant of
modern American politics. Few people in recent memory have
had greater influence on the shape and substance of
American politics, and few elected officials have shown
themselves more devoted to serving the people of their
State and Nation. There was no more hard-working
politician in America than Senator Thurmond. Right up to
the day he retired from the Senate, he remained devoted to
his constituents.
Of course, any discussion of Senator Thurmond's
political and legislative legacy ultimately turns to a
discussion of Senator Thurmond the man. He was one of the
most amazing men anyone in this Chamber has ever met. He
was what we attorneys call ``sui generis.'' When God made
Strom, He broke the mold for sure. Merely listing all of
Senator Thurmond's ``firsts'' conveys the prodigious
energies and talents of the man.
In 1929, he began his political career by becoming the
youngest person ever elected superintendent of education
in Edgefield County, SC. He entered statewide politics in
1933, when he was elected to the State senate. As a South
Carolina senator, he was known for his devotion to
improving public education and promoting opportunities for
the people of my State. His concern for the common man
motivated many of his legislative efforts, such as writing
the act that raised workers' compensation benefits and
sponsoring South Carolina's first Rural Electrification
Act. Although these efforts may seem far removed from our
concerns today, they were crucial to my State at the time.
He left the Senate in 1938 to become Judge Thurmond.
Continuing his lifelong love affair with politics and
public service, he served as a South Carolina circuit
judge until the United States entered the Second World War
in 1941. Then Judge Thurmond took off his robe and
volunteered for active duty. He enlisted despite the fact
that, as a 39-year-old circuit judge, he was exempt from
military service.
He fought in five battles in 4 years, and on D-day, he
rode a glider into Normandy with the 82d Airborne. For his
wartime service, Senator Thurmond was awarded 18
decorations, including the Purple Heart, Bronze Star Medal
for valor, and Legion of Merit with oakleaf cluster. He
remained in the Army Reserve after the war and was made
major general in 1959.
After the war, he came home and ran for Governor. He was
elected in 1947, and his administration was known for its
progressive policies on education and infrastructure.
During his tenure, 60,000 new jobs were created in the
private sector, teacher pay was boosted to unprecedented
levels, and the State Farmers' Market was begun. These
initiatives helped start South Carolina on the road to a
dynamic, modern economy.
In 1948, Governor Thurmond ran for President on the
States rights ticket. In 1954, he became the first person
ever elected to the Senate as a write-in candidate. That
election established him as a force in national politics
and a giant in South Carolina.
He was re-elected to the Senate eight times, more than
any Senator. When he left in January, he was the oldest
and longest serving Senator in U.S. history. He served as
chairman of two powerful committees: Judiciary and Armed
Services. In those capacities, he played an important role
in keeping our national defense strong and ensuring the
quality of our Federal judiciary.
He took controversial stands on civil rights and other
divisive issues, but over time he changed and ended up
garnering the support of many of those whom he opposed. He
will go down in history for his devotion to his
constituents.
Senator Thurmond also changed the course of politics in
the South. His conversion to the Republican Party in 1964
heralded a new age in party affiliation in the South and
led the way for the region's transformation from a one-
party, Democratic stronghold.
Senator Thurmond is gone, but his legacy will live on
for many lifetimes. The people of South Carolina loved him
as they have loved no other politician. Today his loss is
mourned across my State, by Democrats and Republicans
alike. Those of us who have the privilege of serving in
the Senate lament the loss of an admired colleague whose
influence on this institution will stand for generations.
Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, this is a sad day for the
family of our late and beloved colleague, Strom Thurmond.
I want to begin my remarks by extending my and Barbara's
heartfelt condolences to all of them for their great loss.
It is also, though, a day for all Americans, and most
especially those of us in the Senate community, to
remember a man who spent a lifetime--in fact more than the
average lifetime--in dedicated public service to this
Nation.
When I joined the Armed Services Committee in 1979,
Senator Thurmond had already served on the committee for
20 years. I knew of him as a passionate and effective
advocate for a strong national defense even before I
joined the committee. In the 24 years that we served on
the committee together, I came to appreciate even more his
commitment to the welfare of the men and women who serve
and who have served in our Nation's military, as well as
their families.
One of the reasons Senator Thurmond was such an
effective leader on national security issues is that he
spoke from his heart and from personal experience. He
served his country in uniform for 36 years. He was
commissioned in the Army Reserve even before he began his
remarkable career in politics. He retired as a major
general in the Army Reserve.
In June 1944, Lt. Col. Strom Thurmond landed behind
German lines in a glider with the rest of the 82d Airborne
Division as part of the D-day invasion. He truly was a
member of what Tom Brokaw called ``the greatest
generation.''
During Senator Thurmond's long tenure on the Armed
Services Committee, our Armed Forces faced challenge after
challenge in Western Europe, Vietnam, the Middle East, the
Persian Gulf, the Balkans, and Afghanistan. Through it
all, Senator Thurmond was unwavering in his support for
our men and women in uniform. His steadfast commitment to
our national defense was a rock upon which they and we
could all depend. He never stopped working to ensure that
our military is always ready to answer the call whenever
and wherever needed.
Senator Thurmond served as chairman of the Senate Armed
Services Committee in the 104th and 105th Congresses. I
had the honor and pleasure to serve as his ranking member
in 1997 and 1998. I know from personal experience how
seriously Senator Thurmond treated his duties as chairman
and how hard he worked to be fair and even-handed with
every member of the committee. Our former colleague and
chairman, Senator Sam Nunn, was right when he said that
there was not a single national security issue facing this
country that has been or could be solved by one political
party. That legacy of bipartisanship on the Armed Services
Committee was continued under the chairmanship of Strom
Thurmond. I am sure that I speak for all of our colleagues
in saying just how much we appreciate not only the
commitment that Senator Thurmond brought to his duties as
chairman, but also his lifelong dedication to the defense
of our Nation and to the welfare of those who defend us.
In my 24 years of service with Strom Thurmond, I never
knew him to be anything other than unfailingly optimistic,
always courteous, and ever-thoughtful of his Senate
colleagues and their families. I cannot say how many times
he gave me and all my colleagues advice on exercise, on
diet, and on taking care of ourselves and our families in
general. I wish I had followed his advice more often
because it was always given out of his true concern as a
friend. Strom himself was a marvelous specimen of physical
fitness. One need only receive a handshake or a shoulder
slap from Strom Thurmond to fully appreciate his strength
and stamina.
Sadly Strom Thurmond has left this Earth and we will
always miss him. I hope his family takes comfort in
knowing, though, that he leaves an example of dedicated
public service that will stand as a inspiration for
generations to come.
Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, we are deeply saddened by
the death of our former colleague, Strom Thurmond. He was
a beloved friend, always gracious and affectionate.
His service in the Senate was distinctive not only
because he served so many years but because of his love
for his job and his dedication to serving the interests of
the people of South Carolina.
He was determined to make his influence felt in the
committees and on the floor. He took an active part in the
debates even on the most controversial issues.
His 24-hour speech on the Civil Rights Act was a record-
setting event. He also was a fervent and effective
supporter of our military forces and the veterans who had
risked their lives in military service to our Nation.
I will always count it as one of my richest blessings
that I got to know Strom Thurmond and the members of his
family. My hope is that Nancy and their children will be
comforted by the warmth and sincerity of the esteem and
affection in which the Thurmond family will always be held
by their many close friends in the Senate family.
Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to my
colleague and dear friend, Senator Strom Thurmond, who
passed away last night at the age of 100.
A few months ago, as he was about to retire from the
U.S. Senate, I said on this floor that I could not even
begin to imagine the Senate without Senator Thurmond. And
since he left this Chamber, I can't tell you how many
times, during a vote, when the clerk would reach the lower
half of the alphabet, I've looked up from wherever I was
on the floor--expecting to see the man who was, for so
long, South Carolina's senior Senator.
He was truly an institution within this Chamber--a
ranking member, a committee chairman, a President pro
tempore, and the first ever President pro tempore
emeritus. He cast over 15,000 votes. His service spanned
the terms of 10 U.S. Presidents. And he was directly
involved in the confirmation hearings of all nine current
Supreme Court Justices.
Strom Thurmond's life was one devoted to public service.
He was a teacher, a school superintendent, a State
senator, a judge, a war hero, Governor, and, of course, a
Senator for nearly 50 years.
At each step in his life, Strom Thurmond was searching
for ways to serve his country. As a circuit judge in South
Carolina, he took a leave of absence to volunteer to
parachute behind enemy lines during the D-day invasion at
Normandy. For his valor in World War II, he received the
Purple Heart, five battle stars for bravery and numerous
other decorations. And shortly after the war ended, he was
elected Governor of South Carolina, an office he held for
4 years.
But there is no doubt that when his constituents
remember Strom Thurmond, their thoughts will immediately
turn to his years as their Senator. He served them in this
body for over one-fifth of our Nation's history. For many
South Carolinians, when he retired earlier this year, he
was the only senior Senator they had ever known.
Strom Thurmond did not merely serve in the Senate; he
did so, even during his final years, with unparalleled
vigor. His commitment to the people of South Carolina was
legendary--whether it was helping an elderly constituent
get a Social Security check, or ensuring that the widow of
a law enforcement officer could keep her husband's badge,
Strom Thurmond never forgot the people who sent him to
Washington.
And the dozens of schools, buildings, parks, and streets
in South Carolina that bear his name today show that they
never forgot him either.
I served with Strom Thurmond for 22 years in the Senate,
and my father served with him for 12--that's 34 years in
which a Dodd served in this body with Senator Thurmond.
Both of us certainly had our share of disagreements with
him. But those disagreements always came in the spirit of
respect, thoughtfulness, and collegiality that are
hallmarks of the Senate. And Strom Thurmond truly embodied
those qualities.
To the Dodd family, though, Strom Thurmond was more than
just a colleague--he was a true and loyal friend. We will
never forget the loyalty and friendship he showed us even
during some trying and difficult times.
It is impossible to look back at the years of Strom
Thurmond's life without being amazed. He lived through the
invention of the Model T Ford and the creation of the
Internet. As a child, he read newspaper accounts of
battles that were fought with bayonets in the trenches of
Europe. And in his later years, he watched satellite
television reports of conflicts won with smart bombs and
laser technology. He experienced the Great Depression of
the 1930s and the technology bubble of the 1990s.
And as America matured and changed during his lifetime,
Strom Thurmond grew, as well.
Senator Thurmond didn't just live through a century of
history. He was intimately involved in it. In each step
that America took, Strom Thurmond was there. In that
respect, and in so many others, Strom Thurmond was a truly
unique and rare individual.
I offer my condolences to the entire family of Strom
Thurmond. We will miss him very much.
Mr. CRAIG. Madam President, a constant of the universe
has changed. Strom Thurmond is no longer with us. We mourn
because this world is poorer for his passing, but we also
know he smiles down upon us from a better, happier place.
True to the creed taught him by his father, Strom always
gave of himself, to his family, his beloved State of South
Carolina, and to his country. He understood that the
essence of leading is serving.
Strom changed his times and changed with his times. Born
during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt, he
retired a thoroughly modern Senator.
He wanted to be history's first 100-year-old Senator.
Through faith and force of will, he made it. Even more
happily, he wanted to see the birth of his first
grandchild, and he did, just recently.
Like many great persons, Strom combined changeless
values with an amazing ability to adapt in a changing
world. In turns, he was a liberal and a conservative; a
Democrat, Independent, and Republican; a famous bachelor,
widower, husband, father, and now grandfather. He came to
the Senate from what they call the ``Old South,'' but when
I came to Congress, I saw in Strom a Senator committed to
equal opportunity and inclusiveness. He was young at
heart, had a sense of fun and adventure, and was always
open to new ideas. This is the way Strom should be
remembered, as an example of how the human spirit can grow
and mature gracefully.
Yet, for all the changes, Strom's constituents were
reassured by a sense of his being changeless. What never
changed was a foundation of timeless values. He was
devoted to faith, family, patriotism, integrity, public
service, hard work, and compassion for everyday people.
Only in recent years did Strom and I discover from a
genealogy Web site that we were distant cousins. After
that, we enjoyed greeting each other with, ``Hi, Cousin!''
Today, I say, ``Farewell for now, Cousin. Your life has
honored and inspired your family, friends, and Nation.''
SUBMITTED RESOLUTION
SENATE RESOLUTION 191--RELATIVE TO THE DEATH OF THE
HONORABLE J. STROM THURMOND, FORMER UNITED STATES SENATOR
AND PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE EMERITUS FROM THE STATE OF SOUTH
CAROLINA
Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Graham of South
Carolina, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Stevens, Mr. Byrd, Mr.
McConnell, Mr. Reid, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Allard,
Mr. Allen, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Bennett, Mr. Biden,
Mr. Bingaman, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Breaux, Mr.
Brownback, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Burns, Mr. Campbell, Ms.
Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mr. Chafee, Mr. Chambliss, Mrs.
Clinton, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Coleman, Ms. Collins, Mr.
Conrad, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Craig, Mr. Crapo, Mr.
Dayton, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Dodd, Mrs. Dole, Mr. Domenici, Mr.
Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Edwards, Mr. Ensign, Mr. Enzi, Mr.
Feingold, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Fitzgerald, Mr. Graham of
Florida, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Gregg, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Harkin,
Mr. Hatch, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Inouye, Mr.
Jeffords, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kohl,
Mr. Kyl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr.
Levin, Mr. Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Lott, Mr. Lugar,
Mr. McCain, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Miller, Ms. Murkowski, Mrs.
Murray, Mr. Nelson of Florida, Mr. Nelson of Nebraska, Mr.
Nickles, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Roberts, Mr.
Rockefeller, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Schumer, Mr.
Sessions, Mr. Shelby, Mr. Smith, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Specter,
Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Sununu, Mr. Talent, Mr. Thomas, Mr.
Voinovich, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 191
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond conducted his
life in an exemplary manner, an example to all of his
fellow citizens;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond was a devoted
husband, father, and most recently, grandfather;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond gave a great
measure of his life to public service;
Whereas, having abandoned the safety of high position,
the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond served his country during
World War II, fighting the greatest threat the world had
thus far seen;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond served South
Carolina in the United States Senate with devotion and
distinction;
Whereas his service on behalf of South Carolina and all
Americans earned him the esteem and high regard of his
colleagues; and
Whereas his death has deprived his State and Nation of a
most outstanding Senator: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable J. Strom Thurmond, former Senator and President
Pro Tempore Emeritus from the State of South Carolina.
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate
these resolutions to the House of Representatives and
transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the
deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond.
SCHEDULE
Mr. FRIST. On Monday, July 7, the Senate will be in a
period of morning business. This will provide an
opportunity for Members who have not yet had the
opportunity, to deliver statements honoring our friend and
colleague, Strom Thurmond. As I mentioned last night, we
will have the tributes to Senator Thurmond printed as a
Senate document for distribution.
If there is no further business to come before the
Senate, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate stand in
adjournment under the provisions of H. Con. Res. 231;
further, that the Senate adjourn as an additional mark of
respect for Senator Strom Thurmond.
There being no objection, the Senate, at 4:14 p.m.,
adjourned until Monday, July 7, 2003, at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, July 8, 2003
PRINTING OF THURMOND TRIBUTES
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent
that tributes to Senator Strom Thurmond be printed as a
Senate document.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Wednesday, July 9, 2003
Eulogy
Mr. BROWNBACK. I thank Senator Biden for the tremendous
eulogy he gave about Strom Thurmond at the funeral in
South Carolina last week. The Senator really did us very
proud with his representation of this body and his
relationship with Strom Thurmond. It was a touching event.
His eulogy of Strom Thurmond was beautiful. I heard a
number of people comment about it. It was very nice of him
to do that. It was very nicely done.
Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I thank my colleague. It was a
great honor for me to participate.
Friday, July 11, 2003
STROM THURMOND: POLITICIAN AND PATRIOT
Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to our
colleague and a friend, Strom Thurmond. We were all deeply
moved by the recent passing of this gracious gentleman,
and I would like to take a few minutes to reflect on his
rich life and to honor his memory.
Strom Thurmond had a long and distinguished career. Over
recent weeks we have heard many descriptions of the
achievements of this remarkable man. But Senator Thurmond
was distinguished for much more than the length of his
Senate service or the number of ``firsts'' he achieved
during his life. Rather, Senator Thurmond is distinguished
by his love for America. For although Strom Thurmond was
perhaps best known as a politician, he was first and
foremost a patriot. His military service, his time as a
Governor, and his tenure in the U.S. Senate were all
fueled by his deep and abiding love for America.
Just as deep as his love for America was his love for
South Carolina and its residents. Senator Thurmond and his
staff were well known for their accessibility and
outstanding constituent service. He believed in hard work
and service, and never shied away from his convictions.
That same accessibility and attitude of service carried
over to his interaction with fellow Members as well. I was
honored to serve with Senator Thurmond on the Armed
Services Committee, and I still remember the helpful
guidance he gave me as a new member on the committee. His
passion for our military members and his concern for their
well-being was evident, and I hope that I can emulate that
same care.
I also remember how generous Senator Thurmond was with
his personal time. Obviously as a senior Member of the
Senate and the Senate President pro tempore he had a
number of responsibilities. However, he still made time to
serve this Member. Several years ago I was honored when he
graciously agreed to speak at the Capitol Conference I
hold for Colorado constituents each year. To this day I am
deeply appreciative of the time that he spent making
remarks, fielding questions, and taking photos with my
constituents. Many of the participants later remarked on
his wit and vitality, remarkable for any Member, but
especially for one of his years. Even in their short time
with him they were able to see the courtesy and conviction
that we witnessed each day.
I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to get to
know Strom Thurmond as the person behind the military hero
and political legend. To see the small ways in which he
expressed his interest in and appreciation for those
around him, such as taking the Senate pages for ice cream.
He also expressed personal concern about the health and
well being of his staff and Members, which was perhaps
necessitated in some part by the candy he was always
handing out. I only hope that we can all learn from and
retain some part of his charm, confidence, depth of
conviction, and commitment.
Although Strom Thurmond may no longer be here with us
physically, his legacy will live on. The U.S. Senate and
America are better for his strength, service, and self-
sacrifice.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to
express my sincere condolences to Senator Thurmond's
family and friends. He was a proud father, and recently,
grandfather. His love for his family was well known, and
our thoughts and prayers are with them. My wife Joan and I
hope that they are able to find comfort and peace during
these difficult days.
I am proud to have called Strom Thurmond my colleague
and friend, and today I join the rest of America in
honoring this great service and mourning his passing.
Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, I rise today as we remember
the Honorable Senator from South Carolina, Strom Thurmond.
The accomplishments of this man in his 100 years of life
were truly amazing. All that he did for his State and our
Nation make all Americans proud. He was a vigorous,
positive person who unrelentingly worked for a better
America.
Senator Thurmond was born on December 5, 1902, in
Edgefield, SC. He received his undergraduate degree from
then Clemson College, now Clemson University, in 1923. He
studied law under his father, Judge William Thurmond and,
in 1930, was admitted to the South Carolina Bar. For 8
years, from 1930 to 1938, he served as the Edgefield town
and county attorney, and during that time, from 1933 to
1938, he served as South Carolina State senator,
representing Edgefield County.
A true patriot, Senator Thurmond joined the U.S. Army
Reserve as a second lieutenant in 1924. He landed in
Normandy on D-day with the 82d Airborne Division during
World War II. For his military service, he earned 18
decorations, medals, and awards, including the Legion of
Merit with oakleaf cluster, Bronze Star for valor, and the
Purple Heart, among others.
His political ambitions flourished when, in 1947,
Senator Thurmond was elected Governor of South Carolina.
In 1948, he decided to run for President of the United
States as the States rights Democratic candidate. He
carried 4 States and received 39 electoral votes, the
third largest independent electoral vote in U.S. history.
However, the most memorable moment for Senator Thurmond
came in 1954, when he was elected to the U.S. Senate as a
write-in candidate! To be elected to any position as a
write-in candidate, much less to the U.S. Senate, is a
true testament to one's political prowess. He was the
first person to ever be elected to a major office in the
United States by this method.
Senator Thurmond served on many committees during his
service to America in the Senate. The duty and patriotism
he displayed is a fine indication of all that he devoted
to our Nation's military. It is quite fitting that Senator
Thurmond served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and
used his role to help enhance our military in every way
possible. He served as chairman of this committee from
January 1995 to January 1999 and was bestowed the great
honor of being named chairman emeritus in 1999. The time I
spent with Senator Thurmond on this committee was a
wonderful learning experience for me and the Senate Armed
Services Committee will miss Senator Thurmond. His
military service provided him with an excellent background
to understand the intricacies of our military and, without
question, helped in his decisionmaking ability for the
betterment of America.
Additionally, I had the pleasure of serving with Senator
Thurmond on the Judiciary Committee, where he was a member
from 1967 until his retirement. He served as chairman of
this committee from 1981 to 1987 and served as chairman of
the Judiciary Subcommittee on Constitution, Federalism and
Property Rights from January to June of 2001. With a
background as a judge and lawyer, Senator Thurmond
cherished his role on this committee and always sought to
ensure fairness on many issues, including that of
appointing qualified judges to our Federal benches. I
particularly remember his strong support for me when I was
an unsuccessful judicial nominee in 1986. Senator Thurmond
was a supporter, friend, and advisor.
To list the numerous honors and awards Senator Thurmond
received would take hours. However, I would like to point
out some of the accolades I find truly incredible. In
addition to his undergraduate degree from Clemson College,
he also holds 34 honorary degrees. In 1994, he was
inducted into the U.S. Army Rangers Hall of Fame. In 1997,
he was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for
Distinguished Public Service. In 1998, he was awarded the
Spirit of Hope award, named after Bob Hope, by the United
Service Organizations. Last year, he was awarded the
Washington Times Foundation American Century Award.
His life covered a time of monumental change in the
South. His movement from a champion of racial segregation
to one who promoted equal rights reflected the change that
occurred throughout the region. His personal actions
helped lead others to reject the impermissible policies of
the past.
One of the great memories I have of spending time with
Senator Thurmond is the time he asked me to accompany him
on a trip to China in 1997, as I began my term as Senator.
On this trip, we had some time to climb the Great Wall of
China. As is custom, an assistant is typically assigned to
older individuals as they make their journey along the
wall. Senator Thurmond declined any help and, at the time,
was the oldest person to ever climb the wall unassisted.
The Senator's ability to put things in perspective is
illustrated by the fact that when, upon reaching the top
of the wall, he stated, ``This is a big wall. Let's go.''
As the leader of our delegation and President pro
tempore of the Senate at age 97, he handled every occasion
superbly. He was particularly elegant when we met with
Chinese Premier Jiang Zemin. I remember he concluded his
remarks with the words ``China and the United States are
friends. We want to be better friends.''
It is almost impossible to travel anywhere in South
Carolina and not find Senator Strom Thurmond's name on a
street, building, lake, highway, or monument. All that he
did for South Carolina and for our Nation is a true
testament to the caliber of man that he was. The lives he
touched and the people he has positively affected are
numerous. I know that his service to our Nation is sorely
missed. You simply cannot put a value on the role he
played as a true public servant. Senator Thurmond will be
missed by many, many individuals in Congress, in South
Carolina, and in America. A true southerner, a true
American, and a true patriot, Senator Strom Thurmond will
forever be remembered as a man whose beliefs, ideals, and
character remained unparalleled for an entire century.
Monday, July 14, 2003
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, it is a privilege today
to pay tribute to the memory of the late Strom Thurmond.
Often outspoken, sometimes controversial, but always
passionate, Strom was an unparalleled servant of the
people. He always put his Nation first, whether in combat
on the beaches of Normandy or here in the halls of the
Senate.
He made a career of giving back to his country. But he
was also a wonderful human being.
Strom often reminded me that Colonel William Barret
Travis, who was in command at the Alamo, was from his home
county in South Carolina. While Strom himself missed the
Alamo by a few years, he demonstrated that he too embodies
the spirit of the Alamo and the sense of duty and
commitment to his country that we Texans associate with
Colonel Travis.
Strom's journey into the history books began back in the
1920s when he graduated from his beloved Clemson.
He went on to become a teacher and athletic coach,
county superintendent of education, town and county
attorney, Eleventh Circuit Court Judge, South Carolina
Governor, soldier, president of the Reserve Officers
Association and finally, a U.S. Senator--a position he
held for a remarkable 48 years. For many, that would be
five lifetimes of careers. But not Strom. It was just
enough to keep him busy for the century he was on this
Earth.
Strom lived every day of his life to the fullest.
I'm still amazed that he volunteered to return to active
duty military service, though he was way past the age of
being drafted. At the age of 41 he landed on the beaches
of Normandy in a glider--staring death in the face, and
smiling.
He served in the Pacific and European theaters, earning
18 decorations, medals and awards including the Legion of
Merit, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Star for valor. He
rose to the rank of major general in the U.S. Army
Reserve.
In the Senate Strom focused particular attention on
taking care of our men and women in the military.
I served with Strom while he chaired the Armed Services
Committee and saw the reflection of his time in the
service in everything he did. He worked for one purpose--
to ensure our country's national defense remained strong.
From military health care to quality of life for service
members and their families, he knew that to recruit and
retain our Nation's finest, we had to treat them well.
The Capitol has not been the same since Strom left last
year. The wit and wisdom he collected over a century of
living made him one of the most entertaining and
enlightening figures in modern politics. There will always
be an empty place in the heart of the Senate created by
his absence.
The eulogies that came from both sides of the aisle at
his memorial service last week were testament to the
evolution Strom undertook during his time in the Senate. A
career once marked by division ended in unity and with
dignity.
He will be greatly missed by his family, friends,
colleagues and his country. He began his career in public
service as a coach--eight decades later he was a coach and
teacher to us all to the very end.
Tuesday, July 22, 2003
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have
printed in the Record my remarks of December 9, 2002,
before the U.S. Capitol Historical Society.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
``Who well lives, long lives; for this age of ours
should not be numbered by years, days and hours.''
We are gathered here today to salute a friend and
colleague who has lived long and spent his days well.
Strom Thurmond has been a teacher, an athletic coach, an
educational administrator, a lawyer, a State legislator, a
circuit court judge, a county superintendent, a soldier, a
Presidential nominee, and a Governor--and all of that was
packed into just his first 52 years.
In 1954, Strom won his first election to the Senate as a
write-in candidate--beginning his Senate sojourn with the
singular achievement of being the only person in history
to be elected to the Senate in that fashion.
As he began his Senate service with a ``first'' he also
leaves it by setting two more records--that of being the
longest serving Senator in U.S. history and also being the
oldest person to serve in the U.S. Senate. May I note here
that he is also the only person in the Senate who is old
enough to be my big brother. But, Strom, like Casey
Stengel, I'll never make the mistake of being 70 again.
Strom Thurmond's life is not just about length and
achievement, it is about personal service and commitment.
Now, I am not speaking here about Strom's well-known
appreciation for the gentler sex. I am speaking about his
love of his country and his commitment to serve it.
Consider the fact that Strom Thurmond volunteered for
service in World War II. He did that when he could have
stayed safely at home. Strom was beyond draft age in 1942.
Additionally, as a judge, he held draft-exempted status.
Yet he went. And in 1944, Strom Thurmond was part of D-
day--the invasion of the beaches of Normandy that signaled
the defeat of worldwide fascism. He risked his life to
serve the Nation he loved.
After the war, Strom Thurmond served the State that he
loved by becoming its Governor.
In 1948, Governor Strom Thurmond tried again to serve
the country that he loved by running for President as a
States rights Democrat. He carried 4 States and won 39
electoral votes. Undaunted, in 1954 Strom found another
way to serve his beloved State and country by being
elected to the U.S. Senate. It is in this role, that of
U.S. Senator, that we have come to understand the
extraordinary service of this man from South Carolina.
Strom Thurmond is a man who, because of the quantity of
his years, has seen enormous change--the rise and fall of
Nazi Germany; the Russian Revolution; the rise and fall of
the Soviet empire; two world wars; space exploration;
civil rights upheaval; and incredible advances in
technology and medicine. Indeed, the world is very
different from the one that Strom Thurmond knew as a young
man. He has been witness to the ``vicissitudes of fortune,
which spares neither man nor the proudest of his works,
which buries empires and cities in a common grave.''
And yet Strom has never lost his desire to serve, to
make his contribution, to add his voice and his views to
the rich conglomeration of beliefs and viewpoints which,
when mixed together, yield an idea called America.
Strom is never one to become discouraged, disheartened
or disenchanted. He loves his country, and he has been a
faithful and devoted defender of the Nation's need for a
strong defense. No summer soldier, no sunshine patriot,
he.
Youth is not a time of life--it is a state of mind. It
is not a matter of red cheeks, red lips and supple knees.
It is a temper of the will; a quality of the imagination.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over
timidity, of the appetite for an adventure over a life of
ease. This often exists in a man of 50, more than in a boy
of 20. Nobody grows old by merely living a number of
years; people grow old by deserting their dreams.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm
wrinkles the soul.
Whether 70 or 16, there is in every being's heart a love
of wonder; the sweet amazement at the stars and starlike
things and thoughts.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as
young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as
young as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central place of your heart, there is a wireless
station. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope,
cheer, grandeur, courage, and power from the Earth, from
men and from the Infinite--so long are you young. When the
wires are all down and the central places of your heart
are covered with the snows of pessimism and the ice of
cynicism, then are you grown old, indeed!
In the words of Pericles: ``It is only the love of honor
that never grows old.''
Today, it is not the length but the quality of Strom
Thurmond's life which we celebrate. For that marvelous
life of character and courage I salute him. It is a
privilege to know him, an honor to serve with him, and an
education to ponder his remarkable life.
Multiplication Table of Happiness
Count your garden by the flowers
Never by the leaves that fall;
Count your days by the sunny hours,
Not remembering clouds at all;
Count your nights by stars, not shadows,
Count your life by smiles, not tears,
And on this beautiful December afternoon,
Count your age by friends, not years.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay
tribute to an American political icon, patriot, war hero,
and lifelong South Carolinian, Senator Strom Thurmond.
While many will recall Senator Thurmond's half-century
career on the political stage, I shall fondly remember the
many kindnesses he extended to my family and me. He was a
warmhearted, gentle man, and I will count it as one of my
life's honors to have served with him in the U.S. Senate.
I join my colleagues in extending my heartfelt
condolences to his family who have lost a beloved husband,
father, and grandfather. Strom was a legend in the Senate
and touched many of us during his long career. In fact, I
will always remember Senator Thurmond's 90th birthday
party when he turned to the audience and said, ``If you
all eat right, exercise, and don't drink whiskey, you'll
be here for the 100th birthday party.'' Strom Thurmond was
a remarkable American; I don't think we'll see another one
like him for a long time, if ever.
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, we mourn the loss of Strom
Thurmond, the legendary Senator who held his first public
office in the late 1920s and who died on June 27 in his
hometown of Edgefield, SC. The State of South Carolina
lost a beloved native son and the Senate lost a cheerful,
robust, honorable, and dedicated colleague. He was someone
who was always eager to help me and to accommodate my
concerns. It was an honor to work with him on issues of
national defense, foreign policy, and many other matters
important to the people of the United States.
South Carolinians' outpouring of respect when he died
was massive. Senator Thurmond had been a judge, a soldier
who landed in Normandy as a member of the 82d Airborne
Division in 1942, a Governor of South Carolina, and
chairman of the Judiciary and Armed Services Committees in
this body. He was also someone who changed his mind on an
issue of great import--race in America--and he was a fine
example to his fellow citizens on that score.
Strom Thurmond was an indomitable spirit. He represented
continuity in the U.S. Senate, becoming, in 1996, its
oldest serving Member and, in 1997, its longest serving
Member. Those are for the record books. But on a personal
level, I can say I admired tremendously his buoyant
spirit. I appreciated him for assisting me in so many
ways, and for his stalwart service to our country.
Wednesday, July 23, 2003
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, shortly before Senator
Thurmond retired from the Senate, I included a tribute in
the Congressional Record on his long career. As the Senate
notes his passing so soon after his retirement, I ask
unanimous consent to have printed in the Record my earlier
remarks from October 2, 2002.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to a
colleague who has a career of public service that may
never be matched again in the history of our country.
Strom Thurmond sits on the other side of the aisle in
the Senate Chamber, but I consider him a friend with whom
I have worked closely. I will miss him.
We often worked together in the field of antitrust laws.
We worked together on the National Cooperative Production
Amendments of 1993, the very first high technology bill
signed by President Clinton, and to improve the
protections against anticompetitive conduct in the Digital
Performance Rights in Sound Recordings Act.
Senator Thurmond has been a legislator. I must admit
that when Senator Thurmond and I have worked together, it
has raised some eyebrows. Whenever we introduced
legislation together, he and I fondly remarked that the
bill was either a brilliant piece of drafting or one of us
had not read it.
Needless to say, there have been many occasions when
Strom and I sat on opposite sides of an issue. Even though
there were issues about which we felt deeply, Senator
Thurmond always conducted himself with the utmost
integrity. Strom has always told the Senate how he felt
and did so with the people of South Carolina first and
foremost in his mind.
Senator Thurmond has always been a gentleman. His warmth
and kindness one afternoon in the Senate dining room
framed what has to be one of the strangest meetings of all
times in that venue. In 1994, I invited Jerry Garcia and
the Grateful Dead to join me for lunch in the dining room.
As we sat down for lunch, Senator Thurmond entered the
room and came over to say hello. I took the opportunity to
introduce him to Jerry.
It was quite a meeting of cultures. Besides our devotion
to the Senate, I share with Senator Thurmond the
distinction of being from a State that has provided the
Senate Judiciary Committee with three chairmen over the
history of the committee. South Carolina and Vermont each
have had three Senators who have chaired the committee. I
have learned much from the senior Senator from South
Carolina. Let me share with you one additional aspect of
Senator Thurmond's legacy to the Senate as he completes
this term and retires from office. In addition to all his
longevity records and legislative achievements and
buildings named for him, there is something else about him
I will always remember.
When we hold hearings for Federal judges--and we have
held a number this year--I am always careful to carry on a
tradition that Senator Thurmond started. Senator Thurmond
always reminded nominees for high office that it is
essential to treat others with courtesy and respect. He
always reminded nominees that the people and lawyers who
appeared before them, whatever their position in the case,
whether rich or poor, white or black, man or woman,
whatever their religious or political affiliation, they
are each and every one deserving of respect and fairness.
Senator Thurmond was right to remind judges--and even
Senators--of that simple rule. It is another contribution
he has made to all of us that will continue to serve us
well.
Mr. President, as I said earlier, I will miss Strom
Thurmond. He has been named President pro tempore emeritus
for good reason.
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment
this evening to pay tribute to our dear friend and former
colleague, Strom Thurmond, a man who gave of himself
personally to his constituents and to his colleagues here
in the Senate.
All of us will always remember Strom. We will remember
him seated right in front of the presiding officer at his
desk. We will remember him for his smile. We will remember
him for his greeting. Frankly, I don't think any of us
will ever walk into this Chamber again without almost
seeing him down there at his desk.
He was a man who gave so much of himself to his
constituents. We will remember him for the way he treated
each one of us, the way he treated his constituents, and
the individual attention he gave to us and his
constituents.
I saw the way he personally dealt with his constituents.
I also saw the personal attention he paid to me and the
personal interest he took in my family. In particular, I
am grateful to him for the hospitality and attention he
showed to my son Brian, who just recently graduated from
his beloved Clemson University.
A few years ago, when I told Strom that my son Brian was
going to Clemson, I remember the big smile on his face. Of
course, I knew he was a graduate of Clemson. I could tell
how delighted and eager he was to share stories about his
experience at Clemson. And I remember a lot of those
stories.
Of course, the first thing he told me was, ``You know, I
went to Clemson''--which, of course, I did know. And I
then asked him, ``Strom, what year did you graduate from
Clemson?'' He said, ``1923.'' I said, ``Strom, that was
the year my dad was born''--which it was.
During the 4 years that Brian was at Clemson, almost
every time I saw Strom on the floor, Strom would say,
``How's your boy? How is that boy of yours doing down at
Clemson? Does he like it?'' Of course, I told him he did,
which Brian certainly did.
After Brian graduated, Strom invited Brian and myself up
to his office. Strom showed him all the pictures on the
wall. Strom invited him over and had his picture taken
with Brian, a picture that Brian now has, and a copy of
another picture that I have of Brian and myself and Strom
that is in a prominent place in my office today in the
Russell Building.
Strom Thurmond paid this same level of attention, which
he paid to his colleague in the Senate and to his
colleague's son, to all his constituents. And we know
that. We have all heard the stories. It did not matter
whether you were a U.S. Senator or whether you worked in a
filling station or who you were in his home State of South
Carolina; it did not matter. That was Strom Thurmond. It
did not matter who you were, Strom paid attention to you.
We have all heard the stories about the birthdays and
the anniversaries, constituent problems. It did not
matter, Strom was there.
Strom Thurmond has left a mark on his State and our
country through his kindness and his personal attention to
others--a mark that surely will not be forgotten or held
in anything less than the highest regard.
We thank Strom for his service to our country, to South
Carolina, and to the people who will miss his kindness and
his friendship. We thank Strom for his extra efforts to
help those in need, those he loved, and those he came to
the Senate to represent.
We will remember this man, our friend, fondly. He was a
man of courage, a man of integrity, a man of passion, a
man who loved this country dearly.
We thank you, Strom. We miss you. We respect you.
Thursday, July 24, 2003
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, it is with great pride and
honor that I rise today amongst my fellow colleagues to
honor one of America's finest citizens, Senator Strom
Thurmond of South Carolina.
When I look at Strom's career and all that he has
accomplished throughout his life, I often find myself
wondering how one man could possibly do so much in just
one lifetime. Strom Thurmond truly deserves the title of
Renaissance man. He has been a farmer, a teacher, a
lawyer, a judge, an author, a Governor, a war veteran, a
major general in the U.S. Army Reserve, a State senator, a
U.S. Senator, a Democrat, a Dixiecrat, a Republican, a
husband and a father. And most important to all of us--a
friend. He was born when Theodore Roosevelt was President
and lived through 18 different Presidencies. To put the
longevity of his political career in perspective, Strom
Thurmond won an election 18 years before President George
W. Bush was even born. This is also a man who enlisted
during World War II and jumped on D-day with the 82d
Airborne when he was in his forties.
From 1954 when he ran and won a seat in the U.S. Senate
as a write-in candidate, until his death on June 26, 2003,
Strom Thurmond worked tirelessly and selflessly for the
people of South Carolina and the citizens of this great
Nation, casting more than 15,000 votes in his senatorial
tenure. Whether or not people ever agreed with Strom
politically, they certainly admired his zest and his
passion.
In his earlier days in Congress, Strom argued for
segregationist policies. In many ways, people have used
this to try and discredit this American icon. But most
people forget he later championed civil rights laws and
black institutions. As Winston Churchill said, ``To
improve is to change, to be perfect is to change often.''
Strom Thurmond was an honest and principled man, but he
also was a man constantly striving to make this a better
nation.
I now ask my fellow Members of the Senate to join me in
honoring our good friend and colleague for all he did
throughout his life and throughout his tenure in the
Senate. His brilliance, leadership and unmatched wit will
be sorely missed by this legislative body and by the
entire Nation.
On June 26, 2003, one of this Nation's brightest stars
faded away. Even though the light may be out, I believe we
all will find our own way to hold on to the many memories
and stories Strom Thurmond left behind with us.
Proceedings in the House of Representatives
Thursday, June 26, 2003
South Carolina Loses a Legend
Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Mr. Speaker, it is with
great sadness tonight that I announce that Senator Strom
Thurmond passed away at 9:45. I was a former staff member
of Senator Thurmond, my wife was a staff person for
Senator Thurmond, and our three sons have been pages with
his office.
With the death of Strom Thurmond, South Carolina has
lost its greatest statesman of the 20th century, just as
John Calhoun was the most revered South Carolinian of the
19th century. Strom Thurmond will never be replaced in the
countless hearts of those who loved and respected him.
The entire Wilson family mourns this profound loss and
we extend our sympathy to the Thurmond family.
Senator Strom Thurmond will endure as the leading
example of a public servant due to his love and devotion
to all the people of South Carolina regardless of status,
race, politics or region.
He was our living legend. Strom's life was dedicated to
achieving peace through strength, as shown by his military
service in liberating Europe from Nazi fascists, his
tireless work in fighting for a strong national defense in
Congress which ultimately led to the defeat of Soviet
communism.
He pioneered the development of the South Carolina
Republican Party from effective nonexistence in the 1960s
to majority status by the end of the century. He has been
a role model of service to South Carolina's young people
and our family has had three generations on his staff: my
wife's two uncles were staff attorneys, my wife and I were
interns, and our three oldest sons were pages. A
distinguished highlight for our family was to host Senator
Thurmond on the last Sunday before his last election in
1996 at the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia.
The legacy of Strom Thurmond will always be felt in
South Carolina because of his steadfast integrity and the
meaningful results of his thoughtful constituent service.
He was my personal hero, and I will miss him dearly.
Monday, July 7, 2003
MESSAGE FROM THE SENATE
A message from the Senate by Mr. Monahan, one of its
clerks, announced that the Senate agreed to the following
resolution:
S. Res. 191
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond conducted his
life in an exemplary manner, an example to all of his
fellow citizens;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond was a devoted
husband, father, and most recently, grandfather;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond gave a great
measure of his life to public service;
Whereas, having abandoned the safety of high position,
the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond served his country during
World War II, fighting the greatest threat the world had
thus far seen;
Whereas the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond served South
Carolina in the United States Senate with devotion and
distinction;
Whereas his service on behalf of South Carolina and all
Americans earned him the esteem and high regard of his
colleagues; and
Whereas his death has deprived his State and Nation of a
most outstanding Senator: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow
and deep regret the announcement of the death of the
Honorable J. Strom Thurmond, former Senator and President
Pro Tempore Emeritus from the State of South Carolina.
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate communicate
these resolutions to the House of Representatives and
transmit an enrolled copy thereof to the family of the
deceased.
Resolved, That when the Senate adjourns today, it stand
adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of
the Honorable J. Strom Thurmond.
Celebrating the Life of
J. Strom Thurmond
December 5, 1902-June 26, 2003
Well done, thou good and faithful servant.
Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Matthew 25 : 21
First Baptist Church
Columbia, South Carolina
Prelude Mrs. Joyce English
National Anthem Mrs. Barbara Bowens
Greeting the Reverend Dr. Wendell R. Estep
Congregational Hymn 10 How Great Thou Art
Eulogies the Honorable John E. Courson
the Honorable William W. Wilkins, Jr.
the Honorable Kay Patterson
the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Mr. Bettis C. Rainsford
Scripture the Reverend Dr. Fred W. Andrea III
Isaiah 40 : 28-31
Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
And strengthens the powerless.
Even youths will faint and be weary,
And the young will fall exhausted;
But those who wait for the Lord shall
Renew their strength,
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Solo On Eagles Wings Mrs. Donna Ritter
Message Dr. Andrea
Scripture
Psalm 30 : 1-5
I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up,
And did not let my foes rejoice over me.
O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you
Have healed me.
O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol,
Restored me to life from among those gone
Down to the Pit.
Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones,
And give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment;
His favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may linger for the night,
But joy comes with the morning.
Presentation of Flags
the Honorable Marshall Clement Sanford, Jr.
Mr. Warren H. Abernathy
Dr. Donald L. Fowler, Sr.
USAR, Ret. 360th Civil Affairs Brigade
Benediction Dr. Andrea
Recessional Amazing Grace Mr. David M. Nichols
Organ Postlude Mrs. Joyce English
Family
Preceded in death by his parents
Eleanor Gertrude Strom
The Honorable John William Thurmond
His first wife Jean Crouch Thurmond
His brothers and a sister
Dr. John William Thurmond, Jr.
Dr. Allan George Thurmond
Miss Anna Gertrude Thurmond
Survived by his sisters
Martha Thurmond Bishop
Mary Thurmond Tompkins
His nieces and nephews
Betsy Thurmond Keller
Ellen Thurmond Senter
Dr. John William Thurmond III
Mary T. Tompkins Freeman
Dr. Walter Grady Bishop, Jr.
The Honorable William Thurmond Bishop
James Allan Bishop
Dr. John Barry Bishop
Preceded in death by his daughter
Nancy Moore Thurmond
Survived by his wife Nancy Moore Thurmond
His children
J. Strom Thurmond, Jr.
Julie Thurmond Whitmer
Paul Reynolds Thurmond
His grandchild
Martin Taylor Whitmer III
Pallbearers
United States Army
United States Marine Corps
United States Navy
United States Air Force
United States Coast Guard
Joint Honor Guard provided by the South Carolina National Guard
Caisson and artillery supplied by the South Carolina Military Department
Commanded by Major General Stanhope S. Spears
Honorary Pallbearers
State Law Enforcement Division (SLED)
Memorials
Strom Thurmond Foundation
PO Box 50214
Columbia, SC 29250
Aiken's First Baptist Church
PO Box 3157
Aiken, SC 29802
Edgefield County Hospital
PO Box 590
Edgefield, SC 29824
Interment at Willowbrook Cemetery
Edgefield, South Carolina
the Reverend Dr. Fred W. Andrea III
Dr. John Barry Bishop
Shellhouse Funeral Home, Inc.
Aiken, South Carolina
Edgefield Mercantile Funeral Home
Edgefield, South Carolina