[Senate Document 110-4]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
110th Congress SENATE DOCUMENT
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TRIBUTES TO HON. TED STEVENS
Ted Stevens
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
TRIBUTES
IN THE CONGRESS OF
THE UNITED STATES
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
Ted Stevens
Tributes
Delivered in Congress
Ted Stevens
United States Senator
1968-
Compiled under the direction
of the
Joint Committee on Printing
CONTENTS
Biography.............................................
v
Proceedings in the Senate:
Tributes by Senators:
Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee.................
42
Bond, Christopher S., of Missouri..............
40
Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky......................
44
Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia
........................................
22, 27, 30
Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi..................
28
Coleman, Norm, of Minnesota....................
57
Collins, Susan M., of Maine....................
45
Crapo, Mike, of Idaho..........................
45
Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
34
Ensign, John, of Nevada........................
46
Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming...................
48
Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina.............
50
Grassley, Chuck, of Iowa.......................
35
Gregg, Judd, of New Hampshire..................
8
Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
10
Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
50
Inouye, Daniel K., of Hawaii...................
7
Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia....................
29
Kennedy, Edward M., of Massachusetts...........
30
Lugar, Richard G., of Indiana..................
53
Martinez, Mel, of Florida......................
41
McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky..................
3, 15
Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska.....................
16
Reid, Harry, of Nevada.........................
13, 33
Salazar, Ken, of Colorado......................
37
Shelby, Richard C., of Alabama.................
54
Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine....................
37
Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania................
36
Stevens, Ted, of Alaska
.............................................
12, 17, 26, 28, 33
Vitter, David, of Louisiana....................
54
Warner, John, of Virginia......................
55
BIOGRAPHY
Ted Stevens' career in public service spans more than
six decades. During World War II, he joined the Army Air
Corps and flew support missions for the Flying Tigers of
the 14th Air Force. For his service, Stevens was awarded
two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals and the
Republic of China's Yuan Hai Medal.
After returning home from the war, Senator Stevens
completed degrees at UCLA and Harvard Law School. In the
early 1950s, he practiced law in Alaska before moving to
Washington, DC, to work in President Eisenhower's
administration.
Senator Stevens subsequently returned to Alaska and was
elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1964. In
his second term, Senator Stevens became the House majority
leader.
Mr. Stevens was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1968.
Two years later, Alaskans chose Senator Stevens to finish
his term in a special election mandated by State law. He
has since been re-elected six times.
Today, Senator Stevens is the senior member of Alaska's
congressional delegation, the senior Republican in the
U.S. Senate, and the longest serving Senator in the
history of the Republican Party. He serves as the Senate's
President pro tempore emeritus; vice chairman of the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation;
cochairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee; and
ranking member of the Disaster Recovery Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee.
TRIBUTES
TO
TED STEVENS
Proceedings in the Senate
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to honor a
colleague and a friend, Senator Ted Stevens, who this week
becomes history's longest serving Republican Member of the
Senate. This is an outsized accomplishment for a man whose
name is virtually synonymous with the Nation's largest
State. Yet no one who ever crossed paths with Senator
Stevens is surprised that he has achieved it.
The long list of things he has done for the people of
Alaska in the course of a remarkable 38 years in the
Senate traces an arc as vast as the State itself. His love
for that State and this country is legendary. This
milestone is merely an occasion to recall and retell that
legend. As the Republican leader, an admirer, and a
friend, I welcome it.
It is a story that takes us back to a day when
transistor radios were new to the White House and
construction workers had just cleared a space in the Bronx
for Yankee Stadium. America was changing quickly, and
Theodore Fulton Stevens would take as much of it as he
could.
Born in Indianapolis, he moved to Redondo, CA, as a boy
and learned to surf along the beaches of the South Bay.
His pioneering spirit took him to Oregon and Montana for
college and then to even more exotic places as an Army Air
Corps pilot in World War II. At 19 years old, he was
flying C-46 transport planes over the Himalayas and into
China supporting the legendary Flying Tigers. He left the
Army after achieving the rank of lieutenant and in
recognition of his bravery received two Distinguished
Flying Crosses and two Air Medals.
A decorated war veteran in his early twenties, Ted
returned to California to resume his studies and later
enrolled at Harvard Law School. A consummate tough guy,
the man who would one day prepare for tough legislative
fights by donning ties that featured the Incredible Hulk
helped pay his way through law school by tending bar and
selling his own blood.
After law school, Ted showed up in Washington to
practice his trade. He married a girl named Ann, and
together they set out on yet another adventure. With an
appetite for risk and a passion for service, Ted would
carve a life for himself and his young family out of the
vast expanse of the Alaska territory. He would devote the
rest of his life to helping people there achieve the same
rights and privileges that those in the lower 48 took for
granted. As a result of decades of work in the service of
that goal, the name ``Ted Stevens'' would one day be
synonymous with an area one-sixth the size of the entire
United States.
He was there at the creation. As a young lawyer at the
Department of the Interior, Ted Stevens stood over a map
with President Eisenhower and traced out the borders of
the 49th State. He returned there in 1961, started a law
firm of his own, and soon won a seat for himself in the
Alaska House of Representatives. Four years after that,
Democratic Senator Bob Bartlett passed away, and on
Christmas Eve, the State's Republican Governor chose Ted
to replace him.
Now, Ted Stevens wasn't well known outside his home
State, but curious folks in Washington could have found
this brief description of him in Newsweek. Here is how
they summed him up:
Stevens is a 56" cigar smoker who hunts moose and
earned a reputation as a scrapper in the Alaska House of
Representatives.
It was brief, but it wasn't far off. Ted didn't leave
his scrappiness in Juneau. He would bring it to
Washington.
A story about the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
illustrates the point. Ted was a first term minority
Senator at the time, but he was determined to find a way
to get this piece of legislation enacted into law.
The story goes that Ted was carpooling into work one
morning with the Democratic chairman who could make it
happen, and he got him to agree to a vote on his amendment
that day.
Well, the day passed without any action. They called the
bill up on the floor, and the thing went through second
reading, third reading, and then onto a final vote. No
amendment.
Ted ran right up to the chairman and yelled at him right
to his face: ``You SOB, you promised me a vote!'' Hearing
the commotion, the Democratic leader, Mike Mansfield, came
over to chastise Ted. ``Nobody swears in this Chamber,''
he said.
But then Ted told Mansfield what had happened, and how
important the bill was to his State. Mansfield turned to
the chairman and asked whether the story was true. When he
found out it was, he took the bill back to a second
reading, offered the Stevens amendment in his own name,
and the amendment passed.
This was just one of the major pieces of critical
legislation Ted has fought for on behalf of Alaskans.
There have been many others. Ted never tires of fighting
for the people of Alaska. But if you ask his staff,
they'll say he just never tires.
His chief of staff, George Lowe, remembers his first
trip to Alaska with the boss. A staff assistant at the
time, George was a little taken back when he picked Ted up
at 6 a.m. and the Senator had already gone through the
briefing book he'd been given the night before, already
read the papers, and already been on the phone to
Washington for a couple hours.
``I needed a vacation after doing for 2 weeks what he'd
been doing for 38 years,'' he said.
After Ann's tragic death, Ted met his beloved Catherine.
They would add a sixth child to Ted's brood, Lily, who
many of us remember running around the Senate as a little
girl.
Catherine had to get used to Ted's tenacity early on.
The day after their wedding, he agreed to fill in for a
colleague on a trip to tout Reaganomics in China. She had
never let him live down that ``honeymoon.''
As chief of staff, George says nothing's changed. He's
learned to put his Blackberry in the basement when he goes
to bed at night, or the boss would keep him up with e-
mails.
Ted will tell you he works so hard because there's so
much work to do. Alaskans don't have the benefit of
centuries of infrastructure and planning that much of the
rest of the country does. Of the giant State's more than
200 villages, only a handful had running water when Ted
came to the Senate. But largely thanks to him, roughly
half of them do now.
He's tried to make sure that people on the outside
understand the challenges. And turning down an invitation
to Alaska from Ted Stevens isn't recommended if you ever
expect to appear before him at a committee hearing. An
entire generation of Federal officials has trekked up
there at Ted's invitation.
Elaine and I have spent six of the last seven July
recesses at the Kenai River King Salmon Classic and, like
everybody else who's been there, we never leave without
being impressed by two things: the magnificence of the
scenery, and just how much of Alaska's progress is a
direct result of Ted Stevens.
It starts at the airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage
International. It runs through the pipeline; the land
settlement claims; the double-hulled tankers that move
along the shore; and through all the homes in the remotest
reaches of Alaska that have radio and television because
of Ted. And it continues with his epic battle to open up
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
``They sent me here to stand up for the State of
Alaska,'' Ted once said. That's just what he's done. And
Alaskans love him for it: on March 22, 2000, the Alaska
State Legislature named Ted Stevens Alaskan of the
Century.
But he's done a lot more for the rest of us besides.
Thanks to a remarkable 35-year tenure on the
Appropriations Committee, no one has done more for the
U.S. military than Ted Stevens. Never one to deny or delay
materials or supplies to troops at home or in the field,
he's secured funds to continue funding the F-117, to
replace Air Force One, for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like
the Predator and Global Hawk, and for a replacement Coast
Guard Icebreaker and the F-16 Program.
He was instrumental in ensuring funds for early military
research on everything from breast cancer to AIDS.
I remember asking myself when I first arrived in the
Senate whether Stevens was ever in a good mood.
But I learned, as everyone else who knows him does,
that, like Hamlet, Ted Stevens ``speaks daggers but uses
none.'' And in this, ``his tongue and his soul be
hypocrites.''
Those who weren't convinced of this changed their minds
during that sad week in September 2003, when we learned
about the death of Senator Gordon Smith's son, Garrett.
Senator Smith opposed Ted on ANWR, the biggest issue of
his life. And a lesser man might have held a grudge. Yet
it was Ted who arranged to fly himself and his colleagues
in the Senate to the funeral.
They say the only way to have a friend is to be one. And
Ted's friendship with Senator Inouye is one of the great
models of bipartisanship this building has ever known. We
all know the two men call each other brothers. But some
might not recall that Ted has actually donated money from
his own political action committee to Senator Inouye's re-
election campaign.
How does Ted do all this?
He's always looking forward. Thirty-nine years in the
Senate, and he doesn't reminisce. He hasn't slowed down a
bit. He plays tennis and enjoys fishing. He tries to get
in an hour at the Senate gym every day. And when he says
he's a fighter, he means it: his staff assures me he still
trains on a speed bag.
When Ted got to the Senate, he had a motto: ``To hell
with the politics, do what's right for Alaska.'' Over the
years, he changed that motto, just slightly. Now it's:
``To hell with the politics, do what's right for the
Nation.'' But in one of the most distinguished careers in
the history of this body, he's done both.
The people of Alaska and this Nation are better for
having Ted Stevens around. We'd hardly know what to do
without him. And in appreciation of his friendship and his
noble service to State and country, I honor him today for
his historic achievement and wish him many more years of
good health and service.
(Applause.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii is
recognized.
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I am a proud Democrat. Ted
Stevens is a proud Republican. People have said, how can
you two ever get together? Well, as the leader has
indicated, we call each other brothers.
I know this is a violation of our party rules, but I
have contributed to Ted's campaign, and he has contributed
to my campaign. Last election was one of the most negative
and partisan ones that I have ever experienced. The issue
was Iraq, as it is today. Ted Stevens came up to me and
said: ``You know, this election is sending a bad message
to the fellows and the women in Iraq. We should send
another message.'' So he proposed that we do our very best
to pass the defense appropriations bill in a timely
fashion unanimously. The record will show that the
subcommittee came out and voted unanimously for the
defense appropriations bill. The full committee responded
by unanimously voting for it, and the Senate, for the
first time in history, voted 100 to 0.
That is bipartisanship, Mr. President. We have
demonstrated that it can be done, and it has been done
many times. We have many things in common, but I think
more things uncommon. He represents glaciers; I represent
coconut trees. But we do have many things in common. We
fought in World War II--he in China with the Flying
Tigers, and I was in Europe fighting the Germans. We
represented territories. So we came in as new Members of
the Senate, and he and I have received the crown of being
``pork men of the year.'' We are No. 1 in add-ons in the
U.S. Senate.
Mr. President, I am proud to call Ted Stevens my
brother. I hope we can continue this brothership for as
long as we are here. We have just given him a new title:
the Strom Thurmond of the Arctic Circle.
(Applause.)
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues
in recognizing Senator Ted Stevens upon this milestone of
his serving longer in this body than any other Republican
Senator. This is a significant moment and our former
President pro tempore of the Senate has set an impressive,
historic accomplishment.
I think this is most significant not because we are
recognizing Ted Stevens for his length of service in this
body, but rather because we are recognizing what Ted
Stevens has accomplished in this institution as a U.S.
Senator. There are few individuals who can equal his
service and accomplishments as a true leader.
As Alaska's senior Senator, his steadfast and tenacious
advocacy of his State and constituents is widely known.
His career transcends Alaska's transition from a frontier
and U.S. territory to an important and vibrant State.
After earning his law degree at Harvard University, Ted
Stevens moved to the heart of Alaska, the Chena River and
Fairbanks, where he became a prosecutor and a U.S.
attorney in the early 1950s.
Ted quickly became a leader in the statehood movement
and in 1956 he served his first assignment in Washington
as the Department of Interior's legislative counsel and
later Solicitor General. He later returned to Alaska and
was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives where
he became the majority leader and speaker pro tempore. In
1968 he was appointed to fill Senator Bartlett's seat in
the U.S. Senate. He was elected to retain that seat in
1970 and has been a part of this institution ever since.
Ted is a forceful and dedicated advocate for the people
of Alaska. He has brought about significant economic
development, be it clearing the way for North Slope
petroleum development and the construction of the Alaska
pipeline, the upcoming natural gas pipeline, countless
small airports and aviation improvements, or overall basic
infrastructure. He has been a tenacious advocate for the
Alaskan fishing industry, including creation of the
Exclusive Economic Zone to allow the sustainable harvest
of the largest and most valuable fishery in the United
States. It is not by chance that the basic law governing
fisheries in this Nation is called the Magnuson-Stevens
Act.
Like most Alaskans, Ted is a true sportsman with a rich
appreciation for the unique and special environmental
resources of his State. Men and women fishing on the Kenai
River or trolling off Cape Chacon or other waters need
just look next to them, through sunshine or inclement
weather, to see the senior Senator from Alaska fishing for
kings, or reds or silvers or halibut.
Ted Stevens is an American Senator who has made
tremendous contributions to U.S. security policy and
defense posture since the 1960s.
Ted Stevens left college to fight in the Second World
War. He served in the Army Air Corps and flew support
missions over the Himalayas to General Stillwell and our
forces in the China/Burma theater.
Since 1981, Senator Stevens has served as either
chairman or ranking member of the Senate's Department of
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The aircraft, the
ships, the missiles, the tanks and combat vehicles, and
the weapons systems that are manned by our dedicated men
and women in the U.S. Armed Forces have been developed,
procured and supported under Ted Stevens' steady and
pragmatic leadership. The training, pay and support of our
personnel have been carried out by programs that he
championed and shepherded through the Congress. The
``operating tempos'' and readiness levels are items of
personal interest for him. He is a champion of research
and development to ensure our Nation's leadership is not
diminished, and that America remains prepared to take on
threats to its national security.
As an appropriator, Ted Stevens has often focused on the
business of national defense. Like others, he has been a
champion of the ``top line'' for the defense budget,
seeking to ensure that national security remains a
priority and receives appropriate funding. He has also
dedicated long hours to ensuring that funds are not wasted
and that priorities are addressed.
Finally, Ted Stevens should be recognized for his work
as a legislator in this body. Ted Stevens has authored and
championed legislation far too numerous to list. He has
left his mark on so many laws, policies, and programs that
benefit Americans across this Nation. For example, Ted
Stevens has played a leadership role in our national space
programs, and it was his personal effort that allowed NASA
to recover from the Challenger disaster in 1986. He helped
create the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and has been the sponsor or cosponsor of countless
significant pieces of environmental legislation. He has
championed remote sensing satellites that protect our
Nation from severe weather and is the author and foremost
supporter of our Nation's ocean exploration program.
Ted Stevens has also left his mark on every piece of
telecommunications legislation over the past 20 years. He
has put forward legislation that provides for our airports
and air transportation systems, and terrorism
countermeasures. He is a strong advocate for the Coast
Guard and has overseen fleet, aircraft, and system
modernization during the 1980s and 1990s.
Ted Stevens has been a leader on issues as diverse as
reform of U.S. civil service retirement programs, to the
rules governing the operation of the U.S. Senate. So often
it is Senator Stevens' style to be the workhorse and
moving force behind legislation, but to let others receive
the credit. He is a Senator who pulls up his sleeves and
works, and he is a man of his word.
Ted is a dedicated family man--to his wife Catherine and
his daughter Lily, and his children from his first
marriage to Ann Stevens. Ted Stevens is a Senator who
lives every day to the fullest. He is tireless.
So Mr. President, it is very appropriate that the Senate
convene here today to recognize and congratulate our
Republican President pro tempore, the vice chairman of the
Commerce Committee and the former chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee. We are here today to recognize
the length of his service and the accomplishments of his
Senate service.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to
my friend and colleague, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.
Today, Senator Stevens has the distinct honor of becoming
the longest serving Republican Senator in this Chamber.
I know of no greater patriot and lover of freedom than
Ted Stevens. Whether flying his C-47 with the Flying
Tigers in World War II, or serving in the Alaska House of
Representatives, Senator Stevens' life is a model of
heroism and personal integrity.
Ted's tenure in the Senate has been equally impressive.
He chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee for 6
years, the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
for 2 years, and served as the Senate President pro
tempore for 4 years. In each and every one of these high
offices, Ted served with dignity and distinction.
As one who has had a stewardship over our Nation's
military for many years, there is no greater friend to our
men and women in the military than Senator Stevens. No one
in Congress has done more to make our Nation's military
the great institution it is today. We all rely heavily on
Ted's expertise on so many defense-related matters, as I
believe many in this body and throughout the Federal
Government do. He is the Senate's greatest asset with
regard to the needs of the military, and his knowledge
about defense issues has proven invaluable every time this
Nation has faced a crisis in the last four decades.
Although Ted is not the tallest man in the Senate, my
colleagues and I all look up to the senior Senator from
Alaska. When he comes to work in his Incredible Hulk tie,
you know he means business and is ready to do whatever it
takes to ensure legislation which improves the lives of
Americans gets safely shepherded through the Senate.
It has been my privilege to know and work with Ted for
many years here in the Senate, and even though he has been
described by some as gruff and grouchy, I have always
found him to be very helpful and patient. Take for example
a few months ago when I was meeting with several
constituents from Utah in my DC office. During our
conversations, we found that we needed some expertise that
only Ted could provide. I hurriedly called him at home in
Alaska without pausing to calculate the time difference.
Although it was midmorning where I was sitting in DC, it
was quite early in the morning in Alaska where a groggy
Ted Stevens courteously took my call, helped me with the
information I needed, and--I hope--promptly went back to
bed to finish his night's sleep. Ted has shown similar
types of courtesy and kindness to several Members of this
body and he has always proven able to balance the
delicate, yet competing, needs to maintain good
friendships and still move the work of the country forward
even when all sides are not in agreement.
Ted's wisdom and his character have served as an example
to everyone he meets, and I am grateful for the
opportunity I have had to serve the people of the United
States alongside my dear, dear friend, Senator Ted
Stevens.
So, from one old bull to another old bull, I would like
to thank my good friend Ted for his friendship and
leadership. Also, I would like to thank his wife Catherine
for her selflessness and willingness to share her husband.
The hours kept by a hard-working Senator are long and can
be very demanding on families, but Catherine has been
extremely patient and our Nation is grateful.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is
recognized.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am embarrassed but very
grateful to my friends, our leader, Mr. McConnell, and my
great friend and brother, Dan Inouye. Dan and I have been
here a long time. I was downtown with the Eisenhower
administration when he arrived in the House of
Representatives. I went home to Alaska after that
Presidency ended and never expected to come back. But I
did, and I am grateful for the outline of my service that
our Republican leader has presented in the Senate.
I can only say two or three things. One is that I would
not be here now if it wasn't for a really understanding
family. My first wife was, and my current wife, Catherine,
has been supportive beyond anyone's understanding. It is a
long way to go home. I remember 1 year I flew home 35
times--1 day up and 1 day back, almost. But I have been
away from my family a great deal. I have 6 children and 11
grandchildren and they have understood my commitment to
the Senate. I do believe that it would be impossible to be
here without that type of support.
I also have been privileged and ask that after my
remarks, I be permitted later to have printed in the
Record a list of the dedicated young Alaskans who have
come down and worked with me in various positions; also,
those who have worked with me at home. I have had a series
of distinguished chiefs of staff who have gone on to other
functions and have shown what training in the Senate can
do for a young person. I think over a dozen of my chiefs
of staff have gone through law school working full time in
my office and going to school full time. We sort of run a
separate adjunct of the Senate, and that is a law school
on the side, I think.
I do believe I have had the honor of serving with many
great people. I served with the people who were here when
I came here--Senator Baker, Senator Mansfield, Senator
Scott, Senator Magnuson, Senator Dole, Senator Jackson,
Senator Cook, Senator Bible, Senator Bell, Senator
Hollings--there are so many.
I remember the time when Senator McClellan, who was
chairman of the Appropriations Committee, took the whole
committee up to Alaska because he was tired of asking me
why I was seeking so much money. He decided to take the
whole committee up there. We traveled through the State
for 2 weeks. That doesn't happen now.
I am surrounded by friends here on both sides of the
aisle, and I am still very honored to be here.
Let me close by saying I really think I am here because
of the mentors I had in Alaska. Two publishers--Bill
Snedden, publisher of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and
Bob Atwood, publisher of the Anchorage Times--urged me to
come to Washington to participate in the Eisenhower
administration during our fight for statehood. I was lucky
enough to tie into former Senator Fred Seaton who was
Secretary of the Interior. I worked with him for a period
of almost 4 years and left Washington as the Solicitor of
the Department of the Interior, his reward to me for our
working together.
I was also honored to follow a good friend, a friend I
got to know during the territorial days as we fought for
statehood, and that was Bob Bartlett. He was my
predecessor. He was, during the time we were fighting for
statehood, the delegate from the territory of Alaska as a
Democrat.
I think our relationship was almost as close as the
relationship I have with Senator Inouye. He was a fine
man, a great and distinguished public servant for Alaska.
I am honored to hold what Alaskans call the Bartlett seat.
I thank my colleagues again for the courtesy all have
shown me. I passed a milestone only because Strom made the
mistake of being a Democrat for two terms. I am honored to
have this recognition today.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The majority leader
is recognized.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, when I came to Washington,
Senator Inouye--I am sorry, Senator Stevens. They are like
brothers, and it is easy to get them mixed up--Senator
Stevens had already been here 12 or 13 years. He has a
distinguished service: 38 years in this Chamber, going on
15,000 votes, decorated pilot in World War II. But there
are a number of instances that I want to spread on this
record regarding Senator Stevens.
First of all, he has a relationship that has already
been mentioned with one of America's great people, Senator
Dan Inouye. Dan Inouye, of course, is a Medal of Honor
winner. A gentleman describes who he is. But the
relationship between Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens,
when the history books are written, will be legendary.
They are friends, a Republican and a Democrat, who are
like a couple of brothers.
They have traveled the world over many times, and the
relationship is something we should all recognize as being
possible in this Chamber. People of different parties from
different parts of our United States can become friends.
Party affiliation is secondary to their relationship.
For me, the example they have set has paved the way for
the relationship Senator Ensign and I have. We are from
the same State, with totally different political
philosophies, but our friendship is, in our own minds,
comparable to that of Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye.
Thank you very much, I say to Senator Stevens and Senator
Inouye, for the example you have set for us.
I also want to relate to everyone something that is
remarkable to me. I was serving in the House of
Representatives when Senator Alan Bible died. Senator
Bible served in the Senate for 20 years. He was a great
public servant from the State of Nevada and a dignified
Senator who, because of illness, left the Senate after 20
years.
When he died, there was a plane available to take anyone
who wanted to go to the State of Nevada to his funeral. I
went, and the only other Member of Congress who traveled
to Nevada was Ted Stevens. It was a long way to Reno, NV,
where Senator Bible was buried, but Ted Stevens went. Why
did he go? Because on a very important vote to Senator
Stevens that made the difference between Senator Stevens
carrying the day or losing the day, Senator Bible stepped
forward, as Senator Stevens said, courageously, and voted
with this Republican Senator.
Think about that: Senator Bible was long gone, hadn't
been in the Senate for many years. He died. But Senator
Stevens remembered Senator Bible doing something that he
thought was beyond the call of his democratic duty. And so
Senator Stevens and I took this lonely flight to Reno, NV,
to attend the funeral of my friend and Senator Stevens'
friend, Senator Bible. That speaks volumes about the kind
of person Senator Stevens is.
One of the highlights of my congressional service has
been the ability to travel all over the world. It is part
of our obligation as Members of Congress to go see what
American interests are doing around the world. On one of
those trips, I signed up to go as a young Senator and was
led by the great John Glenn and Ted Stevens. It was a
memorable trip. I can remember--the Iron Curtain was
down--leaving Austria and going into Czechoslovakia. They
stopped the train. In came the KGB and other Iron Curtain
soldiers. They looked under the train, in the train, and
looked at all of us. We went into Prague, and in a little
diner-bar, that evening a man came in wearing a flight
jacket, a World War II flight jacket. Of course, Senator
Glenn and Senator Stevens had worn those flight jackets
representing the United States as they flew airplanes: one
a Marine, one a member of the Army Air Corps.
The conversation that night with that man, who probably
was a KGB plant, as we talked later, developed into a
great conversation. We were able to be regaled with
conversations about Senator Glenn in World War II and
Senator Stevens in World War II flying airplanes for
America's interests around the world. I always will
remember that.
Finally, I say to Senator Stevens, at this desk right
here, you watched me manage a few bills. We were able to
finish an appropriations bill. You thought I helped a lot.
So you gave me the distinct honor of giving me one of your
Hulk ties, which I still have.
(Laughter.)
We laugh and joke about that, but it meant a lot to me
that Senator Stevens thought enough of me to give me one
of his ties.
So I say to Senator Stevens, at this important occasion
for you, of course, and our country, recognizing you, your
service in this body, the longest serving Republican in
the history of the Republic, I extend to you my
appreciation and my friendship.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is
recognized.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the junior Senator from
Alaska is on her feet. I wanted to make sure you saw her.
She will be seeking recognition.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Alaska is
recognized.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, it gives me enormous pride
to pay tribute to our senior Senator, to my senior
Senator, Mr. Stevens, and to listen to the comments, to
listen to the stories from so many of you as colleagues
and friends.
For so many years--I think my whole life--I have grown
up hearing the stories about Senator Stevens, and to
understand how today--tomorrow, actually--he makes history
as the longest serving Republican Senator.
What you all need to appreciate is that so much of the
history of Ted Stevens is also the history of the State of
Alaska. They are inextricably tied, and we know that. So
to be able to share that with his friends and colleagues
for so many years is so important.
I truly appreciate the words of the Republican leader
outlining the history, the very storied military career
that Senator Stevens had, understanding how he went on to
be the U.S. attorney for the territory at the time, his
schooling through UCLA, through Harvard. Coming back to
the State of Alaska is where we all kind of pick up with
the history that is now legendary and is seen in so many
places.
Someone mentioned the Ted Stevens International Airport.
We look around to so many of the monuments in the State,
whether it is the Trans-Alaska Pipeline that has been
delivering oil to the lower 48 for the past 25-some-odd
years--we look at those and we think: Ted Stevens.
I don't know how many of you are aware of the history of
our State as it relates to our lands and knowing and
understanding that it was Ted Stevens who moved these
forward, whether it was ANILCA, our land conservation act,
the Native Claims Settlement Act, the effort to build the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Act,
the Denali Commission--these are living legends, if you
will, through legislation that came about through the
dedication, through the persistence, through the urging of
Senator Stevens.
We all want to believe, certainly, that we work on
behalf of the people we represent, but as we look to these
legislative victories, these legislative successes that
Senator Stevens has put in place over the years, I believe
that truly demonstrates his commitment to the people of
Alaska. When we think about providing the Native peoples
with title to their lands, when we think about the
educational challenges that face us in this enormous State
with geographic and rural challenges that we can only
imagine, when we think about how we provide health care in
a State such as Alaska, all we need to do is look to the
initiatives that have been put in place.
Senator Stevens has always--always--kept Alaska first
and has been very selfless in his efforts to put his
State, to put the people of Alaska first.
We lovingly call him throughout the State ``Uncle Ted.''
And you chuckle, but I think it is fair to say. They
might not say it to your face, Ted, but behind your back
they are always calling you Uncle Ted, because I hear it.
They love it. The people of Alaska love it when you put on
your superhero tie, when you wear the Hulk tie, because
that is your signal that you mean business on behalf of
the people of the State of Alaska.
You know, talk about people who have minds as sharp as a
tack, Ted will come up to me and we will be talking about
something and he will say, ``You remember back in 1973
when so-and-so said something to so-and-so?'' And I am
thinking, I was still in high school back then; no, I
don't remember that. But he has such a grasp of the
history and the facts. I appreciated his comment that he
doesn't reminisce, but he is not going to let go of the
factual background that has gotten us to where we are
today.
Senator Stevens mentioned those who have worked for him,
and he and I have a unique relationship in that I was an
intern for him. I credit him as my first political mentor
here. Whether that means your staff will go on to succeed
both you and me, who knows, but I look to what you have
provided me as I have joined the family of the Senate
here. I could not have asked for a better mentor, a better
colleague to work side by side with as we move forward to
advance the interests of the State of Alaska.
I know I will have you to work together with for years
to come, and I join my colleagues again in acknowledging
you on this truly historic occasion. I think it is fair to
say, as an Alaskan, I feel personally blessed to have you
and your leadership for our State and our Nation, and for
that I thank you very much.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the list of family and Senate staff to which I previously
referred, be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
Family
My wife, Catherine Ann Stevens, my deceased wife, Ann
Cherrington Stevens, who left us due to our 1978 accident.
We have six children, Susan, Beth, Walter, Ted, Ben, and
Lily; and our eleven grandchildren, Susan, Ben, Augustus,
Theodore II (Ben and Elizabeth Stevens' family); Sally
Masako (Ted and Junko Stevens' family); Ann, Rachel and
Elizabeth (Walter and Debbie Stevens' family); Laura Beth,
John Peter, and Sara Ann (Susan and David Covich family).
Senate Staff
Chiefs of Staff
Ron Birch; George Nethercutt; Tim McKeever; Rebecca Cox;
Bill Phillips; Greg Chapados; Lisa Sutherland; Mitch Rose;
Carol White; Dave Russell; George Lowe.
Former Staff in the Whip Office
Susan Alvarado--one of the first professional female
staff assistants to leadership.
Larry Burton--whip office.
DeLynn Henry--long term scheduler.
Staff Directors
Appropriations--Steve Cortese, Jim Morhard; Commerce--
Lisa Sutherland, Christine Kurth; Government Affairs--
Wayne Schley, Al McDermott; Rules--Al McDermott; Ethics--
Bill Canfield; Whip--Rebecca Cox; President Pro Tempore
Office--Jennifer Lowe; President Pro Tempore Emeritus
Office--George Lowe.
Alaska Staff
Barb Andrews Mee; Marie Nash; Edie Opinsky; Jim Egan;
Gloria McCutcheon; Ruth Burnett; Mike Dalton; Diane
Hutchison; Connie McKenzie.
Current and Former Stevens' Personal Office Staffers
From 1969 to April 12, 2007
(*Current Staff Member)
A
Albrittain, Nancy A.; Alexander, David M.; Allen,
Dorothy M.; Alowa, Allen D.; Alvarado, Susan E.; Alvord,
Melanie A.; Andrews, Barbara A. (now Andrews-Mee);
Andrews, Christina; Angerman, Lillie; Arai, T. Juliette;
Aravosis, John G.; Arness, Peggy M.; Arnold, Susan L.;
*Arthur, Will.
B
Bahmer, Barbara A.; Bahmer, Gale O.; Bailey, Helen S.;
Baker, Bridget L.; Baker, Elizabeth Anna-Marie; Baker,
Laurie; Ballash, Heather L.; Banks, Gary S.; Barbagallo,
Nelly E.; Barnes, Mark; Bartosik, Curtis J.; Bass, Sandra
R.; Bates, Gwendolyn J.; Behm, Yvonne D.; Beighle, Jon J.;
Belcher, Janet B.; Belon, Valerie L.; *Bennett, Doris C.;
Bennett, Patricia A.; Bergstrom, Minta C.; Bertoson, Todd;
*Bertrand, Joel; Binns, Mahalia J.; Birch, Ronald G.;
Blackwell, Michelle; Blanchard, Virginia; Boatman, Robert
W.; Bolton, Jerry K.; Bookout, Cynthia R.; Bombeck, Tui;
Boone, Courtney; Bourassa, Phillippe H.; Boyer, Robert L.;
Brandman, Sonja; Brandt-Erichsen, Svend A.; Braniff, Mimi;
Brewer, Martha J.; Bridenbaugh, Kathleen A.; Briggs,
Michael G.; Britt, Gloria; Britt, Sharon M.; Brown,
Benjamin E.; Brown, Charlie L.; Brown, Lauren E.; Brown,
Sylvia H.; Bryant, Julie; Bullock, George D.; Bundy,
Elliot; Burnett, John S.; Burnett, Ruth E.; Burnett,
Suzanne; Burnett, Wally; Burton, Larry D.; Butzlaff,
Nathan B.
C
Cabaniss, Virginia Dale; Call, Kay L.; *Campbell, Nikki;
Carlisle, Margo D.B.; Carlson, Thomas L.; Castillo,
Florence A.; Causey, Janel (Anderson); Chaffins, Katherine
E.; Chapados, Greg; Chapek, Rebekah A.; Christian, Diana
F.; Christie, Monica A.; Chomski, Kathleen (Brown);
Ciccone, Christine M.; Cipra, Fredesvinda K.; Clancy,
Lynda E.; Clark, Jane B.; Clements, Barbara; Clements,
Charles; Cole, Brent; Collins, William L., III; Colver,
Jane D.; Comstock, Earl W.; *Connell, Elizabeth J.;
Covington, G. Dianne; Constantine, Janet A.; Cook,
Caroline W.; Cook, Cora J.; Corbin, Lelani; Corthell, Lisa
L.; Costello, Earle E.; Covington, G. Dianne; Cowen, James
S.; Cowen, Joseph D.; Cox, Rebecca (Gernhardt); Craddick,
Elaine L.; Craddick, Jan O.; Crawford, James M.; Crews,
Darcy L.; Crittenden, Benjamin R.; Crittenden, Evelyn M.;
Crittenden, Harriet C.; Crosley, Margy M.; Crossman, Sally
J.; Crow, Michelle (now Maher); Cullen, Ann P.
D
Dalton, Kathleen F.; Dames, Edna M.; Dames, John C.;
Daniels, Lorna; Darnell, Joseph; Davidge, Ric; *Davis,
Mark; Dearring, Barbara G.; *Demopoulos, Nicolia; Derr,
H.J.; Devore, Jon M.; Devore, Michelle (Butler); Dewhirst,
Mary K.; Dickey, H. Gen; Dietz, Suzanne; Dinneen, Mark K.;
Dittman, David; Dittman, Terry; Dixon, Karen G.; Donahue,
Helen S.; Doogan, Laura; Dow, Wendi; Drager, Philip J.;
Droege, Phillip; Dunbar, Henry T.
E
*Eames, Seth; Egan, James B.; Eklund, Nancy A.;
Elerding, Mary Jane; Elliott, Norman H., IV; Elwell, Dan;
*Engibous, Robyn; Evans, Ernest H.
F
Farr, Meghan; Farrell, Alycia; Fate, Julie Y.; Faunce,
Mary L.; Feind, Gena M.; Ferguson, John D.; Ferguson,
Pamela G.; Fessenden, Lori Ann; Fink, Joshua; Fitch, Karen
M.; Flanders, Barbara; Flannigan, Michael J.; Fradley,
Dennis C.; Franz, Joan L.; Fraser, Robert C.; Frazier,
Ernest M.; Freitag, Renee; Friehlke, Ann; Fromuth, Peter
J.; Fuller, Douglas S.; Fuller, Kimberly A.
G
Gallagher, Hugh G.; Gayman, Carol (Steiner); German,
Penelope S.; Gibson, Duane R.; Gilman, Bradley D.; Gilman,
Lisa C.K.; Gilman, Margaret; Gimm, Viola M.; Glasmann,
Michael J.; Godwin, Agnes C.; Goodman, Stuart A.; Gore,
Mary; Grane, Kimberly; Grant, Ian; Graves, Roger K.; Gray,
Louise A.; Green, Isaac A.; Greisen, David; Gregg,
Samantha C.; Griffiths, Leslie O.; Groseclose, Robert B.;
Gruenberg, Max F., Jr.; Gustufson, Carol.
H
Haggart, Richard G.; Halcomb, Patricia M.; Henry, Diana
L. (now Diana H. West then Diana H. Barnhart); Hall, Lisa
C.; Halvarson, Janet M.; Hansen, Paul G.; Hanson, Ingrid
C.; Harrison, Ardine; Haugen, Leif; Hayes, James; Hayes,
Lindsay; Hays, Dorothy A.; Hefke, Nancy L.; Hegg, Ruth E.;
Hegyi, Karen R.; Henry, Diana; *Henry, Martha DeLynn;
Henthorn, Deborah T.; Herman, Margaret G.; Hess, Carol
(Logan); Hess, Kelly A.; Hett, Susan Elaine; Hickling,
Elizabeth M.; Highbaugh, Rita K.; Hill, Cynthia L.;
Hilscher, Hilary J.; Hinkley, Jeanette (Nichols); Hobbs,
Mary Jo; Hodson, Lona M.; Hogan, John J.; Hozey, John;
*Hughes, Brian; Hultberg, Rebecca L.; Hutchison, Diane.
I
Iani, Frances S.; Irrigoo, Connie; Ivko, Terri L.
J
Jaehning, Leslie; Jeffress, R.D.; Jennings, Malin T.;
Jessup, Carolyn R,; Johansen, Gary L.; Johnsen, Krag A.;
Johnson, Louise L.; Johnson, Myrtle F.; Johnson, Rhonda;
Johnson, Robert W.; Johnston, Martha R.; Jolly, Claire
Anne; Jones, G. Kevin.
K
Kaplan, Gregory D.; Katongan, Adeline R.; Katz, John W.;
Keller, Kristen L.; Kelly, Ernest B., III; Kemppel, Denali
A.; Kerezy, John D.; *Kerley, Patrick J.; Kerttula, Anna
M.; Kidd, Margaret L.; King, Sara L.; Kirchoff, Scharine;
Kloster, Kendra; Konigsberg, Charles S.; Kozie, Michelle;
Kron, Stephanie A.; Kurth, Christine.
L
Lack, Jonathon H.; Ladd, Priscilla D.; Lahmeyer, Lillian
A.; Lahmeyer, Michelle E.; Landry, Jeffrey; Lang, Cheri
A.; Lang, Deborah S.; Langton, Michal; Lappi, Karen D.;
Larson, Dean M.; Larson, Michelle R.; *Laudenberger,
Theresa A.; Layton, Mark; Lawrie, Heather A.; *Leathard,
Scott; Lee, Claire K.P.; Leonard, Lindsay; Lewis, Irene
C.; Lock, Kathleen M.; Loewen, Reuben M.; Logan, Douglas
M.; Longnecker, Barbara A.; Louis, Claudia J.; Lounsbury,
Joel; *Lowe, George H., IV; Lowe, Jennifer (Mies); Lund,
Thomas R.; Lundquist, Andrew.
M
Macauly, Margie M.; Maculay, Gail C.; Magnusson, Lori
M.; Mai, Audra M.; *Maitlen, Brandon; Maloney, Wayne;
Martin, Bernadette V.; Martin, Guy R.; Mason, Paisley;
Matsuno-Nash, Marie; May, Terence; McAlpin, Jay A.;
McCabe, John T.; McClees, Charles J., Jr.; McCuthheon,
Gloria; McGuire, Lesil L.; McInerney, Anne E.; McInturff,
Janell A.; McKeever, Timothy A. McKenzie, Connie; McLeod,
Phillip W.; Menduno, F.M.; Messina, Gary S.; *Michalski,
Nathan; Miller, Alexis R.; Miller, Terrence B.; Mock, Lisa
C.; Moore, Elizabeth M.; Moran, Margaret A.; Moran,
Michael P.; Morgheim, Jeffrey S. Motley, Allison H.;
Motznik, Lavonne L.; Murdey, Phyllis M.; Murphy, Ann
Marie; Murphy, Lynne F. (now Hill); *Musgrove, John;
Musko, Tonja J.; Myers, Joanne.
N
Nelson, James B.; Nethercutt, George R., Jr.; Newman,
Kathryn C.; Nichols, Steven; Nicolet, Katherine L.; Niemi,
Celia B.; Nikzad, Cheri A.; Norton, Katherine H.; Nosek,
Peter C.
O
O'Hara, Kristina D.; O'Leary, Michael S.; Odom, Jane H.;
Odom, Milton W., III; Oliver, Lori Ann; Olson, Lori A.;
O'Keefe, Sean; O'Keefe, Shannon B.; Opinsky, Celine;
Opinsky, Edith M.; Osborne, Jason M.; Otierney, Daniel P.;
Oursler, Susan J.; Owletuck, George N.
P
*Palmer, Suzanne; Parker, Carole A.; Parsons, James;
Patton, Penny E.; Paxton, Matthew; Pence, Randall G.;
Perdue, Karen R.; Perles, Steven R.; Peterson, Darwin;
Peyton, Leonard James; Phillips, William D.; Pierce,
Rosemary D.; Pignalberi, Marco A.; Pillifant, Thomas H.;
Pinnolis, Barry R.; Plunk, Karen S.; Powers, Penny S.;
Pugh, Kristen; Pusich, Shannon M.
Q
Quam, Dana C.; Quinlan, Clarissa M.; Quisenberry, Jack
B.; Quist, Linda A.
R
*Raabe, Aprille; Radakovich, Keith K.; Raffeto, John C.;
Randall, William T.; Range, Kimberly D.; Rawson, Debra;
Raymond, Patricia A.; Reeve, Mary; Reeves, Katharine E.;
Rice, Eugenie A.; Richard, Ryan R.; Richards, Bonnie E.;
Richardson, Linda L.; Richmond, Kristen K.; Rickett,
Robert R.; Rideout, Anita; Rigos, Chris J.; Robbins, Jane
A.; *Robbins, Mark; Roberts, Laury; Rogers Candice;
Rogozinski, Janet L.; Roots, John; Rose, Mitchell F.;
Rosenquist, Jane S.; Rosenquist, Matthew; Rosenwald,
Cynthia M.; Rubinstein, Pamela A.; Ruff, Richard; Rugg,
William J.; Rushton, A. Lyell, III; Russell, David C.
S
Sandahl, Virginia; *Saunders, Aaron; Schabacker, Chris;
Schaefermeyer, Darryl J.; Schafer, Jennifer A.; Schemmel,
Cheryl A.; Schley, Wayne A.; Schneider, Mark; Schroer, Jo
Anne W.; Schultheis, Bruce E.; Schwartz, Judith A.; Scott,
Shirley A.; Seekins, Kerri L.; Seelbaugh, Patricia A.;
Shaftel, Douglas; Sharp, Amy R.; Shaver, Victoria L.;
Shaw, Douglas B.; Shepherd, Leslie C.; Sherbert, Eva M.;
Shore, Mary E.; Shoup, Sharon; Silver, Steven W.; Simpson,
Maryann; Slick, Sherrie A.; Slovikosky, Beverly A.; Smith,
Robert B.; *Sorensen, Ray; Southall, A. Doris; Spaan,
Michael R.; Sparck, Amy; Sparck, Michelle; Spencer, Mark
E.; Spils, Carol A.; *Spinelli, Lindsey; Springer, Mark
A.; St. Sauver, Beverly K.; Staser, Jeffrey B.; Stealey,
Katherine; Stealey, Mary L.; Stenehjem, Connie M.; Stengl,
Susan P.; Stepovich, Antonia M.; Stepovich, Laura M.;
Stepovich, Melissa M.; Stevens, Elizabeth (Engelken);
Steverson, Judith (Garnett); Stiefel, Justin; Stokes,
Robert C., III; Stone, Michelle A.; Stone, Sandra;
Sullivan, H. Paul, Jr.; Sumpter, Gerri; Sunne, Anne C.;
Sutherland, Lisa; Sutherland, Scott A.; Swan, Lulu; Sykes,
Gwendolyn;
T
Taft, Margo L.; Tanner, Patrick; Terlesky, Juanita S.;
Tess, Terry L.; Todd, James M.; Todd, Karen G.; Tony, Paul
D.; Trimble, Mary H.; Thompson, Pamela S.; Trump, Marsha
V.; Teeley, Sandra E.; Turner, Lewis N.; Tyser, Sue E.
U
Utter, Brian.
V
Vallet, Paul P.; Vaughn, Philip; Vanderjack, Andrew;
Verble, Saga O.; Von Gemmingen, Brett; Vrem, Lisa S.
W
*Wackowski, Steve; Wagoner, Norman B.; Wallace, John
Foster; *Waller, Karina; Weaver, Karen; Weaver, Robert C.,
Jr.; Weddle, Aaron; Wahto, Heidi A.; Weddle, Justin;
Weidlein, Patricia M.; Weiss, Kelly S.; Webster, Patricia
S.; West, Jade C.; Wheeler, Ruth B.; White, Carol M.;
Wilken, Alan W.; Williams, Cynthia G.; *Williams, Kate N.;
Winn, Robert L.; Wold, Joanne; Wolek, Gail A.; Williams,
Anne M.; Wonder, E. Paul; Wesley, David H.; Wood, Sarah
A.; Woodrow, Shirley A.; Woodworth, Glen E.
Y
Yarmon, Joel; Yauney, James A.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Klobuchar). The Senator from
West Virginia is recognized.
Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that
the order for the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Mr. BYRD. Madam President, Senator Ted Stevens is not on
the floor at the moment. I am going to wait, if I may. I
have the floor, do I not, Madam President?
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator does.
Mr. BYRD. I am going to wait. I understand that Senator
Stevens is on his way. He will be here in a couple of
minutes. I will await the arrival, if the Chair will allow
me, of Senator Ted Stevens. I understand he is on his way,
and I want him to be present to hear what I am going to
say.
Madam President, tomorrow, April 13, the very
distinguished senior Senator from Alaska, my dear friend,
Senator Ted Stevens, will become, if it is the good Lord's
will, the longest serving Republican Senator in the
history of these United States. It will mark his, Senator
Ted Stevens', 13,990th day as a Senator. Senator Stevens,
on tomorrow, if the Lord lets him live, will surpass the
late Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, who served
13,989 days as a Republican Senator. Tomorrow, Senator
Stevens will serve, the good Lord willing, 13,990 days.
This is a great honor and an important milestone in the
Senate career of our esteemed colleague, my friend, Ted
Stevens. I congratulate Senator Ted Stevens for this
monumental, historic achievement. As the longest serving
Democratic Senator in the history of the Senate, I, Robert
C. Byrd, welcome my friend, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska,
into this most exclusive club. In fact, it is probably the
most exclusive club I know. There are only two of us, one
Democrat and one Republican, in it.
I have served in this Chamber with Senator Ted Stevens
for nearly four decades. He came here in 1968. Senator
Stevens and I have served together on the Senate
Appropriations Committee since 1972. I was on the
committee a long time before that, but we, Senator Stevens
and I, have served together on the Senate Appropriations
Committee since 1972. During these years of service
together, we have developed a profound respect and
admiration for each other. We now share many memories,
both on and off the Senate floor.
One of my favorite memories is a very special personal
one. I recall how Senator Stevens would bring his baby
daughter Lily with him to the Senate and carry her around
the Capitol in a basket. Over the years, I have become
very close to Lily as well as her father. Lily is all
grown up now. As a matter of fact, she will finish law
school this year. But Senator Stevens remains the proud,
loving father he always has been.
A couple of years ago, when the Senate was working into
the late hours of the night and tensions were running
high, as they occasionally do around here, Senator Ted
Stevens took me by the arm and pulled me aside because he
had something he wanted to show me. It was an article that
Lily had written about the U.S. Capitol that had just been
published by the U.S. Historical Society, and he, Senator
Stevens, wanted to share it with me. I remarked at the
time how touched I was by this. It was a father's pride in
his child's accomplishment. I recall it now as a loving
reminder that the Senate is a family--the Senate is a
family.
Senator Ted Stevens is a Republican. I am a Democrat. Of
course, we have had a few differences in our lives. We
have been here for a long time on this floor--right here
on this floor. But, actually, some of them became quite
heated. Senator Stevens, as you know, says what he thinks.
He is a man. He is a gentleman. He is a Senator. He says
what he thinks. Oh, here he is, right here on the floor. I
had to look around now to remind me he was there.
Now, some of these things have become quite heated. We
both tend--Senator Stevens and I--to be strong-willed
persons, U.S. Senators, with different political
philosophies. And each of us is determined to represent
the best interests of his and my home State and the
people--the people--who send us here. So, naturally, at
times, we are going to disagree.
But I feel I can say before God and man and Senators--I
feel I can say without fear of contradiction--that not
once--not once--have we allowed our political differences
to become personal ones.
I have come to admire Senator Ted Stevens as a man of
immense integrity, high personal principles, and
unqualified honesty.
I admire Senator Ted Stevens as a great American. He is
a patriot. He is a patriot whose devotion for our
country--this country, yours and mine--led him to join the
Army Air Corps during World War II, where he, Senator
Stevens, flew support missions for the Flying Tigers of
the 14th Air Force. For his service, Senator Stevens--he
was not a Senator then--but Senator Stevens, for his
service at that time, was awarded numerous medals,
including two Distinguished Flying Crosses. Let me say
that again. For his service, he was awarded numerous
medals, including--including--two Distinguished Flying
Crosses.
In the 1950s, after graduating from Harvard Law School,
Senator Stevens began his long and remarkable career in
public service by serving in various positions in the
Eisenhower administration.
Senator Stevens is also a great legislator. In our
nearly four decades in the Senate, Senator Stevens and I
have also worked together on numerous bills. We have even
cosponsored some together. This includes S. 880, the
Senate Family Leave Act, which is currently under
consideration in the Senate.
I especially admire Senator Stevens for his work on the
Senate Appropriations Committee. During his years as
chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he was
bipartisan, cooperative, and respectful of everyone, just
the way the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, or
any Senate committee, ought to be.
While noting that Senator Stevens has served as chairman
of the Senate Appropriations Committee, allow me to point
out that I have always been impressed by the similarity of
our careers.
As I have already mentioned, I am the longest serving
Democratic Senator ever. Tomorrow, Senator Ted Stevens
will become the longest serving Republican Senator.
Both of us have served as President pro tempore of the
Senate and President pro tempore emeritus.
Both of us--Senator Stevens and I--have served as our
party's whip in the Senate. The ``whip'' is an old term.
When the fox hunters went out, and they brought the hounds
in, they used whips, and they knew how to use them. So
both of us--Senator Stevens and I--have served as our
individual party's--his is the Republican Party; mine is
the Democratic Party--each of us has served as his party's
whip in the Senate. The term ``whip'' goes back a long
way. It goes back to England and the House of Commons.
Both of us--Senator Stevens and I--have chaired the
Senate Appropriations Committee, and each has served as
ranking member on the committee.
Both of us have been honored with recognition as the
``King of Pork''--the ``King of Pork''--while I am sure
the organization that gave us that title intended it to be
something less than a compliment.
Madam President, I again congratulate this great
Senator, this fine legislator, this outstanding American
for his historic achievement. Senator Stevens is truly the
kind of man whom our country and this Chamber need.
I close with a poem. I know it by memory. I am going to
read it into the Record:
Not gold, but only men can make a Nation great and strong;
men who for truth and honor's sake, stand fast and labor
long.
Real men who work while others sleep, who dare while
others fly. They build a Nation's pillars deep and lift
them to the sky.
Madam President, for the record, I will yield the floor
soon, but for right now, I see on the other side of the
aisle three very distinguished Senators. I see Senator Ted
Stevens, I see Senator Cochran, Thad Cochran of
Mississippi. Now, we are not supposed to say these things
such as this--and I see the great Senator from Georgia,
Senator Isakson. By the way, let me tell my colleagues,
Senator Isakson comes over to my desk here every day I am
here and he takes the time to shake my hand. He does. He
takes the time to speak with me and to talk with me. One
day I may make a little speech on the Senate floor, God
willing, and I am going to talk about Senator Isakson. But
today, I salute my friend Senator Ted Stevens.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, does the Senator yield the
floor at this time?
Mr. BYRD. I do.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I regret I wasn't here at
the commencement of the comments of the distinguished
Senator from West Virginia, but I am overwhelmed and
honored that he would make these comments, and
particularly that he would reference his relationship to
our youngest daughter Lily who has great love and
affection for Senator Byrd. We have come through a lot of
travails, each of us, during our times in the Senate, and
I have always found Senator Byrd to be a warm and great
friend in times of trouble and very gracious when in times
such as this. We could stand here and I would tell the
Senate some of the times I have spent with Senator Byrd,
including the time once in Britain when we gathered
together a group of British and United States members of
the British-American Parliamentary Conference and we
listened to Senator Byrd tell us about his life and some
of the things he had done as a child, and we listened to
him recite many of the great poems he knows. He has one of
the most prodigious memories I have ever known, and he is
the most gracious Member of the Senate. He always has been
very kind and helpful.
I came here as an appointed Senator and took the
position of--we called it the Bartlett seat, Senator Bob
Bartlett's seat. Senator Byrd was very gracious to Senator
Bartlett as Alaska's first senior Senator, and he extended
greetings to me as Senator Bartlett's replacement, and
throughout these nearly 40 years he has been a great
friend. We have had differences of opinion, but we have
never had a disagreeable word between us. God willing,
that will never happen.
So I thank my friend. He honors me, he honors my family,
and he honors the Senate by the remarks he made about the
Senate itself. We are a family. This aisle ought not to be
a canyon; it ought to be very easy to step across that
aisle and shake hands with a friend as I have just done. I
thank the Senator for what he has said and for giving me
the opportunity to be here when he said it.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is
recognized.
Mr. BYRD. Madam President, will the very able and
distinguished Senator from Alaska yield so I might say a
few words?
Mr. STEVENS. I am happy to do so.
Mr. BYRD. I thank the Senator, my friend, for what he
has said. I salute him, my friend. I wish Erma, my darling
wife, were here, sitting up in the gallery. We have rules
that we don't speak to the gallery, but I wish she were
here. She knew Senator Stevens. She knew Mrs. Stevens. She
knew us, my wife, and Mrs. Stevens, who is not here today,
but my wife knew us, Senator Stevens and me, her childhood
sweetheart, Robert C. Byrd, she knew we were friends,
Senator Stevens and I, the closest of friends. Now, when I
say the closest of friends, Senators know what that means.
That doesn't mean Senator Stevens and I go out together at
night and drink booze together or anything such as that.
We are the closest of friends. I don't have anything
against Senators or anybody else who wants to go out and
drink booze. I don't. I won't say what I have done in my
lifetime, but I know a little bit about what booze is. I
know what we are talking about.
Senator Stevens and I are the dearest of friends. I
happen to be, through the Good Lord's will, in my 90th
year. I will be 90 in November, if it is the Good Lord's
will and I live to see the 20th day of November. I don't
mind talking out loud, because as Popeye the Sailor Man
used to say: ``I yam what I yam, and that is all I yam.''
Now, Senator Stevens--I am not supposed to address him,
a colleague, like this, but I am going to do that with the
Senate's permission. This is not in accordance with the
rules. Senator Stevens, I want to say to you--I want to
say to you in the presence of Senator Cochran, who is a
Senator on the Appropriations Committee, along with
Senator Stevens and me--I know the right grammar, you
see--along with the Senator from Mississippi, and me. Some
might think I should say the Senator from Mississippi and
I.
I am supposed to say it, because I am talking in a
different vein, but Senator Cochran serves on the Senate
Appropriations Committee with me. And he and I--in other
words, he, Senator Thad Cochran and I--serve on the Senate
Appropriations Committee together, and Senator Stevens has
at times been the chairman of that Appropriations
Committee. I was the ranking member. What I am going to
say, Senator Stevens and I--I am not supposed to talk in
the first person. We usually in the Senate talk to the
distinguished Senator from Alaska. I want to say to
Senator Stevens, though, in the Senate, he is my friend.
He knows that. Senator Stevens, I admire you. I respect
you. You are a great Senator from a great State. Under the
Constitution, he and I, as Senators, belong to the
greatest deliberative body in the world. I respect the
history of England and the House of Commons. That is a
great body. The House of Lords, that is a great body. But
the U.S. Senate is the upper House, the so-called upper
House, and it is the upper House. There are two Houses,
and the Senate is the upper House, because it used to be
up there in the old days, and so the Members referred to
the Senate as the upper House.
Senator Stevens--I am going to speak to him as I
shouldn't--I know what the rules are, but I am going to
say to Senator Stevens directly this may be the last
time--who knows; it may not be--that I will ever speak to
him on the floor like this. Senator Stevens, I love you, I
respect you, and I admire you. I hope God will always
bless you and hold you in the hollow of his hand. In the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray and ask for the
forgiveness of my own shortcomings. Senator Stevens, you
are my friend, and we will let it go at that.
Madam President, I am going to yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is
recognized.
Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, all I can say to my friend
is that I am already blessed by God to be your friend, and
I thank you very much.
Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Whitehouse). The Senator from
Mississippi is recognized.
Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be here to
hear the remarks of the distinguished Senator from West
Virginia, my good friend, and to join with others who have
honored and paid tribute to Senator Stevens on the
occasion of his reaching a milestone where he has served
in the Senate longer than any other Republican Member in
history.
I had the privilege, when I was a new Member of the
House of Representatives after my election in 1972, to
observe Senator Stevens as he worked with Howard Baker as
the Republican leaders of the Senate and to come to
respect him and know him and then to join the Senate body
after the election of 1978. He has been a mentor and a
dear friend throughout my career in the Senate, and I can
say one could have no greater fortune than to serve in the
presence of Senator Byrd and Senator Stevens and others
who were the true leaders of the Senate when I was a new
Member.
I have come to appreciate and respect them more as time
has gone on. I recall Senator Stevens becoming chairman,
after Senator Byrd had served as chairman, of the
Appropriations Committee. It was my good fortune to become
a member of that committee after only 2 years in the
Senate. I have appreciated the opportunity to work closely
with him ever since.
Senator Stevens, of course, was our President pro
tempore. I don't recall a more diligent and hard-working
President pro tempore than Senator Stevens. He had some
big shoes to fill: Strom Thurmond, Jim Eastland from my
State of Mississippi, and Senator Byrd; and all were
dutiful. I recall Senator Stevens personally being there
every morning to open the Senate, usually a duty delegated
to others; and he probably presided personally over the
Senate as much as any person who has occupied that
position of responsibility.
To be here today and to hear Dan Inouye talk about his
early recollections of their service together in the
Senate, and other Senators who have spoken on this special
occasion in the life of our Senate, has made me happy to
be here and to be able to observe and appreciate this day
in the history of the Senate.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is
recognized.
Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish to tell a quick
story. I was in my office working and watching the
beginning of Senator Byrd's speech about Senator Stevens.
I was reminded that I had a picture of two fellows who
came up from Georgia to cook for the Senate at a barbecue.
It is a picture of Senator Stevens, myself, and those two
gentlemen. The reason I ran over here is to say this: When
I asked who the two gentlemen wanted to have their picture
taken with, they said Senator Ted Stevens. I think that is
a testimony to his reach, which is far beyond Alaska and
to my home in Georgia.
Also, when I saw Senator Byrd speak, I knew he was
speaking about Senator Stevens, and I realized the
embodiment of history in the Senate that these two
gentlemen represent. To come and sit down as Senator Thad
Cochran came into the Chamber, I realized this 2-year
rookie of the Senate was sitting among greatness.
My favorite book of all time is ``The Greatest
Generation'' because it tells true stories of those great
men and women who, in the most critical test in the
history of our country, defeated the Axis powers in
Germany and in the Pacific and saw to it that this
democracy continued. Senator Stevens fought bravely for
this country in the Pacific. As I was born in 1944, his
generation was seeing to it that I would have the
opportunity to live the life I have and one day actually
come to the Senate.
Senator Stevens, I wanted to say, as a youngster in the
Senate, thank you for what you have done. You sacrificed,
and you have allowed me to be able to take advantage and
eventually come to the Senate. I pass those same
compliments on to Mr. Cochran and Mr. Byrd. These are
three great Americans with whom I am honored to share a
moment today. Congratulations.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is
recognized.
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank Senator Cochran, I
thank Senator Stevens, and I thank the great Senator from
Georgia, Senator Isakson, for their kind words.
I thank the Chair and I thank God we were here today. I
thank our Heavenly Father, especially, for this man, this
Senator, Ted Stevens, and for his service to our country
and to the Senate. I salute him as one of the great
Senators of my time--and I have been here a long time.
I yield the floor.
Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, tomorrow our colleague and
friend Ted Stevens will mark his 13,990th day as a
Senator. It is an auspicious occasion because he will pass
Strom Thurmond as the Senator who served longest as a
member of the Republican Party.
I remember well when Ted Stevens came to the Senate in
1968. It seems like only yesterday. It is a great honor to
say we have served together here for more than 38 years.
Ted was appointed to fill the seat of a true giant of
public service, Bob Bartlett, the architect of Alaska
statehood, who had passed away just before Christmas in
1968. I can't help but think all these years later that
Bob Bartlett would be the first to pay tribute to what his
friend Ted Stevens has accomplished as his successor in
the Senate.
I admire many things about my colleague from Alaska, the
first and foremost being that he knows why he is here. He
came to the Senate 9 years after Alaska was admitted to
the Union, a State nearly a quarter the size of the
continental United States and encompassing some of the
most unforgiving geography and weather in the world. It is
a State of tremendous natural beauty and indomitable
spirit, but also enormous challenges brought about by its
immense size, its distance from the lower 48, and its
close proximity to the North Pole.
Ted Stevens came to the Senate to fight for the State of
Alaska and the wonderful people who call it home. More
than 38 years later, his purpose continues just as clearly
and his determination just as strong. His skill and
passion in championing the people of his State are a
remarkable tribute to the bond he has formed with the
people of Alaska and his colleagues in Congress.
In fact, Ted Stevens has given his entire career in
service to others and to his country. He is a true public
servant, a servant in the finest sense of the word. As a
member of the Army Air Corps, he flew with the Flying
Tigers of the 14th Air Force and earned two Distinguished
Flying Crosses. The slogan of the Army Air Corps in those
days was: We do the impossible immediately, but miracles
take slightly longer.
That has certainly been true of his service in the
Senate, too. He has been a respected leader on military
issues and a strong defender of some of the bravest
workers in the world, our Nation's fishermen. We share
that love for fishermen and for the sea, as our two States
are defined by their relationship with the sea, its
bounty, its beauty, and its mystery.
He has answered the call of public service in countless
ways time and time again. I saw his passion and
determination to improve the lives of Native Alaskans when
I traveled with him in his first year as a Senator to
visit remote villages in Alaska back in April 1969, and it
is the same passion and determination I see today.
Ted, Walter Mondale, and I traveled over 3,600 miles
throughout the State visiting Anchorage, Pilot Station,
Arctic Village, and other villages. We traveled at times
by ski plane and even by dogsled.
We were traveling with the Senate Subcommittee on Indian
Education, and I will never forget what we saw. There were
no Native Alaskan teachers and few spoke native languages,
making it nearly impossible for the schoolchildren to
learn, many of whom had never even heard English. We saw
villages where people had to walk 2 miles through frozen
tundra to find drinking water and other villages where
only 8 out of 100 Native Alaskans were graduating from
high school.
I remember our subcommittee hearing in Fairbanks and the
Pilot Station teacher who told us that the warmest she
could ever get her classroom was zero degrees Fahrenheit.
Imagine children trying to learn when it is that cold in
the classroom.
More than anything else, I remember Ted Stevens'
determination to improve the lives of the people and give
them the opportunity to build a better future. We were
able to pass legislation to improve water treatment
facilities in Native Alaskan villages and improve
education for the children as a result of that trip--and
none of it would have happened without Ted Stevens.
I also feel a special closeness with Ted because in
addition to the many years we have served side by side, we
both share the same soft-spoken and gentle approach for
advancing our priorities and the many causes we care about
so deeply. I only wish he were a Democrat.
I also pay tribute to Ted's wonderful wife Catherine.
She is an extraordinary woman, a person of enormous
kindness and compassion who has been so understanding over
the years of the demanding and often bizarre schedules we
keep in this Chamber.
I have come to know her through her impressive service
to the Kennedy Center, where she has made such a great
impact on the Board of Trustees. This milestone is very
much hers as well. We know the innumerable sacrifices a
Senator's spouse has to make--especially those who make
their home on the farthest side of the continent.
So I congratulate both Ted Stevens and Catherine Stevens
on this extraordinary milestone. Well done, my friends,
and best wishes for many more record-breaking days among
us.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Nelson of Florida). The
Senator from Alaska is recognized.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, again, I am indebted to my
friend from Massachusetts. We have spent many times
together and, as he says, shared a great many goals. I am
very pleased that he would make these remarks. I think
that it sort of reminds me of a little bit of a little too
much ado about nothing, but I do appreciate him being
here. Thank you very much.
As Senator Kennedy leaves, I should repeat something I
have told often, and that is, back in 1969, as a brandnew
appointed Senator, I joined Senator Kennedy and others in
going to the villages of Alaska. We found mold on the
hospital walls in Bethel. When we came back, we started
the process of replacing it, and it is a beautiful
hospital today.
But we also went to the small villages. We went down to
Pilot Station, and we were walking through this little
village. All of a sudden, a little boy, baby boy, came
running out, had a top on, but he obviously had lost his
diaper.
My friend scooped him up, unzipped his parka, and put
him inside. We walked around to find out where his home
was. We came to this nice, small, well-kept native cabin.
It was obvious that the mother was looking for her son.
We went in and Senator Kennedy gave her the boy, and
there on the wall of that little cabin was his brother,
President Kennedy's photograph. It is a small world. I
will never forget it. Thank you.
Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the
absence of a quorum.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
STATEMENTS IN TRIBUTE TO SENATOR STEVENS
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the tribute to Senator Stevens in the Congressional Record
be printed as a Senate document and that Senators be
permitted to submit statements for inclusion in the Record
until June 1 of this year.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, on April 13, 2007, my dear
friend and colleague Senator Ted Stevens became the
longest serving Republican Senator in the history of this
body. Today, I would like to pay tribute to my friend and
his more than 38 years of service to our Nation and the
people of Alaska.
I have known and worked with Ted for over 34 years. We
have served together on the Appropriations, Budget, and
Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committees and
many others. Ted and I have been in the Senate together
for so long some of the committees on which we served no
longer exist. We have collaborated on more pieces of
legislation than I can remember and worked to resolve many
issues. Most recently, I was thankful for his hard work in
the effort to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and
increase the strategic security of the country.
I am happy to say Ted has made the trip to New Mexico
and I to Alaska so we could appreciate the needs of each
other's home States. I have also had the pleasure of
taking several trips with Ted abroad, some more enjoyable
than others. One that stands out in my mind is the fact-
finding trip we took to North Korea several years ago to
better understand the threat that nation poses to the
world. I don't believe many people can say they have
traveled there, even fewer can say they did it with Ted
Stevens. I am very thankful I can.
I think it is safe to say Ted has had a remarkable life
and career. Born in Indianapolis, he has lived in
California, Oregon, and Montana--finally settling in his
beloved Alaska. During the Second World War, Ted left
college to join the Army Air Corps and became a decorated
pilot. After the war Ted attended Harvard Law School,
became a U.S. attorney, worked in the Department of the
Interior, started his own law firm, and was elected to the
Alaska House of Representatives. For most individuals
these accomplishments, all before he came to the Senate,
would have marked a full and successful life. However, for
Ted it was just the beginning and I believe this Nation is
lucky it was.
After serving with Ted for so many years I know of no
one who cares more about the people of Alaska and this
Nation or serves either with more dedication and
distinction. I would like to personally thank Ted for his
friendship and hope to have the honor of serving alongside
him for many years to come.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, look up Senator Stevens'
name in media reports and you will find a long list of
adjectives: tenacious, temperamental, scrappy, gruff, hot-
tempered, tireless. And you will come across a long list
of nicknames: one of the Senate's ``old bulls'' for his
institutional knowledge; ``Uncle Ted'' to the people of
Alaska who are grateful for his aggressive advocacy for
their interests; pioneer for flying Army Air Corps
missions during World War II and migrating to our rugged
49th State after law school; a mentor to up-and-coming
elected officials; reportedly by his wife, a nutrition
enthusiast for his devoted consumption of greens and whole
grains; and in the case of his longtime friend, Senator
Inouye of Hawaii, ``my brother.''
I would like to add a few adjectives of my own.
First, Ted Stevens is an Alaskan. It is impossible to
think of Alaska without thinking of its senior Senator.
Alaska and Ted Stevens are inseparable. Anyone who knows
Senator Stevens knows he wakes up every morning fighting
for the people of Alaska and doesn't stop until he sleeps,
which apparently isn't much. Their commercial industry,
health care, electricity, water, transportation--even the
cost of rural mail delivery--all earn his scrutiny. He has
delivered again and again on policy to improve Alaskans'
quality of life.
Second, and just as important, Ted Stevens is loyal. He
is loyal to the institution of the U.S. Senate.
Bipartisanship is natural for him. He understands that the
art of compromise is critical to getting things done. For
example, he is known to have helped reach a bipartisan
deal on how to conduct the impeachment trial of President
Clinton to minimize the partisan bickering that would have
sullied the Senate and made a tense time even more tense.
He is more than willing to look across the aisle and
find kinship with people of like interests. His friendship
with Senator Inouye, a Democrat, is steadfast and
legendary. They have found plenty of common ground in
delivering good policy to the people of their uniquely
situated States. Despite what seems like a gruff exterior
sometimes, Senator Stevens has a reputation for extending
generous kindness to his colleagues, such as flying across
country to attend the funeral of a former Senator whose
vote had once been helpful.
Senator Stevens' approach to policymaking is guided by
Rotary International's ``Four-Way Test,'' a copy of which
is framed on his desk in the Senate Chamber. The test
reads: ``Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be
beneficial to all concerned?''
That four-way test was written in 1932, but like Senator
Stevens--and here are more adjectives--it is common sense,
inspirational, and timeless.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to
congratulate my friend Senator Ted Stevens on becoming the
longest serving U.S. Republican Senator in the history of
the Senate. He has had a long and distinguished career in
public service representing the State of Alaska in the
Senate for over 38 years, casting over 14,000 votes, and
never receiving less than 67 percent of the vote in any
election.
My recollections of Ted Stevens, during the 27 years we
have served together in the Senate, focus on his
chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee,
where he has done so much to promote our national
security. For example, his management of the $87 billion
supplemental appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003
earned him high praise by President Bush during the
signing ceremony.
Ted's temper is generally misunderstood except by those
who know him well. He doesn't lose it, but he does use
it--and very effectively. However, it is true that on
occasion he makes Vesuvius look mild. I recollect one all-
night session during Senator Howard Baker's tenure as
majority leader when Ted expressed himself in an unusually
emphatic way. As I recall it, the debate arose over
Senator Proxmire's comments about submitting vouchers for
travel expenses in Wisconsin on his contention that
Washington, DC, was his home base. That prompted a
reaction from Ted, who was aghast at the thought of
Washington, DC, being any Senator's home when he had the
majestic Alaska to claim as his home.
Some thought that the middle-of-the-night incident might
have cost him a couple votes, which could have been
decisive, on his election for majority leader in November
1984, when the count was 28 to 25 in favor of Senator
Dole, but it was reliably reported that his loss occurred
because of the significant slippage in votes caused by the
tobacco interests.
In any event, Senator Stevens has had a profound effect
on the Senate and the Nation in his roles as chairman of
the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, chairman of the
full Appropriations Committee, and as President pro
tempore.
It is also important to note that Senator Stevens'
career in public service began even before he arrived in
the U.S. Senate. He is a distinguished veteran of the U.S.
Army Air Corps, having flown support missions for the
Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force during World War II,
for which he was awarded numerous medals, including two
Distinguished Flying Crosses. He had a strong academic
career, graduating from UCLA and Harvard Law School. In
the 1950s, he practiced law in Alaska before moving to
Washington, DC, to work in President Eisenhower's
administration. He subsequently returned to Alaska and was
elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1964 and
soon became majority leader. Finally, in 1968, he was
appointed U.S. Senator from Alaska and has represented his
State ever since with pride and devotion.
His recognition as ``Alaskan of the Century'' is a real
tribute, and I have no doubt that when the passage of time
calls for the designation of ``Alaskan of the
Millennium,'' it will be Senator Ted Stevens.
TRIBUTES TO SENATOR STEVENS
Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that
the deadline for Senators to submit tributes on Senator
Stevens for the Congressional Record be extended until
close of business on Monday, June 4, 2007.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so
ordered.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor one of
the true stalwarts of this institution--an indefatigable
legislator, a tireless advocate for his home State of
Alaska, a public servant with a lifetime of contribution,
and a treasured leader of this venerable Chamber, Senator
Ted Stevens who, this past April 13, 2007, became the
longest serving Republican Member of the U.S. Senate. Our
good friend and colleague has received countless well-
deserved accolades for a tremendous milestone indeed.
It is fitting that we pay tribute to an esteemed
lawmaker whose ongoing legacy and longstanding record of
accomplishment over a remarkable span of nearly 39 years
of service in the U.S. Senate stand as a testament to the
courage, vigor, and sense of duty he feels toward this
country and the issues and policies shaping it. Ted is a
force of nature, steadfast and resolute, in this time-
honored body and in our Nation's Capital. His constituents
wouldn't have him any other way, and we wouldn't either.
His legacy of achievement on behalf of Alaskans is as
large as the State they call home, and began even before
he entered politics when he first moved to Washington, DC,
to join the Eisenhower administration. While working for
the Secretary of the Interior, he was not only present at
Alaska's creation as a State in 1959, but was also
instrumental in helping advocate for statehood. As a U.S.
Senator, he was essential in championing the development
of the Alaskan pipeline which was critical to his State
and to the energy future of the country. He successfully
advanced Alaska's infrastructure and transportation
capabilities, especially vital to the State that is one-
sixth the size of the entire lower 48. Alaska rightfully
commemorated Senator Stevens' indelible impact in these
areas with the dedication of the Ted Stevens Anchorage
International Airport in 2000. With a far-reaching litany
of accomplishments too numerous to mention, it comes as
little surprise that the Alaska State Legislature--where
he served as House majority leader in only his second term
in the mid-1960s would name him at the millennium, the
``Alaskan of the Century.''
The people of my State of Maine are especially grateful
to Senator Stevens for his landmark legislation that bears
his name--the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Act--our Nation's indispensable fisheries act,
which was reauthorized this past January and signed into
law. First as the chair, and now the ranking member on the
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
subcommittee handling fisheries issues, I had the pleasure
of working with full committee Chairman and now Ranking
Member Stevens throughout the process to help bring this
bill to fruition. From the 300-year-old fishing villages
in downeast Maine to remote Aleutian Island outposts,
Senator Stevens has always been bound by a commitment to
sustain both fish and fishermen.
Through many Congresses, as both a chairman and ranking
member, Senator Stevens has spearheaded and done much to
shepherd improvements in the largely uncharted world of
telecommunications policy that have been historic and
consequential, and which will reverberate for generations.
On a personal note, I want to express my debt of enormous
thanks to Senator Stevens for his pivotal support in his
universal service fund reform bill of the e-rate program
which provides discounted telecommunications services to
schools and libraries. Senator Stevens has been a bulwark
catalyst on this initiative, and, as we recently
commemorated the 10th anniversary since its inception, I
couldn't help but recall with gratitude his crucial role
in the wiring of schools in my State and across the
country.
It must also be noted that in an era of increasing
partisanship, Senator Stevens shares an unassailable bond
with the senior Senator from Hawaii, a Democrat, Daniel
Inouye, a friendship profoundly steeped in their mutual,
heroic tours of duty in World War II, which continues to
this day as a model example of collegiality,
bipartisanship, and comity that transcends politics.
This decorated Army Air Force pilot in the storied
``Flying Tigers,'' whose immense devotion to this land and
its people extends across six decades, is not one to move
to the side or step away when he is fighting for what he
believes in or on behalf of his State or in defense of his
country. That speaks volumes in explaining Senator
Stevens' well-known trademark as he prepares to debate on
the Senate floor and he dons his infamous tie emblazoned
with the Marvel comic book character, the Incredible Hulk!
With hallmark humor, strength, and aplomb, how could he
approach his robust role any differently--a man whose
larger-than-life tenure in the public arena reflects the
enormity of his stunning and beloved Alaska, a State with
a name that means literally ``the object toward which the
action of the sea is directed.'' For more than a half
century, the action of the sea of public policy has always
found its way to this great American and still does
because he welcomes it, thrives on it, and seizes upon it
in the name of the Last Frontier State and to the benefit
of our Nation.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Mr. BOND. Madam President, in April, Ted Stevens became
the longest serving Republican Member of the U.S. Senate
in our country's 230-year history. I join my colleagues in
congratulating the Senator and thanking him for his many
years of service and our friendship.
Much has already been said about Senator Stevens'
sometimes grouchy and intimidating demeanor. But if we
look past the Hulk ties, the scowling countenance, the
vigorous defense of any and all attacks on Alaskan
priorities, and the cowed staff who fear that they have
fallen on the wrong side of our esteemed senior Senator,
we see another, more compassionate side.
When I first arrived in Washington, DC, in 1987, my son
was entering first grade at the same time as Ted's beloved
daughter. Sam and Lily became fast friends, and so did
their parents.
Ted and Catherine were very close friends of ours and
like godparents to Sam. Anyone who knows Ted well knows
how important his family is and the high value he places
on his children and their friends. He is truly a most
kind, gentle, and readily approachable father, uncle, and
godfather.
His concern about others' children and family members is
equally heartfelt. As he exercises his many leadership
roles, Senator Stevens is always willing to take our
family obligations into account. He realizes how important
it is to schedule time for our families in the chaotic,
hectic life we lead in the U.S. Senate.
In addition to the close personal friendship we have
enjoyed with the Stevens family, I have had the
opportunity to work closely with Chairman Stevens as a
member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
As chairman, Ted is solicitous of the concerns of even
his most junior members. He is also a devoted friend of
his partner--sometimes ranking member and sometimes
chairman--Senator Dan Inouye.
While there is never any doubt that he and Senator
Inouye control the Defense Appropriations call, Senator
Stevens is sensitive and receptive to the needs of other
Members to the greatest extent possible.
He is a very passionate defender of the Appropriations
Committee, its prerogatives, and its responsibilities. Woe
unto the person who attacks the appropriations process or
the work that he does. One soon learns that such a
position is not one to be taken lightly. One had better be
prepared for a bruising fight.
As President pro tempore, he was a faithful and
dedicated leader of the Senate. Now that he is--
temporarily--out of that position, he continues a close
working relationship with his good friend and colleague
Senator Robert C. Byrd, the current President pro tempore.
It is, indeed, an honor to have him as our leading
senior Republican in the Senate.
The Senator's influence extends far beyond the Senate to
Alaska, the Nation, and the world.
Many of the accomplishments of the Senate over the last
four decades bear the mark of Ted Stevens. He has been
tireless in his leadership to secure a strong military--
and has funded a strong personnel system, the most needed,
up-to-date equipment and the most promising research. The
current strength and superiority of the U.S. Armed Forces
is due in no small part to Senator Stevens.
He has also been a leader in the natural resources,
transportation issues, and climate change issues important
to all of America but that particularly affect his home
State.
Ted is passionate about Alaska--its natural beauty, its
people, its needs and its fishing. Many of us have enjoyed
traveling to Alaska with Senator Stevens and discovering
first-hand the treasures it has to offer.
The many roads, parks and buildings named for him are
but a hint of all he has done for the State. His
contributions are extensive and lasting, from improving
the infrastructure to safeguarding the wildlife and
natural resources Alaska has in abundance.
Alaskans rightly dubbed the Senator the ``Alaskan of the
20th Century.'' I am sure Senator Stevens would remind us
that he is not done yet. Odds are he is a favorite to be
``Alaskan of the 21st Century'' as well.
It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve
with Ted Stevens. I look forward to many more years of
working together.
Mr. MARTINEZ. Madam President, I wish to acknowledge an
esteemed colleague and his long and storied service to the
U.S. Senate. Senator Ted Stevens has given much to this
great country of ours. Born in Indiana, he spent his
college years in the West, his law school years in the
East, and made significant contributions in a place far
north of here. Yet he achieved much of this by heading
south, to our Nation's Capital. His career reflects his
dedication not only to Alaska but to all of America. He
has touched every corner of this country--and beyond.
Fighting in China during World War II, he served our
Nation valiantly as a member of the Army Air Corps where
he flew support missions for the Flying Tigers of the 14th
Air Force. Now, more than six decades later, he is still
serving our country.
Following work as an attorney in Alaska in the 1950s,
Ted Stevens headed for Washington to work for the
Department of Interior under the administration of
President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is worth noting that it
was President Eisenhower who signed Alaska into statehood
in July 1958. Not too long after Alaska found statehood,
he decided to return to the home he had made in the Last
Frontier. Soon, he was serving in the State house of
representatives--a body of which he became the majority
leader in 1964. While he may have initially found his way
to the U.S. Senate by virtue of appointment in 1968, he
soon had the weight of his State's voters behind him.
Now serving his seventh term in office, Senator Stevens
has been a reliable supporter of his home State's
interests and has supported our country in many of its
most trying times. The institutional knowledge and wisdom
which Senator Stevens brings to the Senate benefits this
body greatly. All of us appreciate his work and
contributions to America. Be it as the former chairman of
the Commerce Committee, the former chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, a strong voice and dedicated
member of the Homeland Security Committee or for his work
on the Rules Committee--we thank him for his leadership,
past and present.
Congratulations to Senator Stevens on becoming the
longest serving Republican in Senate history. His more
than 14,000 days in this body are a remarkable testament
to his hard work, staying power, and skills as a Senator.
I know the people of Alaska appreciate all that he has
done for them over these numerous decades. On behalf of my
fellow Floridians, I thank Senator Stevens for his service
to America and to the Senate.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, last August, Ted Stevens
and Dan Inouye led a bipartisan group of Senators to China
for a parliamentary visit. Dan, of course, was accorded
great respect because of his winning the Congressional
Medal of Honor during World War II. But it was Ted Stevens
for whom the Chinese rolled out the red carpet. Ted had
flown with the Flying Tigers. He flew the first plane to
land in Beijing after World War II ended, and the top
Chinese leaders had not forgotten. They made more time for
our delegation than they had for any other recent group of
American visitors.
No one in our group, of course, was surprised to learn
that Ted Stevens had flown risky missions and, for that
bravery, earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses. Ted
still has the cockiness, adventuresome spirit and attitude
that distinguish most pilots. And he has the love of
country that permeates those who fought in World War II.
We see both qualities every day in the Senate.
For example, 2 years ago, when we were considering how
to maneuver through five Senate committees legislation
based on a National Academies report that would help
America keep its brainpower advantage, Ted was both
unconcerned about committee prerogatives and impatient
about getting the job done. ``Let's form a select
committee,'' he said many times. ``You be the chairman of
it.'' He said this even though he was then the most senior
Republican in the Senate and I was nearly the most junior.
The Senate never formed that select committee, but Ted
made sure the legislation passed because he thought it was
important for our country.
I was Legislative Assistant to Senator Howard Baker in
1968 when Ted was appointed to the Senate. He hasn't
changed much in all that time, even though he is now the
longest serving Republican Senator. In his first year, he
was pushing amendments that would help Alaska Natives
maintain their fishing rights. This year, he is still busy
working on legislation creating additional rights for
Alaska Natives. And in the 38 years between, he has
snagged every dollar that comes within 50 feet for his
Alaskan constituents--and some dollars that were farther
away than that.
Ted Stevens is, I would say, above all, an
institutionalist in the U.S. Senate. In other words, he
sees a unique role in our democracy for the Senate, and he
is one of a handful here who is determined to respect that
role and make it work.
I suppose Ted will have opposition when he runs for
reelection in 2008. But, if he does, I wouldn't want to be
that person. Last week, walking side by side with him to
vote, I took the escalator when we got to the Capitol and
Ted literally ran up the stairs, two at a time.
It would be hard to identify a ``More Valuable Player''
in the U.S. Senate than Ted Stevens.
Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to honor a
colleague and a good friend, Senator Ted Stevens, for
becoming the longest serving Republican Member of the
Senate. I am honored to serve in the Senate with this
great Republican.
Ted Stevens' career in public service began long before
he became a U.S. Senator. He served in the U.S. Army Air
Corps during World War II, practiced law in Alaska, worked
in the Eisenhower administration, and served in the Alaska
House of Representatives where he eventually became
majority leader. He became U.S. Senator in 1968 and has
served the State of Alaska in the Senate for over 38
years. His longstanding public service career truly
demonstrates his devotion to this country.
Just like his famous Hulk tie, Ted has a bullish
tenacity that has made him one of the most effective
Members in the Senate. He is a stalwart representative for
his State of Alaska. Representing a State over 4,000 miles
from the Nation's Capital, Senator Stevens has sacrificed
time with his six children and wife to serve in the
Senate. Coming from a large family myself, I appreciate
the strength and commitment his family has displayed over
the years.
During my trips to Alaska, I always leave impressed by
the spectacular landscape and Ted Stevens' hard work in
his State. His work has helped many Alaskan towns receive
clean running water and has enabled many children to
receive a quality education. His persistence in the Senate
also has provided Alaska with oil pipelines, which have
brought tremendous revenue to Alaska and provided our
Nation with a safe, domestic energy source.
Ted Stevens' work as a Senator has gone beyond the
borders of Alaska. During his 35-year tenure on the
Appropriations Committee, he has tirelessly persevered to
keep America ready and prepared. He has ensured our troops
have the good equipment, training, and pay they deserve.
His efforts have also ensured funds for military research
on some of our Nation's most pressing diseases.
I thank Senator Ted Stevens for his leadership and
contributions to public service for the people of Alaska
and all Americans. I honor him not only for his length of
service but more important, his quality of service. I wish
him and his loved ones the best of health for many years
to come, and I congratulate him on his outstanding
achievement.
Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, it is a great pleasure to
offer my heartfelt congratulations to Senator Ted Stevens
on becoming the longest serving Republican in Senate
history. While this is a milestone to celebrate, the true
cause for celebration is not Ted Stevens' decades of
service to his party or to this Chamber but his lifetime
of service to our Nation.
It is a record of service that began long before Ted
Stevens came to the Senate nearly four decades ago, long
before his contributions in the Alaska Legislature in the
earliest days of statehood, long before he helped
establish our 49th State at the Department of the Interior
during President Eisenhower's administration. At just 19
years of age, with his country under attack and freedom in
jeopardy around the world, Ted Stevens joined the Army Air
Corps in 1943, flying support missions for the legendary
Flying Tigers. That courage to take the risks and that
willingness to step forward to meet the challenges are the
foundation of his character and of his service.
I have been privileged to work alongside this Senator on
the Homeland Security Committee. On every issue we
confront, Ted Stevens demonstrates great knowledge and a
total commitment to protecting our Nation and our people.
Alaska and Maine are separated by a great many miles,
but our two States have much in common, including
spectacular scenery, and rugged, self-reliant people. Our
States also share a connection to the sea that is central
to our history and our future. From the Magnuson-Stevens
Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to his
work to better protect marine mammals, Ted Stevens
demonstrates again and again a deep commitment to the
hard-working people who sustain countless coastal
communities and an abiding respect for the natural
resources that bless us all.
Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I would like to honor an
esteemed colleague with whom I have had the privilege of
serving in this body for the past 9 years.
As many others have already observed, Senator Stevens is
an institution in Alaska, the Senate, and in the United
States. Our President pro tempore, already the longest
serving Republican in the Senate, served our Nation
heroically in World War II and worked previously in the
Justice and Interior Departments. In the latter position,
Senator Stevens was an instrumental part of bringing
statehood to Alaska--the State of Alaska literally is
partly his creation.
Senator Stevens and I share concerns about issues
important to America but particular to the Pacific
Northwest. Our States, with vast Federal land holdings,
play a key role in energy resource exploration and
development crucial to building viable and plentiful
domestic energy supplies. We share views on ensuring local
and State governments and communities have primacy in
handling matters of direct impact on them. Both Idaho and
Alaska are home to thriving indigenous populations, and we
both work to ensure that they have their voices heard in
Congress.
Idaho and Alaska have other similar Pacific Northwest
resource and environmental issues. Senator Stevens shares
my care for and attention to these issues. He is an
advocate for work to restore salmon fisheries and rural
community development. I have had the pleasure to work
with him on promoting the Pacific Northwest Salmon
Recovery Fund and drinking water infrastructure needs for
rural Alaska. He is a tireless defender of the interests
of Alaskans and one of the greatest tourism promotion
resources for the State.
I have always appreciated Senator Stevens' strong voice
and steady leadership in the Senate. He has demonstrated
an unwavering commitment to our military and against
terrorism. He understands the enemies we face here and
abroad and has spent many decades standing strong for his
convictions, relentlessly pursuing funding for a strong
military to defend our country and our heritage of liberty
and freedom.
I admire Senator Stevens' strong history of
bipartisanship highlighted by his long friendship with the
senior Senator from Hawaii, Mr. Inouye. Their working and
interpersonal relationship stands as a testament to what
can be accomplished when we set party bickering aside and
focus on our jobs to which we were elected--helping
America remain the envy of the world.
We share an alma mater, and I am pleased to call him a
colleague in the Senate. I am proud to honor the Senior
Senator from Alaska, in his 39th year of public service as
a Senator. Congratulations, and thank you for your
service.
Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I wish to honor Senator Ted
Stevens of Alaska for becoming the longest serving
Republican Member in the history of the U.S. Senate.
Senator Stevens is a true leader in the Senate. Whether he
is making sure our soldiers have the best equipment in the
field of battle or developing dynamic legislation to
transform our Nation's communications laws, Senator
Stevens has always been a man of action.
Service to the United States and to his home State of
Alaska has been Senator Stevens' lifelong mission. To put
his dedication to our country in perspective, Senator
Stevens has been a public servant for longer than I have
been alive. At no stage of his career has he ever shied
away from confronting the challenging issues of the day.
In 1943, at the age of 19, he left college to answer the
call of his country. Flying transport planes over the
Himalayas in support of the Flying Tigers of the 14th Air
Force, First Lieutenant Stevens proved himself as a
leader. In recognition for his service and bravery, he was
awarded several medals, including two Distinguished Flying
Crosses.
Following the war, Ted Stevens returned to college where
he received degrees from UCLA and Harvard Law School. In
1953, he was appointed U.S. attorney for Fairbanks. Three
years later, he moved to Washington, DC, to serve in the
Department of the Interior for President Eisenhower. In
1964, Ted Stevens was elected to the Alaska House of
Representatives, and during his second term in office, he
became the majority leader. In 1968, he was appointed to
fill Senator Bartlett's seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1972,
he was elected to serve a full term in that seat, and, as
we know, the rest is history.
During the last 38 years, Senator Stevens has done more
for the people of Alaska and the United States than most
could fathom. Always willing to address challenging issues
in a bipartisan fashion, Senator Stevens stands by his
principles and does what he thinks is right regardless of
which side of the aisle agrees with him. He led the charge
for Alaska's statehood and has made remarkable
contributions to the health and safety of the United
States. As a testament to their belief in Ted Stevens'
leadership, the people of Alaska have elected, and
reelected, Senator Stevens--never by less than 67 percent
of the vote in any election.
When I came to Washington in 1994, it did not take me
long to learn who Ted Stevens was and to admire him as a
leader. When I joined the Senate 7 years ago, my
admiration for Senator Stevens grew. Who couldn't admire a
man who dons a Hulk tie when he prepares for large
legislative battles? On a serious note, since 2001,
Senator Stevens and I have worked closely on a number of
important issues. For example, in 2005 when Senator
Stevens became chairman of the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation, he recognized the need to
address how to maintain U.S. competitiveness in today's
global economy. I was honored that he selected me to chair
the Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation, and
Competitiveness. Through the work of this subcommittee,
Senator Stevens, myself, and others developed bipartisan
legislation to maintain and improve our country's
innovation in the 21st century. This legislation, the
America COMPETES Act, recently passed the Senate by an
overwhelming vote of 88 to 8. Senator Stevens' leadership
on competitiveness legislation serves as a good reminder
of how he has addressed important issues in a forward-
thinking manner throughout his six decades of public
service.
Addressing the Nation's competitiveness is just one
example of Senator Stevens' innovative thinking. When he
became chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, Senator Stevens recognized that our
communications laws were grossly outdated. Through a
series of hearings, listening sessions, and a desire for
bipartisan cooperation, Senator Stevens developed a bill
that would have encouraged competition in the
communications market and fostered an environment
conducive to future innovation. Although this bill did not
become law, I am proud to have worked with Senator Stevens
on this important piece of legislation.
I greatly admire Senator Stevens. He sets an example,
for both Republicans and Democrats, of a successful
Senator. He is a leader, a man of his word, and someone
whom you know you can count on with nothing more than a
handshake. I look forward to working with Senator Stevens
for many years to come and would like to congratulate him
for a lifetime of accomplishments.
Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is a pleasure to be a part
of this celebration of Senator Ted Stevens' service in the
Senate. For those of us who know him, it is more than
taking a moment to congratulate him as he becomes the
longest serving Republican Senator in the history of the
Senate. It is an opportunity to acknowledge all he has
done to stand up for the State of Alaska. It is also a
chance to take note of the example he provides of
leadership and the way he has always put the needs of the
people of Alaska at the very top of his work agenda in the
Senate. That is why, in 2000, Ted was named the ``Alaskan
of the Century.''
Ted is a remarkable guy, and I don't think any Senator
is more tied to the day-to-day life of the States we
represent and the hearts of the people back home than he
is. There are a lot of reasons for that, not the least of
which is the certainty Alaskans have that the needs of
their State are in good hands because Ted Stevens is
championing their cause.
Ted is one of our great environmentalists and it is a
philosophy he puts into practice every day in thought,
word, and deed. Whenever I think of him, I think of all he
has done and continues to do to protect and preserve the
natural beauty of Alaska. It is a wonderful State that I
have been privileged to visit at Ted's invitation. I have
always said that God saved some of his best handiwork for
Wyoming. Having seen Alaska, I think he did a good job
there too.
If you ask me and those who have come to know him
through the years, we will tell you that Ted is a man of
action. He says what he means and he means what he says.
He works hard for the things he believes in, and in the
end, I don't think anyone is better at getting results.
That is because Ted knows it is a lot more important to
get things done than to get them said. You won't find him
content to just give speeches. After all is said, and said
with great force, Ted puts his time and effort where his
mouth is as he rolls up his sleeves and gets to work.
Ted not only knows and loves the terrain of Alaska, he
loves showing it off too. That is why he puts so much of
himself into promoting the Kenai Tournament. This great
Alaskan tournament gives all who take part a chance to
enjoy the fantastic fishing of Alaska, but it is also a
great fundraiser that helps provide the funds that are
needed to restore and improve the habitat of the salmon in
Alaska.
Here in the Senate, Ted has also worked quietly on many
bills that were drafted to preserve wild salmon. Whether
it is protecting his home State on the floor or promoting
it here and back home, Ted Stevens is the voice of Alaska.
Another thing Wyoming and Alaska share is our rural
environment. Ted understands the unique needs of rural
life better than any Senator I know, and he has been a
tireless worker on transportation and communication
issues. He worked hard to preserve universal service so
people in both our States would have phone service at a
reasonable rate. That effort meant a great deal not only
to the people of our States but to those who live in other
rural areas across the United States as well.
As I have come to know Ted, I have developed a great
appreciation for his ability to pick up on the nuances and
details of the issues we take up on the Senate floor. He
is a fast study, and he is not afraid of any issue, no
matter how complicated and complex it is.
Another thing we all think of whenever we think of Ted
is that distinctive voice of his. His voice has the same
power that his words bring to the debate, and it is that
unique way of speaking of his that gets everyone's
attention and usually their agreement too.
Through his years in the Senate, Ted has compiled an
incredible record for the people of his State. He has won
the hearts of Alaskans, and on election day, people from
all over the State make it a point to vote for him. He is
not just their Senator, he is also a bit of a superhero,
too.
Speaking of superheroes, which are near and dear to
Ted's heart, in the comics, whenever Dr. Banner faces a
difficult challenge that requires superpowers, he turns
into the Incredible Hulk. On the Senate floor, if the
Incredible Hulk faced a challenge that required
superpowers of persuasion and reason, he would probably
turn into Ted Stevens.
Congratulations, Ted. We are proud of the record you
have established in the Senate. Thank you for your
leadership, the unique strengths and abilities you bring
to our work, and most of all, thank you for the gift of
your friendship.
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President. I am very pleased to help
recognize Senator Ted Stevens as the longest serving
Republican in the history of the U.S. Senate. Senator
Stevens has represented the Last Frontier for nearly 40
years, during which he has become one of the most
respected lawmakers and gentlemen in Congress. For a large
majority of his time in Congress, Senator Stevens served
with my predecessor, the late Senator Strom Thurmond, the
Senate's previous longest serving Republican. Now that the
record is broken, I am certain Senator Thurmond would be
pleased to know his good friend, Ted Stevens, will carry
on the great tradition of service to our Nation. I am
honored to serve alongside Senator Stevens and
congratulate him on this momentous occasion.
Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I wish today to
congratulate Senator Ted Stevens on becoming the longest
serving Republican Senator in U.S. history. Senator
Stevens has served in the Senate for over 38 years, and
this milestone is a lasting tribute to his outstanding
record for the people of Alaska and for the people of
America. On a personal note, I have always enjoyed working
with Senator Stevens, and it has been a true privilege to
collaborate with him on some of the most important issues
facing our great Nation--including energy, health care,
and national defense.
Senator Stevens' service to the United States didn't
begin when he stepped inside this Chamber; rather, his
service began decades earlier--during some of the most
harrowing days of World War II.
Senator Stevens was part of the ``greatest generation''
who fought and won that global struggle for freedom--
flying a C-47 in the China/Burma/India theater.
Incredibly, over 1,000 of Senator Stevens' fellow airmen
died ``flying the hump'' and elsewhere in the Chinese/
Burma/India theater--a sobering reminder of the high price
of freedom. For his heroic efforts, Senator Stevens later
received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air
Medals, as well as the Yuan Hai Medal awarded by the
Republic of China.
After the war, Senator Stevens completed his education
at UCLA and Harvard Law School and then moved to Alaska,
which was then a U.S. territory. In the city of Fairbanks,
Senator Stevens practiced law for several years, until he
came to Washington, DC, to serve in the Eisenhower
administration and also to lobby for Alaska's admittance
into the Union--a mission that succeeded in 1959.
When Senator Stevens returned to Alaska, he ran for--and
won--a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives and
later became House majority leader. Then, in December
1968, Governor Walter J. Hickel appointed him to fill a
vacancy in the U.S. Senate. In 1970, the voters of Alaska
ratified that choice by electing Senator Stevens to finish
that term in a special election and then reelecting him
six more times, always by overwhelming margins.
Senator Stevens' achievements are legendary in this
Chamber--including, but not limited to, chairman of the
Senate Rules Committee, chairman of the Senate
Appropriations Committee, and President pro tempore of the
U.S. Senate--putting him third in line for the Presidency
from January 2003 to January 2007. For his many decades of
service, Senator Stevens has received and accepted
numerous honors--including having the Anchorage
International Airport named after him. Our entire country
has been enriched and improved by his hard work,
dedication, and leadership.
I say this not as a distant observer but as an up-close
witness to his achievements. Back in 1993, when I first
arrived in the U.S. Senate, I was one of only seven female
Senators, and if the Senate was a men's club, then the
Appropriations Committee was its inner sanctum. There was
not a single woman on the Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee, but that is where I wanted to serve.
I explained to Senator Stevens--who was then the ranking
member of the committee--that Texas has more Army soldiers
than any other State, more Air Force air men and women
stationed in Texas than any other State, and our defense
industry builds everything from fighter aircraft to Army
trucks to artillery systems to sophisticated electronics
equipment for the Pentagon. Therefore, it was absolutely
essential that a Senator from Texas serve on that
committee. After some careful thought, Senator Stevens
agreed and welcomed me to the committee. Since that time,
he has been a valuable mentor to me--not to mention a
passionate advocate for Alaska and America.
And when I say passion, I really do mean passion.
Senator Stevens has been known to show dramatic
performances on the Senate floor, keeping wandering eyes
focused on the urgent issues that need to be addressed.
One day, during a markup in the Senate Appropriations
Committee, Senator Stevens, who chaired the committee at
the time, grew very animated and laid down the law. When a
frustrated senior Senator told Senator Stevens that
``there was no reason to lose your temper,'' Senator
Stevens glared back and responded, ``I never lose my
temper. I always know exactly where I left it.''
But if Senator Stevens has a temper, he also has a
compassionate heart. I will never forget when a group of
protestors gathered outside of the Appropriations
Committee conference to demand increased funding for
breast cancer research.
One particularly agitated advocate got in Senator
Stevens' face and said, ``If men were dying of breast
cancer, you wouldn't think twice about increasing the
funding.'' Needless to say, those words made quite an
impact on Senator Stevens, but probably not what this
advocate anticipated.
When Senator Stevens walked back into the conference, he
repeated the charge and then looked around at his mostly
male colleagues. He knew that at least six of them
suffered from prostate cancer. He also noticed that the
bill they were considering didn't fund prostate cancer
research. But thanks to the excellent suggestion of the
woman in the hallway, he was going to advocate breast
cancer research and prostate cancer research. Senator
Stevens was determined to become a leader on these issues,
and over time, that is certainly what he has become.
For all of these reasons, and many more, it has been a
true honor to serve with Senator Stevens. I congratulate
him once again on becoming the longest serving Republican
Senator in U.S. history. I look forward to serving with
him for years to come.
Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, Senate colleagues of Senator
Ted Stevens are grateful that a remarkable U.S. Senate
historical landmark provides us an opportunity to honor
one of the greatest Senators in history as he continues to
supply vigorous and significant leadership for our
country.
We recognize, today, that Ted Stevens has served longer
than any other Republican Party Senator, and that record
for longevity of service will continue to mount with each
new day of Senate history.
I would like to believe that the early schooling of Ted
Stevens at Public School No. 84 in Indianapolis was a
strong foundation for his later success. I enjoyed School
No. 84 for 2 years, a few years after Ted had progressed.
Our lives came together again in 1976 when Ted chaired
the National Republican Senatorial Committee and I was the
Indiana Republican candidate against a three-term
incumbent.
Under Ted's leadership, Jack Danforth, John Heinz, Jack
Schmitt, Malcolm Wallop, Sam Hayakawa, John Chafee, Orrin
Hatch, and I were elected: a class of eight freshmen
Republican Senators. The overall Senate count after the
1976 election was 61 Democrats, 38 Republicans, and
Independent Senator Harry Byrd, thus highlighting Ted's
recruitment achievement.
But times changed, and Howard Baker became majority
leader after the Republican majority was established in
the 1980 election. When Howard retired 4 years later, five
Republicans sought the majority leader position in an
election procedure requiring the candidate with the lowest
vote to retire after each ballot. Senators Jim McClure,
Pete Domenici, and I retired in that order before Bob
Dole, another Senate lion, defeated Ted Stevens in a close
vote.
All of us rejoiced when the GOP won a Senate majority
again and Senator Stevens became President pro tempore of
the Senate. In this role, he became even more vigorous in
boosting the Senate's institutional role and in underlying
the responsibilities of each Senator.
Throughout his unfailing attention to overall Senate
duties, Ted has been a Senator for Alaska on every day of
every year. His legislative achievements that have boosted
Alaska are legendary and continue during each
appropriations cycle.
Alaskans recognized Senator Stevens as the most
prominent Alaskan of the 20th century in a poll taken in
his State.
He also led Alaskan and U.S. Senate attention to the
interests Alaska and the United States have in the Pacific
Ocean and in prominent Pacific rim countries such as
China, Japan, and Russia.
I have been privileged to attend Aspen Institute
conferences with Ted and to participate in legislative
meetings with Chinese delegates that he has organized in
Washington.
He has long been an advocate for health and physical
fitness. This encourages his friends to observe that he
has the opportunity to serve with us for many years to
come.
I thank my good friend, Senator Ted Stevens, for his
personal thoughtfulness and for so many great experiences,
together, during his recordbreaking tenure in the Senate.
I look forward to many new opportunities to be with him
and to work with him for the benefit of our country.
Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise to honor a
distinguished colleague, Senator Ted Stevens, who is
celebrating a major milestone--today becoming the longest
serving Republican in Senate history.
Appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and elected to
finish out the term 2 years later, Stevens has since been
reelected to the Senate six times, never receiving less
than 67 percent of the vote in any election.
During his 38 years in the U.S. Senate, Senator Stevens
has been chairman of four full committees and two select
committees, assistant Republican whip, President pro
tempore, and President pro tempore emeritus.
As one of the most effective Senators, Senator Stevens
has been an ardent supporter of our national defense,
serving as either chairman or ranking member of the
Defense Appropriations Subcommittee since 1980. A champion
of our Armed Forces, he has ensured that our service
members have the equipment, training, and pay necessary to
be prepared to take on those who threaten our national
security.
Mr. President, I congratulate Senator Stevens on
reaching this historic milestone today. I am honored to
call Senator Ted Stevens my colleague but prouder to call
him my friend.
Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge a
man who has dedicated almost 40 years of his life to the
service of his constituency. Senator Ted Stevens was
appointed to represent Alaska in the Senate in 1968 and
has done so in a way that the citizens of his State have
reelected him six times since. Senator Stevens is
currently the longest serving Senator in the history of
our party and a steadfast representative for Alaskan
conservative values.
As a young man Senator Stevens served his country
honorably during World War II. A member of the 322d
Squadron, which flew support missions for the Flying
Tigers of the Army Air Corps' 14th Air Force, he is also
twice a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross for
his heroism in aerial combat. Senator Stevens is in
excellent company as the first recipient of the
Distinguished Flying Cross was Captain Charles A.
Lindbergh, who also set a few records in his own time.
I am especially thankful for the work Senator Stevens
has done to help aid the people of Louisiana. Through his
position as chairman in the last Congress and currently
vice chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and
Transportation Committee he has worked tirelessly on
important legislation to our State. Especially noteworthy
are the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and
Management Reauthorization Act, which included provisions
dedicated to the aid of the fishing industry in Louisiana
following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and his essential
support of legislation to get Louisiana its fair share of
Outer Continental Shelf oil and gas revenues.
It has been an extraordinary experience to work with as
accomplished a legislator as Senator Stevens in my time in
the Senate. I thank him for his service to the citizens of
this great country.
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about
my long-time great friend, advisor, and colleague, Senator
Ted Stevens of Alaska, who just became the longest serving
Republican Senator in the 218-year history of the U.S.
Senate.
I have worked with Senator Stevens on a wide array of
matters, but none more closely than national security and
defense issues. Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye
exemplify that extraordinary group of veterans, largely of
World War II distinction and experience, who led the
Senate I joined 28 years ago. They found the time to teach
the new Senators, inspiring them to gain the experience to
someday take their places of responsibility in the Senate.
I owe a great deal of gratitude to that generation, and
particularly to Ted.
He has loyally served the men and women of the Armed
Forces throughout his long Senate career, particularly
through his leadership positions on the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
My good friend has compiled a remarkable record on
national security, ranging from complex issues of global
strategy all the way down to the very basic pay and
quality of life issues for the men and women in uniform
and their families. His own distinguished record in World
War II as an aviator provides special insights into
military matters.
Military matters, however, are not the only field in
which the senior Senator from Alaska has invested his time
and passion. Senator Stevens has also fought hard to find
ways to meet America's energy needs, offering the
extraordinary resources of his own State to meet these
demands. I think back time and time again when Senator
Stevens has taken to the Senate floor urging his
colleagues to fully address America's demand for energy.
Dressed in his trademark ``Hulk'' tie, he was a sight to
behold and quite a force to reckon with. If only Congress
had listened to Mr. Stevens a decade or two ago, not just
limited to Alaska issues, but toward a broad world view on
energy, America might not be so dependent on foreign oil
today.
Senator Stevens truly loves Alaska. I remember one codel
trip in particular. A few years back, Senator Stevens had
escorted a small group of Senators, making stops along the
way, up to Prudhoe Bay, one of the closest points to the
Arctic. Senator Symms, our former colleague from Idaho,
and I decided we had enough learning for the day. So,
unwisely, we chose to play hooky and dashed from the group
for an impromptu plunge in the frigid waters of Prudhoe
Bay while the other Senators looked on in disbelief. We
were quite a sight as we crawled ashore frozen to the
bone.
Despite this experience, I am proud to say that Senator
Stevens hasn't held my rowdiness against me, as he has
invited me back to Alaska over the years.
Ted Stevens is not only a great champion for Alaska,
American energy, and our Nation's armed forces, but he is
also a champion of the Senate. One of the most lasting
legacies he has had on this special body, and one of the
legacies he has imparted on me, is his remarkable record
of work with new Senators from both sides of the aisle.
Throughout many years, Senator Stevens has voluntarily
stepped forward to counsel new colleagues about the
history and intricacies of the legislative process in the
Senate.
I am particularly indebted to him for helping me.
Therefore, Mr. President, it is my honor and privilege to
today congratulate my good friend, Senator Ted Stevens, on
becoming the longest serving Republican in the Senate.
Carry on, dear friend.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to join in this
body's hearty congratulations to our colleague from
Alaska, Mr. Stevens, as the longest serving Republican
Senator. The remarkable thing about Ted Stevens is not the
number of years he has served but the amount of service he
has put into those years.
The Founders did a unique thing when they created the
Senate. They knew that democracy should both let the
majority rule most of the time but also protect minority
viewpoints from the tyranny of the majority. They created
a House of Representatives based on proportional
representation. Meanwhile, in the Senate, they gave every
State, large and small, exactly two votes. They then went
a step further, and created the Senate as a body that
operates by consensus. The result is a place where one
person with a good idea can impact the entire body.
Ted Stevens is a living embodiment of the wisdom of our
Founding Fathers. He is precisely the kind of Senator they
hoped for: forceful, persevering, principled and
indefatigably devoted to his State's interests.
Alaska is a unique State and Senator Stevens reflects
its style and unlimited potential exceptionally. In every
aspect, Alaska is a long, long way from Washington, DC,
and its unusual bureaucratic culture. We all benefit from
the independent, self-reliant spirit of Alaska that the
Senator brings, reminding us of the pioneer heritage of
the West. I am personally appreciative of the Senator's
hospitality when visiting in his home State. I thought we
had ``wide open spaces'' in Minnesota, but Alaska's are
certainly both wider and more open.
When President Abraham Lincoln's Secretary of State,
William Seward, finalized the purchase of Alaska, it was
thought to be a folly. How blessed we all are as Americans
to have its abundant wilderness and natural resources as
part of our national experience.
I have found that when people want to learn something
really important, they prefer an example to an
explanation. As I have tried to learn my way around this
institution, Senator Stevens has been a role model, an
example, and a friend. I thank him for his kindness.
But even more I thank him for his service which has made
this Nation safer, stronger and freer for all. He makes
his great State and all his colleagues proud to say they
know Ted Stevens.