[Senate Document 104-15]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]




                                                        S. Doc. 104-15

                          Richard C. Halverson

                          U.S. SENATE CHAPLAIN

                           MEMORIAL TRIBUTES

                                     

                           IN THE CONGRESS OF
                           THE UNITED STATES

                                     


                                           
                                                        S. Doc. 104-15
                                           
                                  Memorial Tributes

                                Delivered in Congress


                                Richard C. Halverson

                                      1916-1995

                            United States Senate Chaplain

                                          a

                                           
                                           



                           Compiled  under the  direction

                                       of the

                              Secretary of  the  Senate

                                       by the

                            Office of  Printing  Services


                                           
                                      CONTENTS
                                           

             Biography.............................................
                                                                     ix
             Proceedings in the Senate:
                Prayer by the Senate Chaplain Dr. Lloyd John 
                  Ogilvie..........................................
                                                                      1
                Announcement of death by Senator Robert Dole of 
                  Kansas...........................................
                                                                      2
                Resolution of respect..............................
                                                                      9
                Tributes by Senators:
                    Ashcroft, John, of Missouri....................
                                                                     23
                    Biden, Joseph R., Jr., of Delaware.............
                                                                     17
                    Bingaman, Jeff, of New Mexico..................
                                                                     15
                    Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia..............
                                                                     20
                       Poem, Rose Still Grows Beyond the Wall......
                                                                     23
                    Chafee, John H., of Rhode Island...............
                                                                      3
                    Coats, Dan, of Indiana.........................
                                                                      7
                    Daschle, Thomas A., of South Dakota............
                                                                      2
                    Dodd, Christopher J., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     15
                    Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico...............
                                                                      3
                    Exon, J. James, of Nebraska....................
                                                                     19
                    Feinstein, Dianne, of California...............
                                                                     10
                    Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah.......................
                                                                     14
                    Hatfield, Mark O., of Oregon...................
                                                                      5
                    Heflin, Howell, of Alabama.....................
                                                                      4
                    Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas................
                                                                     18
                    Inouye, Daniel K., of Hawaii...................
                                                                     14
                    Jeffords, James M., of Vermont.................
                                                                     13
                    Kassebaum, Nancy Landon, of Kansas.............
                                                                     13
                    Kempthorne, Dirk, of Idaho.....................
                                                                      3
                    Lieberman, Joseph I., of Connecticut...........
                                                                     12
                    Lott, Trent, of Mississippi....................
                                                                      8
                    Mack, Connie, of Florida.......................
                                                                     24
                    Murkowski, Frank H., of Alaska.................
                                                                     16
                    Nickles, Don, of Oklahoma......................
                                                                      9
                    Nunn, Sam, of Georgia..........................
                                                                     20
                    Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania................
                                                                     11
                    Thurmond, Strom, of South Carolina.............
                                                                      6
             Memorial Service for Richard C. Halverson:
                Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, Maryland.....
                                                                     27
                    Organ Prelude--Fred Markey.....................
                                                                     28
                    Scripture Readings and Comments, Judge Martin 
                     Bostetter, Reverend Bob Strain, Mr. Phil 
                     Jordan........................................
                                                                     28
                Remarks by:
                    Mrs. Barbara Skinner...........................
                                                                     29
                    Remembrances: The Honorable Mark O. Hatfield...
                                                                     31
                    Mr. Doug Coe...................................
                                                                     33
                    Dr. Billy Graham...............................
                                                                     34
                    Louise B. Risk.................................
                                                                     35
                    Jim and Betsy Kumnick..........................
                                                                     36
                    Concluding Prayer by Richard C. Halverson, Jr..
                                                                     37
                    Benediction of Dr. Richard C. Halverson........
                                                                     37
                    Postlude--Mr. Ed Weaver........................
                                                                     38
                Congress...........................................
                                                                     39
                    Dr. Richard C. Halverson, February 4, 1916-
                     November 28, 1995.............................
                                                                     40
                    Great is Thy Faithfulness--A favorite hymn of 
                     Dr. Halverson.................................
                                                                     41
                    Grateful Reflections, Members of the Senate and 
                     Staff, led by Senator Don Nickles.............
                                                                     42
                    Tribute to Chaplain Richard C. Halverson, by 
                     Robert G. Ellis, Jr...........................
                                                                     42
                    Time Frame, by C.J. Martin.....................
                                                                     42
                    Embrace Thee...................................
                                                                     43
                    Amazing Grace--Another favorite hymn of Dr. 
                     Halverson.....................................
                                                                     43
                    Bendiction.....................................
                                                                     43
             Condolences and Tributes:
                Christian Booksellers Association Adding Reverend 
                  Richard C. Halverson to the ``Hall of Honor''....
                                                                     47
                Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award...............
                                                                     48
                    Newspaper article from USA Today...............
                                                                     49
                    Chaplain Becomes Rough Rider, North Dakota 
                     Tribune.......................................
                                                                     49
                    Senate Chaplain Gets Rough Rider Award, Grand 
                     Forks Herald..................................
                                                                     50
                    U.S. Senate Chaplain To Get Rough Rider Award, 
                     Grand Forks Herald............................
                                                                     51
                Remarks by Senator Robert C. Byrd..................
                                                                     50
                    Sermons on the Hill Become a Trademark of 
                     Senate's Chaplain.............................
                                                                     53
             Letters of Condolence:
                From David Gwaltney................................
                                                                     57
                Paul D. Wellstone, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Minnesota........................................
                                                                     57
                Bob Smith, U.S. Senator from the State of New 
                  Hampshire........................................
                                                                     57
                Billy Graham.......................................
                                                                     58
                Barbara A. Mikulski, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Maryland.........................................
                                                                     58
                The White House, Vice President Al Gore............
                                                                     59
                Alan K. Simpson, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Wyoming..........................................
                                                                     59
                Daniel K. Akaka, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Hawaii...........................................
                                                                     60
                Pete Wilson, Governor of California................
                                                                     60
                Edward M. Kennedy, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Massachusetts....................................
                                                                     61
                George Bush........................................
                                                                     61
                Nancy Reagan.......................................
                                                                     61
                Paul D. Coverdell, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Georgia..........................................
                                                                     62
                Christopher S. Bond, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Missouri.........................................
                                                                     62
                The White House, President Bill Clinton............
                                                                     62
                Patty Murray, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                  Washington.......................................
                                                                     62
                Robert H. Schuller.................................
                                                                     63
                Paul Simon, U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois
                                                                     63
                Jimmy Carter.......................................
                                                                     64
                Charles and Patty Colson...........................
                                                                     64
                Kent Conrad, U.S. Senator from the State of North 
                  Dakota...........................................
                                                                     64
                James David Ford, Chaplain, House of 
                  Representatives..................................
                                                                     64
                Sandy Mason........................................
                                                                     65
                Dick Baker, Senate Historian.......................
                                                                     65
                Sgt. Kenneth M. Allen..............................
                                                                     65
             Newspaper Articles and Editorials:
                Former Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson Dies, 
                  Grand Forks Herald...............................
                                                                     68
                Senate Chaplain Who Retired February 5, Is Dead At 
                  79, Richard C. Halverson Served 14 Years, 
                  Washington Times.................................
                                                                     68
                Deaths Elsewhere, St. Louis Post-Dispatch..........
                                                                     70
                Reverend Richard Halverson Was U.S. Senate 
                  Chaplain; at 79, Boston Globe....................
                                                                     70
                Richard Halverson; Former Senate Chaplain, Los 
                  Angeles Times....................................
                                                                     70
                R.C. Halverson Dies; 14-Year Senate Chaplain, 
                  Washington Post..................................
                                                                     71
                Reverend Richard C. Halverson, St. Petersburg Times
                                                                     73
                R. Halverson, Ex-Chaplain of Senate, Rocky Mountain 
                  News.............................................
                                                                     73
                Richard Halverson, 79, A Senate Chaplain, New York 
                  Times............................................
                                                                     73
                Richard C. Halverson, Retired Senate Chaplain, 
                  Arizona Republic.................................
                                                                     74
                The Reverend Richard Halverson, Indianapolis News..
                                                                     74
                The Soul of the Senate, Christianity Today.........
                                                                     75
                    Comments:
                       President Bill Clinton......................
                                                                     79
                       Sam Nunn, U.S. Senator from the State of 
                         Georgia...................................
                                                                     79
                       Melvin Jordan, employee at Senate dining 
                         room......................................
                                                                     79
                       Mark O. Hatfield, U.S. Senator from the 
                         State of Oregon...........................
                                                                     79
                       Clarence Thomas, Supreme Court Justice......
                                                                     79
                Dr. Richard C. Halverson--At Home With Our Lord, 
                  National Christian Choir News....................
                                                                     79
                Chaplain, Kansas City Star.........................
                                                                     81
                Reflections of a Retiring Senate Chaplain, The Hill
                                                                     81
                Most Powerful Man in Washington Retires, York Daily 
                  Record...........................................
                                                                     83
                From Youth in Show Business to Chaplain of the 
                  Senate, Washington Post..........................
                                                                     84
                In Memoriam, International Ministries Fellowship...
                                                                     87
                                      BIOGRAPHY

               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson was born February 4, 
             1916, in Pingree, North Dakota. He attended then Valley 
             City State College for 2 years. He received his bachelor 
             of science degree from Wheaton College in 1939. He earned 
             a bachelor of theology degree from Princeton Theological 
             Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey, in 1942.
               He became Managing Director, Forest Home Cristian 
             Conference Grounds, California, from June 1942 to October 
             1942, and from April 1944 to October 1944. He served as 
             Assistant Minister of the Linwood Presbyterian Church, 
             Kansas City, Kansas, from October 1942 to April 1944.
               Reverend Halverson served as pastor of the First 
             Presbyterian Church, Coalinga, California from October 
             1944 to October 1947; Leadership Education, First 
             Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, California October 1947 to 
             May 1956; Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, Maryland 
             from December 1958 to May 1981.
               He was an associate, International Prayer Breakfast 
             Movement, Washington, DC, from May 1956 to present.
               Reverend Halverson was elected Chaplain, United States 
             Senate, February 1981 until his retirement, March 1995.
               He was a Board Member, World Vision-U.S., 1956-1983; 
             Chairman, Board of World Vision-U.S., 1966-1983; and 
             President, Concern Ministries, Inc., Washington, DC.
               Reverend Halverson published several inspirational 
             books: A Day At A Time, Be Yourself . . . and God's, 
             Between Sundays, Man To Man, Perspective, The Quiet Man, 
             No Greater Power, We The People, The Living Body--The 
             Church Christ Is Building, and The Wisdom Series.
               In association with World Vision and the Prayer 
             Breakfast Movement, he participated in pastors' and 
             leaders' conferences in Asia, Australia, Latin America, 
             Africa, Europe, Oceania and the United States.
               Reverend Halverson is survived by his wife, Doris Grace 
             Seaton, of Arlington, Virginia, the Reverend Richard C. 
             Halverson, Jr., of Arlington, Virginia, Stephen S. of 
             Vista, California, and Deborah Halverson Markey of Laurel, 
             Maryland, and nine grandchildren.
                 

                                  MEMORIAL TRIBUTES

                                         to

                                RICHARD C. HALVERSON
                              Proceedings in the Senate
                                          Wednesday, November 29, 1995.
               The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, made the following 
             announcement and offered prayer:

               The Senate of the United States is a family. We care for 
             each other, rejoice with each other, and suffer with each 
             other. This morning, I announce to you that the former 
             Chaplain, Dr. Richard Halverson, died last night. No 
             person in recent history has done more to enable the 
             Senate to be a family of caring people who support and 
             encourage each other than Dr. Halverson.
               Let us pray:

               Blessed living Holy God, Sovereign of this Nation and 
             this Senate, we thank You for the way that You enrich our 
             lives by the gift of persons who care. We praise You for 
             the life of Richard Halverson, for 14 years the Chaplain 
             of this Senate. We praise You for his integrity rooted in 
             his intimate relationship with You that radiated upon his 
             face and was communicated by his countenance. We thank You 
             for the profound way that he cared for all of us and 
             established deep relationships. He introduced people to 
             You and helped them to grow as persons.
               We bless and praise You now, Lord, as You are here with 
             comfort and encouragement for us. You are with his wife, 
             Doris, his sons, Chris and Steve, and his daughter, 
             Debbie. Put Your arms of love around them, giving them 
             hope.
               Lord, we thank You this morning for the assurance that 
             this life is but a small part of the whole of eternity and 
             that death is only a transition in the midst of living for 
             a man like Richard Halverson.
               And so we thank You for him and praise You for Your 
             enrichment of our lives through him. Through Jesus Christ, 
             our Lord, Who has defeated the power of death and reigns 
             forever. Amen.

               Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, as the Chaplain mentioned in 
             his opening prayer, the Senate today is mourning the 
             passing of Dr. Richard Halverson.
               As all Senators know, Dr. Halverson served as our 
             Chaplain from 1981 until his retirement earlier this year.
               Throughout his service as Chaplain, Dr. Halverson was a 
             friend and counselor not only to Senators, but to the 
             entire Senate family.
               As many of my colleagues said upon Dr. Halverson's 
             retirement, from Senate staffers to elevator operators to 
             police force members to electricians, it would be 
             impossible to tell how many lives Dr. Halverson touched 
             here on Capitol Hill.
               He came to the Senate after many years of service to 
             churches in Missouri, California, and Maryland. He was 
             recognized worldwide as a great humanitarian and traveled 
             extensively through his leadership of World Vision, the 
             Campus Crusade for Christ, Christian College Consortium, 
             and the prayer breakfast movement.
               Mr. President, perhaps our colleague, Senator Nunn, said 
             it best earlier this year when he called Dr. Halverson 
             ``our friend, our colleague, our mentor, our adviser and, 
             most of all, our example.''
               Later today, Senator Daschle and I will be submitting a 
             resolution of condolence to be delivered to the Halverson 
             family. It is my intent to include all Members of the 
             Senate as cosponsors of this resolution.
               At this time, I ask unanimous consent that the Record 
             stay open for 15 days so that Senators may offer tributes 
             to Dr. Halverson, and that these tributes be printed as a 
             Senate document.
               The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Frist). Without objection, it 
             is so ordered.

               Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, the majority leader has just 
             spoken for all of us. There is not a person in the Senate 
             today who has not had the good fortune to benefit from the 
             friendship of Dr. Halverson.
               Someone once said that life has no blessing like that of 
             a good friend. Dr. Halverson was a good friend to all of 
             us. Rather than mourn his death, it is appropriate to 
             celebrate his life, because, indeed, it was a celebration 
             of joy, of blessing. It was a recognition that through his 
             religious belief, emanating every morning as he came to 
             this Chamber, we all felt a little stronger, we all felt a 
             little better, we all felt perhaps a little wiser, we all 
             felt a little more able to work with each other. His 
             contribution to his country and to this body will last for 
             a long, long time.
               So today we celebrate his life. We send our condolences 
             to his wife, Doris, and his family. We wish them the best. 
             We recognize that in life comes achievement, and with his 
             achievement, we all are the better.

               Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, later on, pursuant to the 
             wishes of our leader, I will have much more to say about 
             Reverend Halverson. I considered him to be one of my best 
             friends in the whole world, but more than that, he cared 
             for a lot of people. He was a true Chaplain, not just up 
             here, but in the halls and byways and offices of this 
             place with families, with people who work for the Senate 
             from the lowest paid to the highest paid. He took care of 
             them.
               He was very, very sick, particularly the last 3 weeks. I 
             talked to his wife, Doris, this morning, his son Steven. 
             Chris, his other son, was not there. It is kind of 
             wonderful to see their expressions, because they obviously 
             believe and they are very, very confident he is very happy 
             today and that he is in everlasting life. That is 
             marvelous to see, because that is just the way he would 
             want their faith to be.
               So not only to that family, but to all his large family 
             here and everywhere in this city, and other places that he 
             served, I think I can join with all of them in saying very 
             simply that we thank God Almighty for sending people like 
             Dr. Halverson to us.

               Mr. CHAFEE. Mr. President, I think the words that we 
             ``celebrate the life of Richard Halverson'' are 
             appropriate. Richard Halverson, as has been pointed out, 
             served as Chaplain here for 16 years.
               As has been mentioned, he did not restrict his duties to 
             just the opening prayer. He came to see us when we had 
             difficulties. He was a constant mentor, as has previously 
             been suggested, and a constant good example. He epitomized 
             what leading the Christian life is all about.
               So we have been blessed to have known him. His life is 
             one we all should celebrate and try to emulate to the 
             greatest extent possible. So to all of his family, we send 
             our very best wishes at this extremely difficult time, and 
             our deepest condolences.

               Mr. KEMPTHORNE. Mr. President, I join in the statements 
             that have been made here this morning and say that our 
             lives have been so enriched by Dr. Halverson. He was the 
             U.S. Senate Chaplain, but he was a friend of the Senators 
             of this institution.
               In our roles, so often we need to have that camaraderie, 
             that facilitator that can help us in finding that higher 
             wisdom and the inner peace. Richard Halverson provided 
             that to us. I know now that he has that inner peace, and 
             we share, as has been stated in the blessings, having him 
             as part of our lives here.
               Our prayers are with him, as well as with Doris, Chris, 
             and all of the family. We thank the Lord for providing him 
             to us.

               Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, our long-time Senate Chaplain 
             and dear friend, Dr. Richard C. Halverson, has passed 
             away, just 8\1/2\ months after his retirement. He retired 
             in March, after more than 14 years of distinguished 
             service to this body. During his tenure as our Chaplain, 
             Dr. Halverson proved himself over and over again not only 
             to be a comforting spiritual guide, but an understanding, 
             knowledgeable counselor. His ministry and support helped 
             us immeasurably as we wrestled with difficult personal, 
             political and policy issues.
               Dick Halverson was superb at arranging for guest 
             Chaplains, thereby giving wide representations to the many 
             diverse religious faiths and denominations in our Nation. 
             As Chaplain, he provided pastoral services for Members and 
             our staffs--in particular to staffs, policemen. Every 
             conceivable person that worked in the Senate felt his 
             influence, knew him as a friend. He was a tremendous help 
             to them in their personal problems. His soothing 
             countenance and understanding manner made us feel more at 
             home here in Washington.
               Sworn in on February 2, 1981, the Reverend Dr. Richard 
             Halverson was the 60th Senate Chaplain. A native of North 
             Dakota, he was a graduate of Wheaton College and the 
             Princeton Theological Seminary. He held honorary doctoral 
             degrees from Wheaton and Gordon Colleges, and served 
             churches in Kansas City, Missouri; Coalinga and Hollywood, 
             California; and for 23 years at his last pastorate at the 
             Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland.
               Dr. Halverson was deeply involved as an associate in the 
             international prayer breakfast movement in Washington, and 
             I had the personal pleasure of working directly with him 
             on this project during the time he served here in the 
             Senate. He was involved with the prayer breakfast for 
             almost 40 years. He also served as chairman of the board 
             of World Vision and president of Concern Ministries, and 
             authored several books, including ``A Day at a Time,'' 
             ``Be Yourself . . . and God's,'' ``Between Sundays,'' ``No 
             Greater Power,'' and ``We the People.''
               Richard Halverson was an outstanding example of why the 
             Senate has always had a chaplain. He was completely 
             devoted to the Senate and we are grateful for his many 
             years of service. We appreciate him, we will miss him, and 
             we extend our sincerest condolences to his wife Doris, his 
             son Chris, and all their family. Dr. Halverson left his 
             mark on this body, and it is not the same without him. The 
             Senate is better for having had his guidance and wisdom 
             for 14 years, and the Nation and world are better for 
             having had him for all the years of his life. He was a 
             true blessing.

               Mr. HATFIELD. Mr. President, last night the U.S. Senate 
             lost one of its greatest servants. Dr. Halverson left us 
             in bodily presence but his spiritual legacy will remain 
             eternal. For 14 years, Dr. Halverson provided guidance and 
             counsel to the Senate as its Chaplain, continually 
             reminding us of the true meaning of leadership. For Dr. 
             Halverson a true leader was first a servant. He reminded 
             us each and every day, as he strolled these halls, of what 
             it means to serve the people around you.
               I have said before that Dr. Halverson was one of the 
             most Christlike men I have ever known, and today that 
             sentiment has not changed. Even in failing health, he 
             continued his ministries right to the very end. Those of 
             you who remember him, recall his humble spirit, his 
             compassionate heart, and his penetrating intellect. All of 
             these qualities were supplemented with an uncanny ability 
             to address complex issues with an insightful simplicity 
             that cut to the core of an issue, illuminating the vital 
             components so that even a child could understand.
               Dr. Halverson will be profoundly missed. He will be 
             missed by the Senators, but this mournful occasion will 
             impact all who are involved in the business of Congress. 
             Dr. Halverson was not just a pastor to the hundred men and 
             women who serve in this body, but he was a pastor to the 
             police officers, to the custodians, to the food service 
             workers, to everyone who was fortunate to cross his path. 
             He ministered to all he encountered, indiscriminate of 
             position, background, and stature. He genuinely loved 
             everyone. I cannot recall him ever uttering an ill word 
             toward anyone.
               I am deeply saddened by this great loss. Dr. Halverson 
             was my close friend and brother. Now, Dr. Halverson is 
             experiencing joy and happiness incomprehensible to those 
             of us here on Earth. But until I see him again, I will 
             miss this good and faithful servant. I will miss his warm 
             greetings. I will miss his thoughtful prayers. I will miss 
             his example of humility. Most of all, I will miss being 
             his friend.

               Mr. THURMOND. Mr. President, our Senate family lost one 
             of our finest and most respected members yesterday with 
             the passing of the former Senate Chaplain, Reverend 
             Richard Halverson.
               As many in this body know, Reverend Halverson ministered 
             to the spiritual needs of Senators, our families, and our 
             staffs for many years. A man who was deeply devoted to his 
             duties as a servant of God, and to his congregation, 
             Reverend Halverson selflessly served the Senate and the 
             Lord almost literally to the end of his life. Despite a 
             lingering illness in his later years, the Reverend was 
             never too tired or sick to spend time with someone who 
             required his guidance and counsel. He was a man who always 
             had a kind word and a positive thought to share with us. I 
             remember, Reverend Halverson would often clip newspaper 
             and magazine articles that he felt were particularly 
             relevant to the issues of religion and morality and send 
             them to Members. Along with these articles, he would 
             include a thoughtful note offering his opinion on the 
             author's thesis, a gesture that not only reminded us that 
             the Reverend was looking after our spiritual well being, 
             but that there are laws and directives as important as 
             those found in the Constitution and code books that should 
             dictate our behavior and conduct as leaders of the Nation. 
             Reverend Halverson was so committed to the cause of 
             restoring and maintaining righteousness in America, he was 
             the only natural choice to author the foreward to the book 
             Right vs. Wrong, written by my good friend and former 
             Chief of Staff, Harry Dent.
               I had the pleasure of knowing Reverend Halverson 
             throughout his entire tenure in the Senate, and I can 
             attest that he was one of the most faithful, capable, and 
             dedicated Chaplains to have served the United States 
             Senate. Those of us who were here when Reverend Halverson 
             retired last year felt this Chamber had lost a friend, 
             those of us who are here today know the world has lost a 
             kind and compassionate man.
               Reverend Halverson is survived by his wife Doris, and I 
             hope that she knows that each of us joins her in mourning 
             the loss of her husband. While her husband and our friend 
             is gone, he has left a little something of himself with 
             those who knew him and we will never forget the service he 
             rendered, or the man he was.

               Mr. COATS. Madam President, 60 years ago, during the 
             holiday season that we are now celebrating, a young man by 
             the name of Richard Halverson, fresh from the humble 
             upbringing in North Dakota, found himself discouraged and 
             lonely in Hollywood, California--discouraged by his 
             struggles to become an actor, and lonely as he was away 
             from home during Christmas for the first time in his 19 
             years of life. It was then that Dick Halverson heard a 
             call from the Lord--first, to believe and follow God, and 
             then to preach the Lord's gospel and minister to all who 
             had the great fortune of knowing him.
               In 1988, I was privileged to be appointed to the U.S. 
             Senate, filling the vacancy created by the election of 
             then Senator Dan Quayle to the Vice Presidency. Several 
             thoughts occurred to me and my family at that moment, but 
             one of the greatest was that I would have the privilege of 
             serving in the same institution where Reverend Dick 
             Halverson served as Chaplain. My admiration for Dr. 
             Halverson extended then and now beyond the fact that we 
             graduated from the same institution, Wheaton College. My 
             respect for Dick Halverson is based on the way he lived 
             his life every day in humble service to his God.
               The American public primarily saw Chaplain Halverson in 
             the role of opening each Senate session with prayer. As he 
             prepared those invocations each day, Pastor Halverson 
             prayed that God would give him the wisdom to speak the 
             Lord's truth in what is known as the world's greatest 
             deliberative body. Without touching on specific bills or 
             legislation, Dr. Halverson prayed that God would lead 
             Members of the Senate in reasoned, respectful debate.
               For example, Chaplain Halverson prayed here on the 
             Senate floor, ``God of our fathers, if we separate 
             morality from politics, we imperil our Nation and threaten 
             self-destruction. Imperial Rome was not defeated by an 
             enemy from without; it was destroyed by moral decay from 
             within. Mighty God, over and over again you warned your 
             people, Israel, that righteousness is essential to 
             national health.'' Words of wisdom from a man of great 
             wisdom.
               Those of us privileged to know Dr. Halverson also 
             experienced the dedicated and loving service he provided 
             away from the lights of the Senate floor. Washington, DC, 
             is one of the toughest, most intense places anybody can 
             live, especially for those of us who work on Capitol Hill. 
             From overloaded Senate schedules to endless traffic jams, 
             Washington can grind even the strongest individuals--which 
             I think is one of the reasons God gave us Dick Halverson.
               Pastor Halverson used to say, ``I never try to be in a 
             hurry.'' While all of us would scurry around from 
             scheduled event to scheduled event, Chaplain Halverson 
             lived that phrase, ``I never try to be in a hurry.'' And 
             he slowed us down. A smile, a hand on the arm, a twinkle 
             in his eye, and the words ``God bless you'' were delivered 
             literally thousands, if not tens of thousands of times to 
             Members of this body.
               While our lives can be filled with stress and strife, it 
             was Chaplain Halverson who always had the time to walk 
             back with us to our office, chat with us on the telephone, 
             and when necessary counsel us through our deepest 
             struggles.
               The real greatness of Dick Halverson, however, was 
             exhibited in the ways that he provided this selfless 
             service, not just to those of us privileged to serve as 
             elected officials here in the U.S. Senate, but to all who 
             crossed his doorstep or came upon his path. Just ask the 
             Senate staffers, just ask the security guards, just ask 
             the custodians, just ask the cooks in the kitchens, all of 
             whom Dick Halverson knew on a first-name basis.
               For Pastor Halverson, we are created equal in the sight 
             of God. Each person is equally important and equally 
             significant. Each personal need conveyed to him by others 
             was serious and substantial regardless of who it was who 
             conveyed that need. Our loss is great and our prayers are 
             with his surviving family.
               But for Richard Halverson this is a new day. He has left 
             his post in his Nation's Government to sit in the throne 
             room of the King. He has fought the good fight. He has 
             finished the race and he kept the faith.
               Chaplain Halverson once described himself as ``a servant 
             to the public servants.'' Because he served his role so 
             well, we know today with confidence that Dick Halverson is 
             hearing those loving words from the Lord Almighty, ``Well 
             done, good and faithful servant.''

               Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the 
             Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Senate 
             Resolution 196, submitted earlier today by Senators Dole 
             and Daschle.
               The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
               The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

                                     S. Res. 196
               Whereas, the Reverend Dr. Richard Halverson became the 
             60th Senate Chaplain on February 2, 1981, and faithfully 
             served the Senate for 14 years as Senate Chaplain;
               Whereas, Dr. Halverson for more than 40 years was an 
             associate in the International Prayer Breakfast Movement 
             and Chairman of the Board of World Vision and President of 
             Concerned Ministries;
               Whereas, Dr. Halverson was the author of several books, 
             including ``A Day at a Time'', ``No Greater Power'', ``We 
             the People'', and ``Be Yourself . . . and God's''; and
               Whereas, Dr. Halverson was graduated from Wheaton 
             College and Princeton Theological Seminary, and served as 
             a Presbyterian minister throughout his professional life, 
             including being the senior pastor at Fourth Presbyterian 
             Church of Bethesda, Maryland: Now, therefore, be it
               Resolved, That the Senate has heard with profound sorrow 
             and deep regret the announcement of the death of the 
             Reverend Dr. Richard Halverson, late the Chaplain of the 
             United States Senate.
               Resolved, That the Secretary transmit an enrolled copy 
             thereof to the family of the deceased.
               Resolved, That when the Senate recesses or adjourns 
             today, it recess or adjourn as a further mark of respect 
             to the memory of the deceased.

               Mr. LOTT. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent the 
             resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the 
             motion to reconsider be laid upon the table and any 
             statements relating to the resolution appear at the 
             appropriate place in the Record.
               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.
               The resolution (S. Res. 196) was agreed to.
               The preamble was agreed to.

               Mr. NICKLES. Madam President, I wish to make a couple of 
             remarks concerning a very sad event that happened this 
             week, and that was the death of our friend, Richard 
             Halverson, the Chaplain of the Senate for the last 14 
             years.
               I first want to express my condolences to Chaplain 
             Halverson's family--his wife, Doris, his son, Chris and 
             daughter-in-law Maura, his son, Steve and daughter-in-law 
             Paula, and his daughter, Debbie and son-in-law Fred, and 
             his nine grandchildren.
               Chaplain Halverson was a friend, not only to myself but 
             to all Senators as well the Senate staff and the entire 
             Senate family. He certainly was a pastor of exceptional 
             repute, a person who has been defined by many as ``a man 
             of God,'' as a person who certainly loved the Lord and 
             showed that love by his words and by his actions. It was 
             evident when he would sit in his chair in the Senate 
             Chamber and greet people on a daily basis. This love for 
             people was not reserved for Senators only, but it was 
             generously given to people who sweep the floors or those 
             who work in the restaurant or the elevator operators. 
             Chaplain Halverson was a friend, and he will certainly be 
             missed.
               He is loved by many thousands from his service in the 
             pulpit and for his 14 years as Chaplain of the Senate. I 
             really consider it a blessing to have known him, to have 
             worked with him, to have shared many good times with him. 
             To have been with him with families in prayer. To have 
             worked along side him with the National Prayer Breakfast, 
             in which he had been instrumental. He has left a very 
             valuable mark on our lives.
               A friend of mine from Oklahoma once commented to me 
             about Dr. Halverson. He asked me if I knew him. I asked, 
             ``Why?''
               He said, ``I will tell you, I have had the pleasure of 
             knowing him for years,'' and my friend paid him the 
             highest compliment I ever heard paid anyone. He said 
             Chaplain Halverson was the most Christ-like man he had 
             ever known. I think that was an appropriate definition for 
             a wonderful servant of God who also served this body.
               So we extend our sincerest condolences to the Halverson 
             family and we want them to know we love Chaplain Halverson 
             and that our thoughts and prayers are with them and will 
             continue to be.
               I might mention to the Senate that it is our intention--
             and I am working with Chaplain Ogilvie on this--to have a 
             memorial service for Dr. Halverson a week from Tuesday, at 
             approximately 11:30 a.m. Once the arrangements have been 
             finalized, I will make a formal announcement to my 
             colleagues early next week.

                                              Monday, December 4, 1995.

               Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I rise to recognize 
             and pay tribute to a great friend to the Senate. The 
             former Chaplain of the Senate, Reverend Richard C. 
             Halverson passed away last week. For 14 years he tended to 
             the spiritual needs of this body and all the people who 
             make it work.
               Educated at Wheaton College and Princeton Theological 
             Seminary, Reverend Halverson worked in several places 
             including California, his last place of ministry prior to 
             moving to Washington. As the 60th Chaplain of the Senate 
             most of our Nation knew Reverend Halverson from the prayer 
             he delivered every morning. His respectful and quiet 
             manner was a example to us all for how to conduct 
             ourselves and treat others with dignity. I remember with 
             fondness the mornings when I sat as the acting President 
             of this chamber, and listened to Reverend Halverson speak, 
             urge and console not only the Members of this body but 
             everybody listening throughout the Nation.
               Besides his duties as Chaplain of the Senate Reverend 
             Halverson also was a minister to the Fourth Presbyterian 
             Church in Bethesda, Maryland, and an author of several 
             books. He took a lifetime interest in trying speak to the 
             improvement of the moral being of individuals, and the 
             moral health of our Nation. I will miss Reverend 
             Halverson, our country will miss Reverend Halverson, and 
             this body will miss Reverend Halverson, but we are all 
             better because of his life. I hope the example of his life 
             will continue to set a standard for us all.
               I know that Reverend Halverson's wife Doris and all the 
             members of his family know better than all of us what an 
             exceptional and spiritual man he was. I want to express my 
             sympathy to them with this loss.

               Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I have sought recognition to 
             honor the memory of our long-time Senate Chaplain and 
             spiritual leader, Dr. Richard Halverson, who passed away 
             November 28. Dr. Halverson served as Chaplain for 14 
             years, joining the Senate in 1981 shortly after I, too, 
             entered the Senate. He retired this past March after 
             distinguished service to this body and to the Nation.
               As Senate Chaplain, Dr. Halverson played many roles. His 
             prayers would open each daily session of the Senate, often 
             reminding Senators of the higher objectives of our work. 
             When passions ran high over controversial legislation, Dr. 
             Halverson's opening prayers would give Senators pause for 
             reflection and helped maintain the Senate's tradition of 
             reasoned, respectful debate.
               I came to know Dr. Halverson well through his attendance 
             at our Bible study sessions, where he came to learn and 
             share his thoughts on the Old Testament. He was a 
             gracious, valued participant and we benefited from his 
             spiritual insight.
               As many know, Dr. Halverson established himself as a 
             Chaplain who never tired of selfless service. He was 
             always available to spend time with someone who needed his 
             time, either for spiritual guidance or counsel. His 
             energies were not just directed at Senators, but at their 
             spouses and staffs, and hundreds of Senate employees. In 
             this role, he played a vital role in keeping the fabric of 
             the U.S. Senate together.
               The Senate was a better place for having had the 
             compassionate service of Dr. Halverson as its Chaplain for 
             14 years, and the Nation owes him its gratitude for the 
             role he played in our midst.
               My wife, Joan, and I extend our heartfelt condolences to 
             Dr. Halverson's wife, Doris, and his many children and 
             grandchildren. We will all miss his faithful, caring 
             presence.

                                             Tuesday, December 5, 1995.

               Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise today to pay my 
             respects to the Reverend Richard Halverson, whose recent 
             passing saddened all of us in this Chamber. He was, for 
             us, a spiritual Rock of Gibraltar, always present as a 
             reminder of eternal values, in the midst of even the most 
             temporal of debates.
               One of the remarkable things about the life of this 
             faith-filled man is the fact that he became the Chaplain 
             of the U.S. Senate at a time when most people his age 
             retire and go fishing or play golf. At 65, Reverend 
             Halverson undertook the most significant, perhaps the most 
             difficult, task of his life--ministering to the spiritual 
             needs of 100 U.S. Senators, their staffs, employees of the 
             Senate and countless others who came to him for counsel 
             and prayer. He fulfilled that mission with great honor.
               I will always remember Reverend Halverson as a gracious 
             man, a man of considerable intellect, and especially a 
             scholar of the Old Testament and the Jewish religion, 
             about which we had memorable conversations.
               We will miss Reverend Halverson, especially in a time 
             when partisan rancor seems so sharp and divisive here in 
             Capitol Hill, and in a society where bedrock values like 
             belief in God and respect for one another seem to be at 
             such risk. His warm presence always stood in strong 
             contrast to the trials of the moment. We have faith that 
             he is in the embrace of a loving God.
               Yet, I am confident he is praying for us still. May God 
             bless Reverend Halverson, and may He grant his family and 
             many friends solace from the grief we share at his 
             passing, and confidence that life eternal is the reward 
             for those who live to His will.

               Mrs. KASSEBAUM. Mr. President, last week the Senate and 
             the Nation lost a gifted spiritual adviser. All of us 
             mourn the death of Dr. Richard Halverson, who served here 
             for 14 years as Senate Chaplain before retiring last 
             February.
               As shepherd of his Senate flock, Dr. Halverson always 
             brought strength of faith and a wealth of patience in his 
             actions to all, whether on the floor of the Senate or to 
             the broader national audience. For 14 years, his prayers 
             began each of our working days and did so with spiritual 
             substance, expecting from all of us the very best 
             standards of conduct, understanding and commitment.
               I valued his friendship as well as his spiritual 
             leadership. I will hold a special memory of his committed 
             caring and the twinkle in his eye.

               Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, in one of his books, Dr. 
             Halverson wrote, ``It is foolish to say there is no God. 
             But it is infinitely more foolish to say there is and to 
             live as though there were not.'' Dr. Halverson's special 
             grace was in his way of helping us to bridge the gap 
             between faith and practice. As a preacher, Chaplain 
             Halverson fought against unbelief but, as a pastor, he was 
             equally concerned about hypocrisy.
               Dick, as he was known to all of us in the Senate, loved 
             his country, loved the Senate as an institution, but more 
             importantly he loved us as individual Members of the 
             Senate. His deep caring spirit was evident in his 
             availability at all times to attend to the needs of 
             Senators and our families. He knew us all and, even so, 
             managed to love us whatever our backgrounds may have been. 
             And, not only the Senators, Dick loved the staffers, the 
             elevator operators, the police officers, and everyone he 
             met in the course of a day on the Hill. No one knew more 
             people than did Dick.
               His daily prayers in the Senate acted as a reality check 
             for each of us. One morning his prayers began:

               Gracious Father in Heaven, help us to keep our 
             priorities straight. In this center of power, secondary 
             matters have a way of preoccupying our attention and 
             preempting our time. Help us not to take ourselves too 
             seriously, forgetting that we are fallible human beings 
             with many needs. Deliver us from VIP syndrome which 
             expects or demands preferential treatment.

               It is these actions and thoughts which live on in our 
             hearts and minds as we think of Dick. His words and love 
             taught us much and each of us is the better for having 
             known him. He was a special gift to us and we shall 
             remember him.

                                            Thursday, December 7, 1995.

               Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I was deeply saddened last 
             week when I learned of the death of our beloved former 
             chaplain, the Reverend Richard C. Halverson.
               Reverend Halverson served as Chaplain of the Senate for 
             14 years, assuming this post on February 22, 1981. He 
             retired on February 5, 1995. I regret that his retirement, 
             the time he had so looked forward to spending with his 
             family and many friends, was cut so short.
               But, the time and service he gave to the Senate will 
             always be appreciated by those of us who benefited from 
             his positive outlook and his constant good humor. Rarely 
             was Dr. Halverson seen by Senators, staff, or support 
             personnel without a smile and a ``God bless you.''
               And, perhaps the one thing I admired most about Dr. 
             Halverson was the fact that he served not only the 
             institution of the Senate, but also Senators as 
             individuals. He could see beyond policy debates, beyond 
             partisan politics, beyond institutional glamour and mire. 
             He could look beyond our roles on this great international 
             stage and help us carry the burdens we felt as husbands or 
             wives, parents, neighbors, or friends.
               Though ordained as clergy in the Presbyterian 
             denomination, his ministry reached out to us all. 
             Catholic, Jew, Methodist, or Mormon, Dr. Halverson helped 
             us all to remember that our walk in faith was infinitely 
             more important than any legislative battle of the moment.
               Like all Senators, I mourn the death of this man of God, 
             but give thanks for the opportunity to have known him and 
             to have served this body with him. I join my colleagues in 
             extending heartfelt sympathy to his family.

               Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, our former Senate Chaplain, 
             the Reverend Dr. Richard Halverson, will be sorely missed, 
             especially by those of us who had the great privilege of 
             knowing him and benefiting from his special ministry.
               His daily prayers and his words of greeting, whenever we 
             met, were most comforting. History should record that as a 
             result of his guidance, many unfortunate adversarial 
             crises were successfully averted in the Senate. I believe 
             he succeeded to helping maintain the Senate on a even 
             keel.
               We will miss him. I will miss him.

                                             Monday, December 11, 1995.

               Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, one of the first people I 
             met when I came to the Senate, and one on whose kind 
             interest I came to rely, was Richard Halverson, the man 
             who served as Chaplain of the Senate from 1981 until early 
             this year.
               Many of my colleagues have commented on his service to 
             the Senate, and to all of us who work here. He considered 
             what he called the Senate family--from the most senior 
             cook to the least junior Senator--his flock. His 
             approachable manner and generous ways endeared him to us 
             all. ``I try never to be in a hurry,'' he said in an 
             interview with the Hill last year. Everyone responded to 
             this gentle, important courtesy in a place where schedules 
             are demanding and often implacable.
               Kipling wrote of those who ``can talk with kings and 
             keep the common touch.'' Dr. Halverson, in the course of 
             his ministry here, demonstrated that he was capable of 
             this skill, and each of us appreciated that when he talked 
             with us, as well as with kings, we were elevated by his 
             special attention.
               He will be in our thoughts and prayers for years to 
             come.

                                            Tuesday, December 12, 1995.

               Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I was deeply saddened by the 
             passing of Dr. Richard C. Halverson, our friend and our 
             Chaplain who served the Senate with distinction for 14 
             years. Dr. Halverson was a shining example for us all--he 
             embodied all that we seek to be in the eyes of our 
             families, our friends, the Americans we serve, and of 
             course, God.
               George Bernard Shaw once wrote: ``There is only one 
             religion, though there are a hundred versions of it.'' Mr. 
             President, I would say this is a fitting description of 
             the community Dr. Halverson so gracefully ministered. 
             There are as many different opinions in this Senate as 
             there are Senators. Yet Dr. Halverson, in his kind and 
             gentle manner, was always able to provide the individual 
             counsel and insight that helped us reach decisions on 
             issues both monumental and mundane. Amid the busy hustle 
             and bustle of events here in the Senate, it is not 
             difficult to lose grounding, and it becomes ever more 
             important to remember our place in the universe. Dr. 
             Halverson, through his daily prayers, helped us to keep 
             our perspective.
               Of course, Dr. Halverson served all the Senate 
             employees, and those who knew him loved him just as much 
             as he loved them. He was always available to help and 
             guide people in need, people in pain, or people who just 
             needed to talk.
               But Dr. Halverson's work extended far beyond the United 
             States Senate and the Capitol dome. He was minister to the 
             Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, leader of the 
             prayer breakfast movement and World Vision, and deeply 
             involved in several other evangelical organizations. Dr. 
             Halverson reached out to many, and he will be sorely 
             missed.
               I want to extend to his family my condolences, and 
             during this difficult time wish for them the hope and 
             strength that Dr. Halverson inspired in all who knew him.

               Mr. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, tomorrow there will be a 
             memorial service for the late Reverend Dr. Richard 
             Halverson. I want to take this opportunity to express my 
             sorrow and sadness over the passing of this man who served 
             not only as Chaplain of the Senate for 14 years, but also 
             as model of the Christian life.
               Dr. Halverson came to the Senate after serving churches 
             in Missouri, California, and Maryland. His leadership of 
             World Vision, the Campus Crusade for Christ, Christian 
             College Consortium, and the prayer breakfast movement, 
             established him as a world-renowned figure.
               But I always think of him as the Senate family Chaplain. 
             He did not merely try to give guidance and wisdom to 
             Senators. He served all in the Senate, including the 
             family members of staffers at all levels of the Senate.
               In moments of great stress, I know many Senators turned 
             to Dr. Halverson for guidance and counsel. And every day, 
             when Dr. Halverson opened proceedings with the prayer, he 
             gave us strength and perspective in understanding the 
             responsibilities we hold as Senators.
               I am proud to have known Dr. Halverson and can truly say 
             that I will miss him. I know that his family can be 
             comforted in knowing that today he is with God.

                                          Wednesday, December 13, 1995.

               Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, today the Senate is holding a 
             memorial service to remember Reverend Richard C. 
             Halverson, our friend and our Chaplain from 1981 to March 
             of this year, who passed away two weeks ago after a long 
             illness. To each of us, whatever our individual religious 
             beliefs, Reverend Halverson was someone special. To some 
             of us, he was a confidant; to others, a counselor; and to 
             still others, a pastor in the more traditional sense of 
             the word. To each of us, he was a friend.
               The Senate is, in many ways, a small community with many 
             of the same dynamics inherent in small communities across 
             our Nation. We work in close quarters and all know each 
             other very well. Each of us have forged great friendships 
             here, and each of us has seen great rivalries develop 
             among colleagues. We are all public figures whose lives 
             are all too often an open book. We come from widely 
             different backgrounds, and each of us brings to the Senate 
             a different set of values we hold dearly and ideals to 
             which we are firmly and determinedly committed. And out of 
             all of that, out of all the differing backgrounds and 
             competing philosophies, out of the individual strengths 
             and weaknesses, and out of the personal friendships and 
             political rivalries, this community of one hundred men and 
             women must produce public policy that ensures the well-
             being of more than two hundred and fifty million of our 
             fellow Americans. That is an awesome responsibility.
               As much as any of us, Reverend Halverson understood both 
             the sense of community and the awesome responsibility of 
             the Senate. Each morning, in his opening prayer, he would 
             try to remind us that the sense of community, 
             collegiality, and comity that has always been the 
             trademark of this body is vitally important to carrying 
             out the tasks that are demanded of us. He would remind us 
             that the Senator on the other side of a heated debate is 
             just as committed a public servant as we are. That no 
             political party has a monopoly on compassion, or 
             patriotism, or integrity. That the American Dream is 
             neither conservative nor liberal. And that at the end of 
             the day that sense of community, as Senators and as 
             Americans, must prevail if we are to meet the 
             responsibilities that have been entrusted to us.
               Reverend Halverson understood that as Senators, our 
             lives--official and often personal--are open to more 
             scrutiny than most Americans would tolerate. He understood 
             that not only our votes and our speeches, but our families 
             and our lifestyles are often open to public review. As 
             public officials we have accepted that. Nonetheless, 
             Reverend Halverson understood that scrutiny does take a 
             human toll, reminding us that as we would like to be 
             treated with understanding, so we must be understanding 
             ourselves. And reminding us that for all of the public 
             scrutiny of our lives and our conduct, for all of the 
             public criticism that we sometimes receive for our votes 
             and our political and philosophical beliefs, for all of 
             the questioning of our motives that we must sometimes 
             endure, the work that we do is so important to so many 
             people that we must persevere.
               Reverend Halverson always understood that election to 
             public office does not take away the pressures that face 
             every other American man and woman; work-related stress, 
             family concerns, health concerns, or the self-questioning 
             that every individual faces from time to time throughout 
             their lives. Similarly, he understood that election to 
             public office does not bestow skills or talents that we 
             did not possess before; nor does it eradicate any personal 
             weaknesses we possessed before our election. But Reverend 
             Halverson was always there to remind us that deep within 
             each of us is the ability to meet every challenge that our 
             careers and our lives present.
               A few years ago, I was quite ill. I left here one 
             February night with a headache and did not return until 
             late in the summer. During those months, as he was during 
             all of his 14 years here, Reverend Halverson was there for 
             me. I have never forgotten that, and my family has never 
             forgotten that.
               Throughout his 14 years as the Senate Chaplain Reverend 
             Richard C. Halverson was a committed public servant and a 
             friend to each of us. We shall miss him.

               Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, with sadness, tempered by 
             gratitude, I rise today to mourn the passing of the late 
             Chaplain of the Senate, the Reverend Richard C. Halverson. 
             Recently he left this Chamber and this world, but the 
             impression he left is all around us.
               Mr. President, we all know that national politics is 
             often wracked by deep disagreement. The task of steering 
             history's most civilized Nation on a wise course through 
             democratic means arouses strong passions. Only spiritual 
             guidance and divine grace could steady this Chamber during 
             the tempests of every age, and we are fortunate to debate 
             in soft tones, and to determine great questions as a 
             civilized community. For the last 14 years, America 
             herself was blessed to have Dr. Halverson, the Senate's 
             Christian humanist, to keep our civilization decent.
               Whenever a member of out little civilization lost a 
             loved one--or gained one--the Chaplain's office was a 
             proven source of consolation and hope.
               I took the oath here not too long ago, and I remember, 
             among a flood of invitations, one from the good Chaplain 
             asked to come to the weekly Senate prayer breakfast. There 
             are many bipartisan meetings in the Capitol, but the calm 
             communion of Catholics, Jews, and Protestants was 
             tripartisan as well as profoundly contemplative. I 
             treasure those Wednesday morning gatherings as occasions 
             to make deep and abiding friendships with my colleagues.
               Mr. President, John Stuart Mill wrote that ``one person 
             with a belief is a social power equal to ninety-nine who 
             have only interests.'' Here in this Chamber, one Chaplain 
             with unshakeable belief was a social power equal to all 
             100 of us, each with a host of interests and beliefs. He 
             calmed our fears, he kept us together, and every morning 
             he called us to prayer.
               Now, as he taught us, I join my colleagues in praying 
             for his soul.

                                             Friday, December 15, 1995.

               Mr. EXON. Mr. President, passage of a wonderful, gifted 
             and true Christian gentleman, former Senate Chaplain 
             Richard Halverson, has left another void in our society 
             and great sadness to this friend of his. My wonderful 
             wife, Pat and I always felt Dick Halverson was one of 
             God's greatest gifts to us and our spiritual well-being. 
             He never let us down, and he always built us up.
               The Christian glow of Chaplain Halverson, like a strobe 
             light in the dark or a beacon in the storm and fog, shone 
             brightly always and will everlastingly. Few have attained 
             or maintained the mission of what obviously was God's 
             wisdom and compassion in creating and sending forth among 
             us poor sinners this giant workman for faith and good.
               I knew him well years before he was called upon to be 
             the spiritual leader of the Senate. Way back in the early 
             1970's, when I first met this man, I correctly sensed, 
             when he came to Nebraska to lead us in a Governors' 
             Christian retreat, his devotion and his unique ability to 
             spread our Maker's message of peace and love and 
             understanding.
               While he is gone from us in this life, and we will miss 
             him, the light and glow of Richard Halverson does not even 
             flicker. It is brighter than ever. For this wonderful man, 
             who has been taken from us and from his family, we issue 
             condolences to that great family of Richard Halverson, but 
             we commit to continue his gentle but most effective 
             teachings that he has left all of us for the betterment of 
             mankind. God bless my brother, Richard Halverson.
               I thank the Chair and I yield the floor.
               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the 
             Senator from Georgia [Mr. Nunn], is recognized for up to 
             25 minutes. The Senator is recognized.
               Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 
             morning business be extended sufficient time to 
             accommodate my remarks.
               The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so 
             ordered.

               Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, I first wish to express my 
             gratitude to the Senator from Nebraska for his fine 
             comments on Reverend Halverson, a man we all dearly loved. 
             There was a beautiful and wonderful memorial service to 
             him in the Senate caucus room this week where not only 
             Senators but, more importantly, Senate family--policemen, 
             people working in the dining room, doorkeepers--expressed 
             their profound appreciation for the life and example of 
             this wonderful, wonderful disciple of God. I will be 
             making more complete remarks, and I will also, at a later 
             point, insert in the Record some of the remarks made at 
             his memorial service so that all Senators can read them.
               I certainly join at this juncture with my friend from 
             Nebraska and thank him for his poignant and very 
             appropriate observation about this dear brother who meant 
             so much to this body and the entire Senate family.

               Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, the founder of Methodism, John 
             Wesley, declared, ``The world is my parish.'' In a like 
             fashion, Dr. Richard Halverson might have declared that 
             the Senate side of the United States Capitol, the city of 
             Washington, DC, and the United States of America were his 
             parish.
               No one who ever passed Dr. Halverson in the hallways or 
             in the streets of this Federal community had any reason to 
             doubt that Dr. Richard Halverson was a man in whom the 
             Light of God's Love shone brightly. From the men and women 
             who clean our offices at night to the men and women who 
             prepare the meals in our dining rooms and cafeterias, to 
             the men and women who deliver the mail throughout the 
             office complexes, to the men and women who police the 
             streets of Capitol Hill, to the men and women who serve in 
             the offices of Senators and on the elevators and in 
             committee staffs to the men and women who sit on the Floor 
             of the United States Senate as elected officials of the 
             fifty sovereign States, no one was beyond Dr. Halverson's 
             love, his ministry, and his care. If one followed Dr. 
             Halverson throughout his daily routine, one would not find 
             a man more possessed by, as well as animated by, the 
             Capitol Spirit of the Living God. I have met few men in 
             any ordained order of the clergy or any denomination, who 
             fit the phrase ``Men of God'' so well as did Dr. 
             Halverson.
               Dr. Richard Halverson was a man of plain speech and 
             honest demeanor. His eloquence was often in his 
             simplicity. No problem brought to him by one of us or by 
             anyone on Capitol Hill was too small for his attention or 
             too menial to call forth from him a prayer or a blessing. 
             Having come from a major Washington parish--The Fourth 
             Presbyterian Church on River Road--a church numbering 
             among its members thousands--Dr. Halverson, on assuming 
             the chaplaincy of the U.S. Senate, shouldered his duties 
             without missing a beat. During his years of service among 
             us, he was in much demand nationwide to share his 
             spiritual maturity and the depth of his insights with 
             thousands upon thousands of people in conferences across 
             our country. In spite of the demand upon his time, 
             however, Dr. Richard Halverson never neglected his primary 
             duty here in the United States Senate. Working as one man 
             among ordinary men and women--the men and women elected to 
             the high position of United States Senator, Dr. Halverson 
             seemed to grasp instinctively our needs as human beings 
             first and our needs as Senators second. In all of the 
             years of his service here, Dr. Halverson sowed seeds of 
             faith, and kindness, and love that will continue to bear 
             fruit in all of our lives, and in the life of this 
             institution long after all of us have departed its halls.
               I am particularly grateful to Dr. Halverson for the 
             pastoral care that he lent to me personally during the 
             ordeal of the loss of my beloved grandson in a truck 
             accident. And I remember with thankfulness his ministry to 
             my wife during her seasons of illness and debility. And I 
             shall never forget the witness that Dr. Halverson shared 
             with me of his own faith as he and I opened our hearts to 
             one another and searched the deeper things of life in 
             sometimes casual conversations or in moments of profound 
             insight. If ever there were a model of the ``Priesthood of 
             all Believers,'' Dr. Halverson was a priest of that order 
             of ``Melchisedec'' spoken of in the Holy Scriptures. Dr. 
             Halverson had the enviable ability to share his faith in 
             God as one might recommend to another his Best Friend. For 
             Richard Halverson, God was no abstraction, but the first 
             reality of waking in the morning, traveling forth into the 
             world by day and returning home at night to his slumber.

                 I saw the sun sink in the golden west;
                 No angry cloud obscured its latest ray.
                 Around the couch on which it sank to rest
                 Shone all the splendor of a summer day.
                 And long, though lost to view, that radiant light,
                 Reflected from the sky, delayed the night.
                 Thus, when a good man's life comes to a close,
                 No doubts arise to cloud his soul with gloom,
                 But faith triumphant on each feature glows,
                 And benedictions fill the sacred room.
                 And long do men his virtues wide proclaim,
                 While generations rise to bless his name.

               I have no doubt that Dr. Halverson has indeed now gone 
             to his reward in that Eternity for which each of us yearns 
             in his heart of hearts. Death can be no victor over the 
             life of a man like Richard Halverson--a man whose daily 
             walk and whose wisdom were rooted in the Eternal Word of 
             God. Indeed, as Jesus said, when he saw Nathanael coming 
             to him, we might also say of Dr. Richard Halverson, 
             ``Behold an Israelite in whom there is no guile.''
               My wife and I extend our deep deepest sympathies to Mrs. 
             Halverson and to the family of Dr. Halverson. He was not 
             slick; he was not even particularly polished, perhaps, but 
             neither was the Jesus Christ whom he served. This was not 
             just a vocation, it was an avocation, and what you saw was 
             what you got.
               As I said to his son after Dr. Halverson's passing, I 
             have no doubt--and I had no doubt that Dr. Halverson 
             knew--of his son's grief. I felt that way when my own 
             foster father passed from this earthly life. I felt that 
             way when my grandson was taken at the age of 17. I felt 
             that his spirit still lived, and that he knew of my grief.
               Dr. Halverson knows today of his family's grief. They 
             can take solace in the promise that he still lives, and 
             that they can one day be reunited with him.
                          rose still grows beyond the wall
                 Near a shady wall a rose once grew,
                 Budded and blossomed in God's free light,
                 Watered and fed by morning dew,
                 Shedding its sweetness day and night.
                 As it grew and blossomed fair and tall,
                 Slowly rising to loftier height,
                 It came to a crevice in the wall,
                 Through which there shone a beam of light.
                 Onward it crept with added strength,
                 With never a thought of fear or pride.
                 It followed the light through the crevice's length
                 And unfolded itself on the other side.
                 The light, the dew, the broadening view
                 Were found the same as they were before;
                 And it lost itself in beauties new,
                 Spreading its fragrance more and more.
                 Shall claim of death cause us to grieve,
                 and Make our courage faint or fall?
                 Nay! Let us faith and hope receive:
                 The rose still grows beyond the wall.
                 Scattering fragrance far and wide,
                 Just as it did in days of yore,
                 Just as it did on the other side,
                 Just as it will forevermore.

                                             Monday, December 18, 1995.

               Mr. ASHCROFT. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to 
             the life of Dr. Richard Halverson. To many in this body, 
             he was a spiritual leader. To others, he was a counselor. 
             To me, he was both of those and he was also a friend.
               I got to know Dick Halverson when he responded to my 
             pleas for help with the Missouri Prayer Breakfast. Despite 
             his hectic schedule, he helped and encouraged me in 
             developing the Missouri Governor's Student Leadership 
             Conference on Faith and Values in Leadership. His display 
             of kindness and love was remarkable. Even more remarkable, 
             however, was that this was not remarkable--it was just the 
             way Dick was.
               Dick's legacy will be a lasting one. Words written 
             during his life endure and will serve as inspirational 
             challenges not only to us, but to those yet to be born. A 
             family nurtured by this father, husband, and grandfather 
             will bear a continuing witness to his love. And the 
             countless lives that he touched and influenced and saved 
             help make this world a better place and heaven a more 
             crowded place.
               What is the measure of man's life? Richard Halverson 
             knew the answer. A man's life is measured by how much he 
             loves God and how deeply he cares for those that God has 
             put around him. Dick's life was a full one--measured great 
             by any standard of earthly success--counted great by the 
             one opinion that counts. For Dick lived life and lived it 
             abundantly, knowing what was important and what was not. I 
             will miss Dick, but I will also rejoice at all God did 
             through him.

                                            Tuesday, December 19, 1995.

               Mr. MACK. I rise today to extend my heartfelt 
             condolences to the family of Reverend Richard Halverson. 
             In his position as the U.S. Senate Chaplain for the past 
             14 years, Reverend Halverson acted as spiritual leader to 
             me personally, as well as to the entire Senate. His 
             unwavering devotion, knowledge, and guidance have been a 
             powerful example of living by one's convictions. It is an 
             example from which we should derive inspiration as we 
             search for the true meaning in our lives. I will keep the 
             family of Reverend Halverson in my thoughts and prayers 
             during their time of grief.
                 

                                Memorial Services for
                 
                              Dr. Richard C. Halverson
                                           

                                  MEMORIAL SERVICE

                                         in

                           CELEBRATION OF THE RESURRECTION

                                         for

                              Dr. Richard C. Halverson


                             Fourth Presbyterian Church

                                  5500 River Road,

                                 Bethesda, Maryland


                                  DECEMBER 11, 1995
                                    Organ Prelude
               Mr. Fred Markey
                             Welcome and Opening Prayer
               Dr. Rob Norris
                                  Family Greetings
               Reverend Chris Halverson
                                       Anthem
               When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
               Sanctuary Choir; Text: No. 185 in the pew hymnal
                           Scripture Readings and Comments
               Philippians 1:21, For to me to live is Christ, and to 
             die is gain.--Judge Martin Bostetter.

               Acts 20:24, But none of these things move me, neither 
             count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish 
             my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have 
             received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the 
             grace of God.--Reverend Bob Strain.

               Ephesians 4:7, 11-13, But unto every one of us is given 
             grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
               And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and 
             some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
               For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the 
             ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
               Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the 
             knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the 
             measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.--Mr. 
             Phil Jordan.
                                   Song of Praise
                               it is well with my soul
               Instrument of Praise; Text: No. 493 in the pew hymnal
                                       Sharing
             Mrs. Barbara Skinner
             Senator Mark O. Hatfield
             Mr. Doug Coe
             Dr. Billy Graham
             Louise B. Risk
             Jim and Betsy Kumnicks
                             Precious Lord, Take My Hand
               Hymn No. 463
                                Mrs. Barbara Skinner
               Jesus told his disciples once, he said from now on I'm 
             not going to call you servants, I'm going to call you 
             friends, because a servant doesn't know what his master is 
             doing, but as a friend, everything the Father has told me 
             I'm going to tell you. Well, Dick Halverson was first 
             friend of my husband Tom Skinner, then he became my very 
             good friend. In fact he joined the two of us together in 
             matrimony. Now it didn't bother Dick that he was one of 
             three ministers to perform our wedding ceremony, because I 
             told him as a 35-year-old black woman, it's so hard to 
             find a man I don't want to take any chances on one of you 
             ministers not showing up! So Dick came an hour early! But 
             he not only came early, he stood there and he greeted 475 
             people individually. And he said to me a little bit later, 
             almost in tears, and this was the spirit of the man, he 
             said, ``Barb, I saw people who I would have never had a 
             chance to meet but for you and Tom. Why are our worlds far 
             apart?'' He said, ``Can we make a pact that from now on, 
             we're going to give away our friends?''
               And that's what we basically spent a lot of time doing, 
             giving away our friends. One of the things that Tom 
             Skinner, John Staggers and Sam Hines shared with this man 
             we called Dick, is a very clear understanding of what the 
             kingdom of God is about. Dick understood that the kingdom 
             was not about what we were going to do later. He and Tom 
             would sit around after they preached a lot and talk about 
             the idea that heaven is that place where Jesus is Lord and 
             God is in control because in heaven there's no racism or 
             sexism or violence or broken relationships, but that the 
             work of God's people is to model that on earth. So that 
             the unbelievers would know what heaven really was like. So 
             the idea for Dick was that you did that by the way you 
             treated people at every level. So Dick would hook up with 
             Stu Murtoff and Sam Hines and John Staggers and go to 
             Lorton Prison. That was very natural for him. That 
             reconciliation was not something you preached about, it 
             was something you did every day.
               If you ran around with Dick on Capitol Hill you saw that 
             he knew the name of every policeman, every page, every 
             person who cooked, because people mattered to him. The 
             Gospel was not about what he preached, his talk and his 
             walk were the same. And I remember Dick standing with me 
             as we were going to one of the prayer breakfasts and he 
             had tears in his eyes and he said, ``You know, Barb, what 
             Washington, DC, means to me?'' He said, ``I got it first 
             from a man named Abram Vereide,'' who as many of you know 
             was the father of the prayer breakfast movement, he said, 
             ``Abram stood at the 14th street bridge once and he looked 
             at Anacostia on the east, the poorest of the poor live 
             there, and he looked over to Georgetown on the west, where 
             the richest of the rich live, he said they will never come 
             together unless you and I come together.'' And so that's 
             what Dick's whole life was about, it was about walking 
             with people who God walked with. And so he was our friend 
             who could come and have dinner with us and hang out with 
             us. He loved John Staggers and Sam Hines and Tom Skinner 
             like brothers. He dreamed about a city in Washington, DC, 
             where the poor and the non-poor hung out together, spent 
             time together, and that the walls of fear would only be 
             broken down when we realized that we were one at the foot 
             of the cross--we were all equal at the foot of the cross. 
             And that's what his whole commitment was about. When he 
             talked about the city of Washington, he almost always 
             followed it with the gospel message in Jeremiah 29 when it 
             says if you pray for the city, the city will prosper. 
             Because it prospers, you too will prosper. And he 
             absolutely saw Washington, DC, not as a crime capitol of 
             the world, but as a city that was set on a hill for God. 
             That the only issue was when would the 84 million of us 
             who said, according to the gallop poll, that we have had a 
             personal relationship with Jesus Christ, when would we put 
             down our fear and our hostility and our stereotypes and 
             our anger and all of our attitudes about one another, and 
             accept that the blood of Jesus was the only color that 
             existed. That at the foot of the cross everybody was seen 
             as the same by God. So Dick's attitude, frankly, was that 
             he earned nothing, that God had given him everything. His 
             whole life was about giving himself away, giving his 
             friends away, and he only hoped that there would be, like 
             Abram Vereide, a leadership lead by God on behalf of the 
             poor.
               I believe that the heritage of that is in this room. I 
             believe that the sons and daughters of many of those who 
             walked with Dick Halverson must accept, as he accepted, 
             that we have already been healed by the 39 stripes of 
             Jesus. That there is no other meeting to be held, here is 
             no other plan to be laid, that all we need to do is to ask 
             Jesus, as Dick had said to Tom many times, he said, ``I 
             simply pray and ask God, who are the black brothers and 
             the brown and the red and the yellow brothers you want me 
             to walk with? Lord, just give me enough courage, when you 
             send them my way, not to qualify them. But to accept, if 
             you've accepted them, I have.''
               Let me just close by sharing, what I consider, really 
             the testimony of Dick's life and it was the same testimony 
             that I believe represented the life of John Staggers and 
             Sam Hines and Tom Skinner, who have all gone to heaven. I 
             can just imagine these guys up there slapping ``high 
             fives'' having a serious time! But it says that when I 
             die, give all that's left of me away, to children and old 
             people who wait to die. And if you need to cry, cry for 
             your brother who's walking the streets beside you. And 
             when you think of me, put your arms around anyone and give 
             them what you mean to give to me. I want to leave you 
             something, something better than words or sounds. Love 
             doesn't die, people do. So when all that's left of me is 
             love, give me away, I'll see you at home in heaven.

                                          a

                                    Remembrances
                           the honorable mark o. hatfield
               When Dr. Halverson was chosen to be the chaplain of the 
             United States Senate, he provided for fourteen years the 
             counsel to that Senate, continually reminding us what true 
             leadership really meant. It was not an admonition, it was 
             an example. Because Dr. Halverson, first of all, as a 
             leader, became a servant. And he reminded each and every 
             one of us that everyday, we are to serve the people around 
             us.
               I am reminded of one occasion when we were walking 
             across the plaza to the Capitol building, and one of the 
             policemen hailed Dr. Halverson and said, ``I need your 
             prayers.'' Dr. Halverson immediately went over, grasped 
             this policeman by the arm and prayed the prayer to meet 
             his need. How many times have we promised or stated so 
             easily, as a matter of almost routine, I will pray for 
             you, or I will remember you in my prayers, and then move 
             ahead with the days routine, and have the commitment slip 
             our mind? But Dr. Halverson responded on the spot, 
             quickly, quietly, and with compassion.
               I can not begin to share with you this evening, the full 
             scope of Dr. Halverson's daily compassionate outreach, 
             exemplified in Jesus' great commandment, Love the Lord thy 
             God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all 
             your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself. His 
             ministry was total. He would attend a bible study of the 
             old testament, hosted by one of the Jewish Senators, at 
             the same time he could expound upon the Jewishness of our 
             Christian faith, because he was able to not only speak the 
             scripture, but he was willing to apply it.
               I can remember on one occasion when there had been a 
             great tragedy, and one of the Senator's staff persons 
             being murdered. And everyone was in a state of shock. It 
             was Chaplain Halverson who went to the Senator's office, 
             offered to gather the Senator's staff together, and to 
             pray and to ask God's compassion. And that staff, even 
             though dispersed today, will probably consider that as one 
             of their rich experiences in coming to understand the 
             ministry of Richard Halverson.
               I can remember, too, that when Senator Byrd's grandson 
             was killed in a very tragic situation, and it was Dick 
             Halverson who traveled to West Virginia to conduct the 
             funeral services. I can remember when our oldest daughter 
             was to be married, and it was Chaplain Halverson, who 
             traveled to Portland, Oregon, to marry one of the young 
             ladies that grew up in this church. So he has shared our 
             griefs, and he has shared our joys.
               I might say too, that his prayers have been very 
             powerful prayers. I know of no time in history when his 
             prayers often were not only reported in the media, but 
             editorialized by the media. Some of his prayers penetrated 
             our consciousness, and sometimes even our egos, as when 
             one Christmas season he prayed, Heavenly Father, help us 
             to be mindful that the proclamation of the coming of Your 
             Son was made to simple, humble shepherds out on a 
             hillside, and not to the Roman Senate. His private prayers 
             were also very, very powerful. One morning he was having 
             breakfast in the Senate dining room with Dr. Billy Graham. 
             Not many people in the dining room at that hour, and he 
             noticed the waitresses were sort of congregated around the 
             door opening into the kitchen. As they finished breakfast, 
             walking by he gathered them, as he could so easily do, and 
             he and Dr. Graham had prayer with our waitresses. It was 
             that sensitivity to all people in all walks of life.
               Dr. Halverson's ministry was reconciling. He recognized 
             especially those moments of tension in the Senate, when 
             relationships were ruptured, when animosity prevailed. And 
             one evening, as it came to the 12:00 midnight hour, and 
             the rule of the Senate was, at the beginning of any new 
             session, you shall have prayer, and at 12:01 they invited 
             Dick Halverson to open the 12:01 a.m. session, again with 
             prayer. ``Heavenly Father, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. 
             Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. And all the kings horses 
             and all the kings men, could not put Humpty Dumpty back 
             together again, and Lord, help the Senators not repeat 
             that experience here.''
               I have said before that Dr. Halverson was one of the 
             most Christ-like men, or persons I have ever known. And 
             even in his failing health, he continued his ministries 
             when the Secretary of the Senate would take him by one 
             arm, and Chris would take him by the other arm, and help 
             him to mount the podium to offer his morning prayer.
               I want to encapsule what I would identify my friend and 
             his ministry, with all of his talents and all of his 
             skills, he was a singing, a suffering, a praying, a 
             preaching, a comforting and compassionate presence in the 
             United States Senate. And we all miss him.

                                          a

                                    Mr. Doug Coe
               This evening it's my privilege to represent many 
             associates scattered throughout the world that are friends 
             of Dick and his family. Many of them are here tonight, but 
             most are not. But they also would like to be here. People 
             from Japan, India, Mongolia, Germany, France, throughout 
             Africa and Latin America. They would like to say to Dick 
             Halverson one last time, we thank you, we love you and we 
             respect you.
               Mark Hatfield and I met Dick Halverson some 43 years ago 
             at Willamette University and we've been together, 
             practically daily, ever since. I have listened to him 
             personally preach and teach on six continents, and 
             listened to him privately counsel me and many others for 
             that long, and I can tell you honestly, that I have never 
             grown tired of listening to him expand on the precepts, 
             the principles and the person of his greatest friend, 
             Jesus Christ.
                As the years have gone on, I have moved, from not only 
             being his student, to being his friend, partner, companion 
             and brother. As you can imagine, tonight, along with all 
             of you, there are a thousand memories which crowd into 
             one's thoughts, over so long a period of time. But the one 
             that always pushes its way to the front of my mind, is 
             Dick on his knees. There has been a lot of mentioning 
             about Dick's prayers. But, you know, often today we pray, 
             but not often on our knees. I think of him, when I think 
             of him in my mind, on his knees. The times are countless 
             that I met him early in the morning at his home, to go 
             together for a breakfast, only to find him on his knees. 
             After I rang his doorbell and there was no answer, I would 
             look through the crack in the blinds to observe Dick on 
             his knees. When we traveled together, we were on our knees 
             first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. 
             That, my dear friends and colleagues, was the secret to 
             his life and love for Jesus of Nazareth and everyone else. 
             I remember when he preached here, ``prayer is the work.'' 
             That's what I remember most.
               I grew up in a community out in Oregon, where it seemed 
             like mostly women and sissies talked about Jesus. Then I 
             met Dick and observed, little by little, that the 
             strongest men would fall on their knees for Jesus.
               There are no words to describe my feeling of personal 
             loss today, for this wonderful partner, mentor and friend. 
             Not again in this life, will we be able to sit together 
             all day or all night, speaking in audible tones about the 
             things pertaining to Jesus Christ and his kingdom. But I 
             must tell you I hear him even more clearly now. Ringing in 
             my heart and mind every minute, feeling constantly 
             together, but invisibly. He was a friend who always 
             answered when you called. And even before. He was a friend 
             who made our grief less painful and our adversities 
             bearable. He was a friend who made our disappointments 
             less hurtful, our problems more solvable. He was a friend 
             with whom we felt comfortable, who was always loyal, who 
             put up with our idiosyncrasies and always made us feel 
             loved. He was a friend who shared our lives and prayed for 
             us constantly. He was there to encourage us along the path 
             of our dreams and to give that boost needed, to climb the 
             mountain. Yes, he was one of those friends that comes, as 
             a great earthly treasure, to help prepare our eyes, our 
             heart, our mind and our soul, for that place Jesus Christ 
             has prepared for them that love Him.
               This evening we all want to pay a special tribute to 
             Doris, Dick's beloved wife and companion for so many 
             years. Many of us have observed closely how they have 
             grown in their love for the Lord and for each other. In a 
             day when families are falling apart, Dick and Doris have a 
             family that is falling more in love with each other. This, 
             in the final analysis, in the true measure of a man's 
             life. So to observe Doris, Chris, Debbie, Steve, their 
             families, the grandchildren, all together loving Christ 
             and loving each other, is the greatest example of all.
               Yes, along with you, I loved Dick. This occasion gives 
             us all an opportunity to thank God for our friend who 
             walked through our lives and taught us that physical death 
             has no sting. Today we can rejoice, because the fact is, 
             even though we can not see him, we are bound together more 
             than ever through the life and power of Jesus Christ, whom 
             we also can not see. But who is closer than life itself.

                                          a

                                  Dr. Billy Graham
               It is a great privilege for me to be here tonight and to 
             hear all this, because it is all so true, and so much more 
             than has been said. And nobody can sum it up. Two words I 
             have heard over and over again tonight that sums it up for 
             me. One was prayer and the other was love. And that summed 
             up, in a sense, Dick Halverson's live.
               He and I went to school together, I do not ever remember 
             him in school, and he would never remember me, because he 
             was an upper classman and he was a very brilliant student 
             compared to me. And we had no reason to know each other in 
             those days, except just by sight. But the first time that 
             I ever really got to know him was at Forest Home in 
             California, at a summer conference that Henrietta Mears 
             was chairman of, a college briefing conference of the 
             First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, of which Dr. 
             Ogilvie has just come to be the chaplain of the Senate to 
             succeed Dr. Halverson. And I remember they had at the end 
             of the week, they had a campfire, and if you wanted to re-
             dedicate your life to the Lord, or go into Christian 
             service, you would pick up a little stick of wood and put 
             it on that fire. And I remember somebody had pointed out 
             Dick Halverson to me, and I had met him at that 
             conference, and he was one of the first people to get up 
             and go and put that stick on that fire. And I thought, my 
             goodness, if he needs to do that, I need to put a whole 
             load of wood on the fire because already, his godliness, 
             his prayer life, his study of scripture had already 
             affected me.
               And I did not know Dick as well as many of you that have 
             expressed themselves tonight, but I talked to him many 
             times, of course, and was with him, I guess, several 
             hundred times, and there are people here tonight that I 
             see, that are well known across the country that knew him 
             much better, and could speak for hours. But I was in a 
             meeting once in Washington when people were giving their 
             testimonies and they were speaking, they called them a 
             popcorn testimony meeting, and there was one fellow that 
             just kept on and on, and Dick Halverson was the chairman, 
             he said, ``That is enough, brother, let someone else.'' 
             And he had no hesitancy in doing things like that. And I 
             see that Chris has inherited all of that.
               But I think it would be a wonderful thing tonight, if in 
             your heart, in your life, you re-dedicated your life 
             tonight, as I would like to do myself. Because very 
             rarely, do our lives, no matter who we are, get to cross a 
             life in a lifetime like Dick Halverson. There are just not 
             many people like that. And you have had the privilege of 
             crossing paths with him and being with him, and what he 
             has meant to all the people that have spoken tonight, he 
             has meant to you. And he wanted all the glory and all the 
             praise and all the honor to go to the Lord Jesus Christ, 
             as has already been said several times here. He did not 
             want anything for himself. He wanted it all for Christ.
               And to Doris and to the family, we love you and thank 
             God that you gave so much of his time to people like us, 
             who he blessed. How many times I called him on the phone 
             to get his advice on things, through all these years, and 
             he never failed. And he never failed to say, ``Let us pray 
             about it.'' We would have prayer over the phone. And I 
             want to thank all of you and to this church for what you 
             meant to him. God bless you all.

                                          a

                                   Louise B. Risk
               Anticipating his big smile, I would sometimes greet Dick 
             by saying: ``Here he comes, love on the hoof.'' The hoof 
             referred to his Dakota roots; love was his way of life.
               Dick's love for his fellow human beings shone brightly 
             but was pale compared to his love for Christ. Like Paul, 
             Dick could say: ``I count everything as loss because of 
             the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.''
               True friends are not supposed to be perfect but to be 
             understanding. My friendship with Dick began in the 
             1960's, shortly after I started to attend his Thursday 
             morning Bible class. Dick's teaching was good, the 
             conversation over tea and coffee more of a problem. On 
             this particular Thursday the group was ardently espousing 
             political and social points of view different from my own. 
             Walking out the door, on impulse I said to Dick: ``I do 
             not think I can fit in.'' I was startled by an arm around 
             my shoulder and the triumphant admonition, ``Do your own 
             thing!'' From this intuitive, spontaneous comment 
             developed a life I still enjoy--walking with a Savior 
             whose service is perfect freedom.
               It was not Dick's way to question others' political 
             views, let alone to judge their souls. He could be awkward 
             in settings of social affluence, uncomfortable in 
             corridors of power. His heart was with the poor. Deeply 
             conflicted yet skeptical of philosophers and theologians. 
             He turned a blind eye to his own scholarship while 
             maintaining inviolate daily time with books and Bible.
               The last time I saw him, Dick could hardly walk up the 
             steps to the pulpit at Fourth Church. But he could still 
             preach loud and clear his unique vision of the gospel of 
             love.
               Love is alive on the hoof--roaming the verdant pastures, 
             drinking the living water, luxuriating in the celestial 
             food at the table of the shepherd king.

                                          a

                                Jim and Betsy Kumnick
               The world is poorer today. Who but God could even begin 
             to calculate the impact of Dr. Halverson's life on this 
             planet? Everywhere he went, he carried the aroma of 
             Christ, casting a shadow of blessing and benevolence that 
             touched thousands--probably hundreds of thousands--of 
             lives. It will take an eternity to hear all the stories of 
             salvation, love, and healing that resulted from the 
             ministry of this dear servant of God. He was truly great 
             because he was truly humble. The Gospel he preached was 
             simple, as was St. Paul's: Jesus Christ, Son of God, came 
             to earth to take our sins all the way to the cross where 
             He died on our behalf. He rose again, ascended to heaven, 
             and sent His Holy Spirit to indwell the lives of all His 
             followers. One day all who trust Jesus as their Savior 
             will be with Him forever. How often Dr. Halverson reminded 
             us, ``The Bible is true. Believe it!''
               Thank you, Doris, for unselfishly sharing your beloved 
             husband with so many people through the years. It cannot 
             have been easy for you as Dick became more and more well-
             known around the world. God honored him for faithfully 
             proclaiming His message every time he stood in a pulpit or 
             at a lecturn, ultimately raising him to a position of 
             national prominence and spiritual power. Who knows how he 
             has affected America for good by his influence on those 
             who write our laws and govern our land? Who knows how many 
             individuals bless him for his impact on their personal 
             lives as he challenged them to follow Christ? Who knows 
             how many people learned to stop and pray right then and 
             there upon hearing a prayer request, as he did? Or how 
             many learned to say, ``I love you'' to brothers and 
             sisters in the Lord? How many have pondered how they are 
             to live ``between Sundays''? How many know they ``go 
             nowhere by accident''? How many have learned that where 
             they are at a given time is exactly where God wants them, 
             that this is ``an unrepeatable moment''? Who will ever 
             hear ``Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is 
             stayed on Thee'' and not think of Dr. Halverson singing it 
             as a benediction at the close of Sunday evening services?
               We used to tell our children as we sat in church that 
             they must be quiet and really listen, for this man is one 
             of the great men of God in our time. Someone said today 
             that Dick must be so excited to be gazing into the face of 
             the Savior he shared with so many. And the response was, 
             Jesus must be so excited to look into the face of His good 
             and faithful servant! How true. What a privilege to have 
             known him at all... We love him, we will miss him so much, 
             we look forward to seeing him again. We will never forget 
             him, and never stop thanking God for him. May our Lord 
             watch over you and bless you in the loss of your dear 
             husband and father, one of God's great men in this 
             century.

                                          a

                                   Message in Song
               Mr. Steve Halverson
                              Great Is Thy Faithfulness
               Hymn No. 43.
                   Concluding Prayer by Richard C. Halverson, Jr.
               Our Heavenly Father,
               More than a sparrow has fallen, you must have taken note 
             of it.
               More than a corn of wheat has been sown, you must have 
             prepared a great harvest.
               More than a lily of the field has withered, you must 
             have arrayed him in glorious apparel.
               More than all these, yet not so much than any of 
             mankind, is this man of God, whose life was Christ and 
             whose death was gain.
               Tonight we rejoice not in what was accomplished through 
             him, for his work was only to believe in Your Son, and his 
             body was but to be worn by Your Spirit. Tonight we 
             rejoice, rather, that his name is written in the book of 
             life.
               Well might we say with the Psalmist, ``What is man that 
             Thou art mindful of him, and the Son of man that visiteth 
             him. For that hast made him a little lower than the 
             Angels, and has crowned him with glory and honor.'' And 
             again it is written, ``Precious in the sight of the Lord 
             is the death of His saints.'' In the victorious name of 
             Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
                       Benediction of Dr. Richard C. Halverson
               You go no place by accident this week; wherever you go, 
             Christ is sending you.
               You are no place by accident this week; wherever you 
             are, Christ has placed you, has planted you.

               A little statement from my favorite devotional writer, 
             Oswald Chambers: ``Never allow the thought `I am of no use 
             where I am.' You certainly are of no use where you are 
             not.''

               You go nowhere by accident; you are nowhere by accident.
               Wherever you go, wherever you are, Christ is placing you 
             or sending you because Christ has a job He wants to do 
             there and He can only do it in your body.
               Think. Wherever you are, Jesus Christ is literally 
             present in the flesh.
               Believe that, and go in that confidence.
               The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face 
             to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift 
             up His countenance upon you and give you His peace, now 
             and forever. Amen.
                                      Postlude
               Mr. Ed Weaver
                                           

                                  MEMORIAL SERVICE

                                         in

                                   GRATEFUL MEMORY

                                         of

                              Dr. Richard C. Halverson

                                United States Senate

                                    60th Chaplain

                          FEBRUARY 1, 1981-FEBRUARY 5, 1995

                                  DECEMBER 13, 1995
                              DR. RICHARD C. HALVERSON
                         February 4, 1916-November 28, 1995
               The Reverend Dr. Richard C. Halverson was one of the 
             truly great spiritual leaders of our time. He was the 
             distinguished and beloved 60th Chaplain of the United 
             States Senate from February 2, 1981 to February 5, 1995. 
             Dr. Halverson expressed deep care and encouragement to the 
             Senators, their families and staffs, and Senate employees. 
             During his 14 year ministry as Chaplain he enabled the 
             Senate to be a caring family of people who help each other 
             enjoy the delights and endure the difficulties of life.
               Chaplain Halverson's eloquent prayers opening the Senate 
             expressed his love for God and his patriotism for our 
             Nation. His preaching and writing made him a pastor to the 
             Nation.
               However, it was Dr. Halverson's radiant countenance and 
             love-filled ``God bless you!'' that warmed the hearts of 
             people at the Capitol. He had an amazing knowledge of 
             people's needs and was a faithful intercessor. As a 
             spiritual counselor, he helped people experience God's 
             love and find answers to their deepest questions. He had a 
             way of making people feel loved, accepted, valued and 
             special.
               Richard Halverson was a native of North Dakota. He was 
             educated at Wheaton College and Princeton Theological 
             Seminary. Honorary doctoral degrees were awarded him by 
             Wheaton College and Gordon College. Prior to coming to 
             Washington to work with the Prayer Breakfast movement and 
             subsequently as Senior Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian 
             Church in Bethesda, Maryland, for 23 years, he was 
             Leadership Education Minister of the First Presbyterian 
             Church of Hollywood, California.
               As an author, Dr. Halverson published over 20 books and 
             wrote the popular nationally distributed newsletter, 
             Perspective. He served on the boards of several Christian 
             organizations and has been a leader in the movement of the 
             ministry of the laity.
               Our beloved friend is survived by his wife, Doris, and 
             three children: Reverend Richard C. Halverson, Jr., 
             Stephen S. Halverson, Deborah Halverson Markey, and nine 
             grandchildren.
               We are profoundly thankful for the impact of this great 
             man of God!
                                    Piano Prelude
               Leroy Hazzard, piano, Human Resource Department, U.S. 
             Senate
               Cathy Miller, piano, National Christian Choir
               Judy Hooks, synthesizer, National Christian Choir

                                   Call To Worship
               Dr. Lloyd J. Ogilvie

                                    Choral Praise
               National Christian Choir

                               Prayer of Thanksgiving
               Dr. Lloyd J. Ogilvie

                                   Shared Blessing
               Dr. Lloyd J. Ogilvie

                       Reading of Scripture and Personal Word
               Reverend Chris Halverson

                          A Favorite Hymn of Dr. Halverson
                       great is thy faithfulness (versus 1, 3)
               Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father
               There is no shadow of fuming with Thee
               Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
               To Thy great Faithfulness, mercy and love.

               Chorus:

               Great is Thy faithfulness, Great is Thy faithfulness
               Morning by morning new mercies I see
               All I have needed Thy hand hath provided
               Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

               Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
               Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide
               Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow
               Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

               Chorus.

                                Grateful Reflections
               Members of the Senate and Staff, led by Senator Don 
             Nickles

                                          a

                      Tribute to Chaplain Richard C. Halverson
                              (By Robert G. Ellis, Jr.)
               When Chaplain Ogilvie asked if I could say a few words 
             in behalf of my brother and friend, Chaplain Richard C. 
             Halverson, I considered it an honor. As Chaplain Ogilvie 
             walked away, the scripture from John 15:13 came to mind. 
             ``Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down 
             his life for his friends.'' More than 53 years ago, 
             Chaplain Halverson made a commitment to give his life for 
             me, you, and the world, as an example, so we could know 
             the love of our Heavenly Father.
               Chaplain Halverson not only was the Chaplain to the U.S. 
             Senate, but to all he came in contact with. He was the 
             Chaplain to the police officers, the subway drivers, the 
             cafeteria personnel, the labor personnel, the 
             electricians, the elevator operators, the elevator 
             mechanics, the housekeeping personnel and all the staff 
             here on Capitol Hill. His ministry included the world, 
             because he knew that everyone is a child of God. He 
             extended his ministry, because he committed his life to 
             serving our Father in Heaven. In his special and loving 
             way, Chaplain Halverson was saying, ``I know that my 
             Redeemer lives.'' His example was to show the job of 
             living a Christ-like life, so we can all partake of our 
             Heavenly Father's gift of eternal life, if we will follow 
             suit.
               The United States Capitol Police appreciated Chaplain 
             Halverson, and the love he extended to us. It was indeed 
             special to have his life shared with us. To Chaplain 
             Halverson's very special family, we extend our love and 
             appreciation. You too have been special in our lives. May 
             God bless each of you and comfort you at this time.
               In the name of Jesus Christ, I say these things. Amen.
                                          a
                                     Time Frame
                                  (By C.J. Martin)
               Born to serve, receive and resend,
               Born to fertilize as salt and extend,
               Born to give. Perpetuate life,
               Serve mankind and friend.

               Born to support, nurture, refine and defend,
               Born to be called upon and admired through thick and 
             thin.
               Born to admire the race, keep pace, finish with God's 
             grace
               and remember His timing is to be embraced.
                                    Embrace Thee
               Peace like a dove in early morning light,
               reflecting, measuring, balancing wide and narrow streams
               of air that lift to new rewarding heights.
               Peering over God's creation, marveling at this joyous 
             wonderful sight.
               Dazzling sun rays miraculously split cloud cover, 
             revealing
               undiscovered, splendid, ordained sights
               that might go unnoticed in one's mundane or over-zealous 
             life.

               Oh, God, intercede, let not another day become night,
               without respectfully understanding your creative life.

               See the flower, smell the rose, plant a tree, smile 
             peacefully,
               sing a song, but hurriedly, swiftly, unashamedly embrace 
             thy
               heart and see, not one but three in Thee.

                          A Favorite Hymn of Dr. Halverson
                             amazing grace (versus 1, 5)

               Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
               That saved a wretch like me
               I once was lost but now am found
               Was blind but now I see.

               When we've been there ten thousand years
               Bright shining as the sun
               We've no less days to sing God's praise
               Than when we'd first begun.

                                  A Message of Hope
               Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie

                                    Choral Anthem
               National Christian Choir

                                     Bendiction
                 

                              Condolences and Tributes
                                           

                                           
                 
                          Christian Booksellers Association
                             Adding Reverend Richard C.
                         Halverson to the ``Hall of Honor''

                                                          July 1995,
                                                          Denver, CO.

               Narrator. He's been called ``the conscience of our 
             Nation's lawmakers'' . . . ``the soul of the Senate.'' For 
             14 years, the presence of Dr. Richard C. Halverson has 
             been felt everywhere on Capitol Hill--from the corridors 
             of leadership and power . . . to both chambers of Congress 
             . . . even to the Office of the President.
               Until his recent retirement from the post of chaplain to 
             the United States Senate, Dr. Halverson had the unique 
             privilege and awesome responsibility of opening each day's 
             Senate proceedings with prayer--and he did so with 
             remarkable spiritual sensitivity, neither compromising his 
             own convictions, nor offending those who thought 
             differently. As one Senator recalls, ``his prayer was 
             always the soothing balm we needed--the right word to put 
             some healing into the Senate's contentious process.''
               With a passion for moral and spiritual revival in 
             America that is eclipsed only by a desire to bless 
             individual lives, Dr. Halverson touched many people in his 
             daily work on Capitol Hill--congressional staffers, 
             Capitol policemen, servers and cooks in the Senate dining 
             room--and of course, Senators on both sides of the 
             political spectrum. Republicans and Democrats alike sought 
             him out for counsel, eager for the inspiration he never 
             failed to give . . . thankful for his consistent Christian 
             example.
               To the fractious din of Washington's politically-charged 
             atmosphere, Halverson's presence brought a calming effect. 
             He was available to people at their convenience and in 
             their time of need. He was a listener . . . an encourager 
             . . . and an affirmer, who always seemed to know when 
             someone was troubled, sick or in need of prayer. And 
             though he sought to turn the hearts of a Nation's leaders 
             toward heaven, he did so not with confrontation or rebuke, 
             but with quiet humility, meekness and love.
               He prayed for each Senator by name--and he interceded 
             for their spouses, their children and staff as well. His 
             daughter, Debbie remembers seeing him early in the 
             morning, kneeling by his big green leather chair. ``I have 
             to be sure every morning before I leave home, I have had 
             some time with the Lord--time in His word,'' he said. ``I 
             want to be very sure that God knows that as far as I am 
             concerned, I have nothing to offer except what He does in 
             and through me.''
               And God has done much through Richard Halverson. It was 
             he who reminded the Senate and the Nation that without 
             God, a democracy cannot stand. ``Take creator God out of 
             the formula,'' he wrote, ``and the whole structure 
             collapses.'' Even today Dr. Halverson continues to remind 
             us of God's wisdom through his books. Still he prays for 
             our Nation and its leaders. Still he pauses to affirm and 
             encourage those around him.
               And so, in deep respect and admiration, we pause to 
             recognize Dr. Richard C. Halverson--and to welcome him 
             into C.B.A.'s Hall of Honor.
                        Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award

                                           Saturday, March 26, 1994,
                North Dakota Heritage Center, Bismarck, North Dakota.

               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson was born February 4, 
             1916, in Pingree, North Dakota. He attended then Valley 
             City State College (later university) for 2 years, before 
             receiving a bachelor of science degree from Wheaton 
             College, Wheaton, Illinois, in 1939. He earned a bachelor 
             of theology degree from Princeton Theological Seminary, 
             Princeton, New Jersey, in 1942.
               He has served as the Chaplain of the U.S. Senate since 
             February 2, 1981. He was pastor of the Fourth Presbyterian 
             Church, Bethesda, Maryland, from December 1958 to May 
             1981. Since 1956, he has been active in the International 
             Prayer Breakfast movement. He was Chairman of the Board of 
             World Vision-U.S. from 1966 to 1983, and has been an 
             Associate in the International Prayer Breakfast Movement 
             since May 1956. He has also written several inspirational 
             books.
               In association with World Vision and the Prayer 
             Breakfast Movement, he has participated in pastors' and 
             leaders conferences in Asia, Australia, Latin America, 
             Africa, Europe, Oceania, and the United States.
               Former President George Bush wrote to Governor Schafer 
             that Reverend Halverson ``. . . is one of the most 
             thoughtful individuals I have ever met. When I was 
             President, Dr. Halverson would send me words of comfort 
             and cheer. He cared deeply, and this caring was so evident 
             to me and to the Members of Congress whose paths crossed 
             his. Please give Dr. Halverson a warm embrace from his 
             friend here in Texas, whose life is a little bit better 
             because he came my way.''
               Reverend Halverson and his wife, Doris, have two sons, 
             one daughter, and nine grandchildren.
                                       PROGRAM

                               Presentation of Colors

                         Welcome and Introduction of Guests
               Alvin A. Jaeger, Secretary of State

                                  Musical Selection
               Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus
               Tom Porter, Director
               Julie Schwartz, Accompanist

                   History of Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award
               James E. Sperry, Superintendent
               State Historical Society of North Dakota

                                  Musical Selection
               Bismarck-Mandan Civic Chorus

                                  Personal Tribute
               Reverend Arthur H. Grimstad

                                 Award Presentation
               Governor Edward T. and First Lady Nancy Schafer
               Dr. Richard C. Halverson

                                     Benediction
               Reverend Mark A. Bayert
                                          a
                          [From USA Today, March 25, 1994]
               BISMARCK.--Governor Schafer on Saturday inducts the 
             Reverend Richard Halverson into the Rough Rider Hall of 
             Fame--the State's highest honor. Halverson, a native of 
             Pingree, North Dakota, has been chaplain of the U.S. 
             Senate since 1981. . . .
                                          a
                           [From the North Dakota Tribune]
                            Chaplain Becomes Rough Rider
                                  (Associate Press)
               Calling him a man with the ability to comfort the 
             troubled, Governor Ed Schafer on Saturday gave U.S. Senate 
             chaplain and Pingree native Richard Halverson North 
             Dakota's highest honor.
               ``I am so proud to be able to give this award to Dr. 
             Halverson and recognize his ability to interact with 
             people, his skills of reaching down inside and 
             understanding what is happening with another person and to 
             respond to it to make them feel better,'' Schafer told 
             about 150 guests at a ceremony at the North Dakota 
             Heritage Center in Bismarck.
               Halverson, 78, a Presbyterian minister, is the 25th 
             person to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider 
             Award, the State's highest honor.
               He is Schafer's first selection for the award and the 
             first to receive it for religious work.
               ``This is like a dream to me,'' said Halverson, who has 
             been the Senate chaplain since 1981. ``There are no words 
             to adequately express the gratitude I feel, the honor I 
             feel, and also--I have to tell you--the unworthiness I 
             feel.''
               Halverson was born in Pingree, a community about 20 
             miles northwest of Jamestown, and attended what is now 
             Valley City State University for 2 years.
               He was a singer and member of a vaudeville troupe in his 
             youth and went to Hollywood seeking work as a performer. 
             After becoming disgusted with life there in 1935, he 
             attended a church service, converted to Christianity and 
             decided to enter the ministry.
               Halverson plans to retire as the U.S. Senate chaplain 
             for health reasons, but said he has agreed to stay on 
             until the Senate has time to find a replacement.
               ``It has been such a very busy session for them, for all 
             of the Senators,'' Halverson said. ``It has really 
             bothered me that they would have the burden of trying to 
             select another chaplain right now.'' Halverson, who 
             currently lives with his wife Doris in Virginia, said he 
             plans to spend several days in North Dakota.
               ``I am going to rent a car in the morning and drive to 
             some of my old haunts,'' he said.
               Halverson is the fourth Rough Rider recipient within two 
             years. Former Governor George Sinner named three last 
             year, his final year in office: Chicago Bulls basketball 
             coach Phil Jackson, actress Angie Dickinson and author 
             Larry Woiwode. Woiwode, who lives on a farm near Mott, 
             attended Saturday's ceremony.
                                          a
                    [From the Grand Forks Herald, March 27, 1994]
                       Senate Chaplain Gets Rough Rider Award
                                 (By John MacDonald)
               pingree native richard halverson has been u.s. senate 
                        chaplain since 1981, will retire soon
               BISMARCK.--Calling him a man with the ability to comfort 
             the troubled, Governor Ed Schafer on Saturday gave U.S. 
             Senate chaplain and Pingree native Richard Halverson North 
             Dakota's highest honor.
               ``I am so proud to be able to give this award to Dr. 
             Halverson and recognize his ability to interact with 
             people, his skills of reaching down inside and 
             understanding what is happening with another person and to 
             respond to it to make them feel better,'' Schafer told 
             about 250 guests at a ceremony at the North Dakota 
             Heritage Center.
                                 he's 25th recipient
               Halverson, 78, a Presbyterian minister, is the 25th 
             person to receive the Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider 
             Award, the State's highest honor.
               He is Schafer's first selection for the award and also 
             is the first recipient to receive it for religious work.
               ``This is like a dream to me,'' said Halverson, who has 
             been the Senate chaplain since 1981. ``There are no words 
             to adequately express the gratitude I feel, the honor I 
             feel, and also--I have to tell you--the unworthiness I 
             feel.''
               Halverson was born in Pingree, a community about 20 
             miles northwest of Jamestown, and attended what is now 
             Valley City State University for 2 years.
               He was a singer and member of a vaudeville troupe in his 
             youth and went to Hollywood seeking work as a performer. 
             After becoming disgusted with life there in 1935, he 
             attended a church service, converted to Christianity and 
             decided to enter the ministry.
                                   plans to retire
               Halverson plans to retire as the U.S. Senate chaplain 
             for health reasons, but said he has agreed to stay on 
             until the Senate has time to find a replacement.
               ``It has been such a very busy session for them, for all 
             of the Senators,'' Halverson said. ``It has really 
             bothered me that they would have the burden of trying to 
             select another chaplain right now.''
               Halverson, who currently lives with his wife, Doris, in 
             Virginia, said he plans to spend several days in North 
             Dakota.
               ``I am going to rent a car in the morning and drive to 
             some of my old haunts,'' he said.
               Halverson is the fourth Rough Rider recipient within 2 
             years. Former Governor George Sinner named three last 
             year, his final year in office: Chicago Bulls basketball 
             coach Phil Jackson, actress Angie Dickinson and author 
             Larry Woiwode.
               Woiwode, who lives on a farm near Mott, attended 
             Saturday's ceremony.
                                          a
                    [From Grand Forks Herald, December 18, 1993]
                    U.S. Senate Chaplain To Get Rough Rider Award
                                  (By Dale Wetzel)
                 richard halverson is first person given award for 
                                   religious work
               BISMARCK.--Governor Ed Schafer made his first selection 
             for North Dakota's highest honor Friday, saying U.S. 
             Senate chaplain Richard Halverson will receive the 
             Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award.
               Halverson, a Pingree, North Dakota, native, will be 
             formally presented with the award in March at a Bismarck 
             prayer breakfast. He is the first person to be honored for 
             his religious work.
               Schafer made the announcement Friday in the Capitol's 
             Senate chambers as Halverson and his son, Richard Jr., 
             looked on. Both men are Presbyterian ministers.
               ``I cannot imagine any honor that anyone, certainly I, 
             could receive that would be greater,'' Halverson said. ``I 
             honestly do not feel worthy of this honor. . . . I knew 
             about the award, but I could not believe it.''
               Halverson, 77, said recently he intends to leave his job 
             as U.S. Senate chaplain for health reasons. He is staying 
             on in the position, which he has held since 1981, until a 
             successor is found.
               Schafer's wife, Nancy Jones Schafer, informed Halverson 
             of the honor about two weeks ago. Nancy Schafer met 
             Halverson in 1988, when both were involved in organizing 
             and conducting a religious leadership meeting in Fargo.
                                one recipient a year
               Governor Schafer intends to name one Rough Rider 
             recipient each year, a custom started by the award's 
             founder, former Governor William Guy. One of its 
             recipients is Schafer's father, Harold, who was honored in 
             1974 for his business success and philanthropy.
               U.S. Senator Kent Conard (D-ND), welcomed Schafer's 
             decision. Halverson ``is a marvelous man. He is somebody 
             who provides spiritual strength to every Senator. I know 
             he does to me,'' Conrad said. ``There is some difficult 
             times in life and he is somebody who is always there for 
             people.''
               Halverson was born in Pingree, an east-central North 
             Dakota community located about 20 miles northwest of 
             Jamestown, and attended what is now Valley City State 
             University for 2 years.
               A singer and member of a traveling vaudeville troupe in 
             his youth, Halverson went to Hollywood to seek work as a 
             performer in 1935. He became disgusted with life there 
             within six months, attended a church service, converted to 
             Christianity and decided to enter the ministry, he said.
                                25th award recipient
               Halverson is the 25th person to receive the Rough Rider 
             Award. Portraits of award winners line the Capitol's 
             ground floor.
               Award recipients are selected by the Governor, in 
             consultation with the Secretary of State and 
             Superintendent of the State Historical Society.
               Schafer said he settled on Halverson after spending time 
             on Veterans Day, November 11, studying the portraits of 
             previous winners. Veterans Day is a State holiday, and the 
             Capitol was virtually deserted.
               Honoring Halverson is a way to represent the religious 
             faith and moral values many North Dakotans hold dear, 
             Schafer said.
               ``The addition of Reverend Halverson is an 
             acknowledgment of the strong religious beliefs of North 
             Dakotans, and our pride in the truly special people like 
             Reverend Halverson, who dedicate their lives to 
             Christianity,'' Schafer said.
               Halverson is the fourth Rough Rider recipient within 2 
             years. Former Governor George Sinner named three last 
             year, his final year in office: Chicago Bulls basketball 
             coach Phil Jackson, actress Angie Dickinson and Larry 
             Woiwode.
               The honor was established in 1961.
                          Remarks of Senator Robert C. Byrd

                                                    January 31, 1985.

               Mr. President, our distinguished Senate Chaplain and my 
             friend, the Reverend Richard Halverson, is the subject of 
             a very complimentary and accurate front page story in 
             today's Wall Street Journal.
               Dr. Halverson is a true friend of all of us here in the 
             Senate. We are indebted to him for his kindnesses and 
             understanding.
               I am particularly indebted to Dr. Halverson, who was of 
             particular help to me during the period shortly after my 
             dear grandson, Michael, was lost in a terrible motor 
             vehicle accident.
               Mr. President, I salute Dr. Halverson as an 
             extraordinary man of the cloth. I also congratulate him on 
             the very fine article in The Wall Street Journal which 
             captures what I believe to be the essence of the man: His 
             concern for all of us here in the Senate.
               Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the article 
             from today's issue of The Wall Street Journal be printed 
             in the record at this point.
                  [From The Wall Street Journal, January 31, 1985]
                 Sermons on the Hill Become a Trademark Of Senate's 
                                      Chaplain
                                 (By David Shribman)
             reverend richard halverson gets points across in prayers; 
                               an amen from the press
               WASHINGTON.--Let us pray.
               ``Save us, Lord,'' the preacher says, ``from immaturity 
             that cannot handle the prestige of high office, from love 
             of power which breeds abuse and arrogance in power which 
             corrupts.''
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, a former 
             vaudevillian, speaks of the heavens to try to bring his 
             flock down to earth.
               Mr. Halverson is the Senate chaplain and, not so 
             incidentally, one of the shrewdest observers on Capitol 
             Hill. He addresses his prayers to God, but they often seem 
             to be sermons on the Hill, directed at his parishioners.
               ``Dear God,'' he said at the opening of the election 
             year session last January, ``surprise even Senators by 
             leading them through a productive legislative session.''
                                 balm for the losers
               Two months later, when it seemed as if half the Senators 
             had limped back to the chamber after decisive losses in 
             the early presidential primaries, Mr. Halverson greeted 
             them with a poignant prayer:
               ``We pray this morning for the Senators who have 
             withdrawn from the race for nomination,'' he said. ``Be 
             real to them in their lonely, questioning hours. Minister 
             to whatever need they experience within. Especially do we 
             pray for their wives, who probably suffer more than their 
             husbands.''
               And as the vote on the school prayer issue approached, 
             he prayed: ``Help the people to understand, Lord, that no 
             Senator is against prayer whatever his or her position on 
             the issue.'' A few days later, he asked God to protect his 
             Senate flock from ``zealous advocates who often are very 
             nasty and abusive.''
               Mr. Halverson, who was the minister of the Fourth 
             Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, for nearly a 
             quarter-century, has transformed the normally invisible 
             chaplain's post into one of Washington's bully pulpits. 
             His prayers often drew humorous responses from Howard 
             Baker of Tennessee, the former majority leader, who would 
             ask--only partly in jest--for equal time.
               ``He used to pray for the President, for Congress, and 
             even for the pages and telephone operators,'' says Mr. 
             Baker, now a Washington lawyer. ``But the day he started 
             praying for the tax collectors, I told him he had started 
             meddling.''
               With his shock of white hair and his domineering 
             presence, Mr. Halverson is one of the few figures in the 
             capital who can go over the head of Congress without fear 
             of political repercussions. ``Help the Senate to avoid 
             superfluous issues that retard rather than advance 
             progress,'' he said last February. As the Senate gathered 
             for a new session recently, he prayed, ``May the pressure 
             of special interests and public clamor not have priority 
             over truth and justice.''
               Mr. Halverson's appeal is bipartisan. ``In telling us 
             not to be so pompous around here, he lets us know that not 
             only our constituents are watching what we do,'' says 
             Senator John Melcher, the Montana Democrat.
               Mr. Halverson, who is the 60th Senate chaplain, is not 
             the first to find inspiration in the events of the day. 
             Jacob Douche, an Episcopal clergyman who was chaplain to 
             the Continental Congress, read the 35th Psalm when told--
             wrongly, it turned out--that the British had fired upon 
             Boston: ``Let them be turned back and brought to confusion 
             that devise my hurt.''
               Four days after the Declaration of Independence, Mr. 
             Douche again led the Continental Congress in prayer, this 
             time for the survival of the frail young nation. ``Look 
             down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American 
             states, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the 
             oppressor,'' he intoned.
               In the beginning, and unto this day, the notion of 
             congressional chaplains has generated great controversy.
               In 1774, John Jay of New York and John Rutledge of South 
             Carolina complained that the presence of 
             Congregationalists, Presbyterians, Anabaptists, 
             Episcopalians and Quakers in the Continental Congress made 
             a single prayer impossible. But Samuel Adams of 
             Massachusetts put an end to the debate when he responded, 
             ``I am no bigot. I can hear prayers from a man of piety 
             and virtue, who is at the same time a friend of his 
             country.''
               Four years before the outbreak of the Civil War, when 
             the country was being torn apart by the slavery question 
             and was most in need of divine intervention, a group of 
             Congressmen questioned whether a legislative chaplain 
             ``conflicted with the spirit of the Constitution and 
             tended to promote a union of church and state.''
               In our own time, Mike Royko, the icono-clastic Chicago 
             columnist, wrote, ``If you Senators and your 6,000 staff 
             members need somebody to hold your hand or pray for you, 
             his $52,000-a-year salary should come out of your own 
             pockets, not ours.'' (Mr. Halverson's salary, which is set 
             by the Senate, now has risen to $61,887, and his House 
             counterpart, the Reverend James D. Ford, is paid $73,300 a 
             year.)
               The Supreme Court in 1983, however, upheld the ``deeply 
             embedded'' practice of opening legislative sessions with 
             prayer.
               Mr. Halverson, the latest Senate chaplain, grew up among 
             the 50 wheat farming families of Pingree, North Dakota, 
             sang for nickels outside a pool hall, toured the West with 
             a Canadian vaudeville troupe called the Winneepeg Kiddies 
             and sought glamour in the studios of Hollywood. But a 
             dramatic religious awakening pushed him to the pulpit 
             rather than the stage.
               ``I think of myself as a pastor to all of the Senate and 
             their families, and all of the staffs and their 
             families,'' he says. ``I spend most of my time doing 
             pastoral calls, the way other clergymen do.''
               Those calls take him to the Senate floor itself. He 
             tries to sense, as he puts it, ``where people are hurting 
             and where there is hostility.'' A theme that runs through 
             his prayers is the notion that Senators are people, too.
               ``I like to remind them,'' he says, ``to be spouses and 
             parents when they go home, not Senators.''
               In a prayer he gave a year ago, he offered a stern 
             warning: ``Pressure, tension, urgency build, and it is 
             easy to justify neglecting spouses and children. Help us 
             to realize that there is no adequate substitute for a 
             husband and wife, no adequate substitute for a father and 
             mother.''
               Senator Mark Hatfield, who has known Mr. Halverson for 
             three decades, and who orchestrated his appointment, 
             believes that the chaplain, for all his political acumen, 
             is only marginally interested in politics. ``He is 
             interested in the people of politics, the Oregon 
             Republican says. But each one of us has felt that he has 
             captured an insight on the issue of the day, verbalizing 
             it in a prayer.''
               Mr. Halverson believes his parish also includes the 
             congressional press corps, and he often visits the press 
             gallery. Sometimes his invocations even have journalistic 
             themes.
               ``Help the press and the media not to be hardened when 
             they suffer the wrath of opening legislative sessions with 
             prayer.
               Mr. Halverson, the latest Senate chaplain, grew up among 
             the 50 wheat farming families of Pingree, North Dakota, 
             sang for nickels outside a pool hall, toured the West with 
             a Canadian vaudeville troupe called the Winneepeg Kiddies 
             and sought glamour in the studios of Hollywood. But a 
             dramatic religious awakening pushed him to the pulpit 
             rather than the stage.
               ``I think of myself as a pastor to all of the Senate and 
             their families, and all of the staffs and their 
             families,'' he says. ``I spend most of my time doing 
             pastoral calls, the way other clergymen do.''
               Those calls take him to the Senate floor itself. He 
             tries to sense, as he puts it, ``where people are hurting 
             and where there is hostility.'' A theme that runs through 
             his prayers is the notion that Senators are people, too.
               ``I like to remind them'' he says, ``to be spouses and 
             parents when they go home, not Senators.''
               In a prayer he gave a year ago, he offered a stern 
             warning: ``Pressure, tension, urgency build, and it is 
             easy to justify neglecting spouses and children. Help us 
             to realize that there is no adequate substitute for a 
             husband and wife, no adequate substitute for a father and 
             mother.''
               Senator Mark Hatfield, who has known Mr. Halverson for 
             three decades, and who orchestrated his appointment, 
             believes that the chaplain, for all his political acumen, 
             is only marginally interested in politics. ``He is 
             interested in the people of politics,'' the Oregon 
             Republican says. ``But each one of us has felt that he has 
             captured an insight on the issue of the day, verbalizing 
             it in a prayer.''
               Mr. Halverson believes his parish also includes the 
             congressional press corps, and he often visits the press 
             gallery. Sometimes, his invocations even have journalistic 
             themes.
               ``Help the press and the media not to be hardened when 
             they suffer the wrath of those who resent it when truth is 
             exposed--or by the hypocrisy, caprice and weakness of the 
             human flesh, remembering that they also are human,'' he 
             said last year. ``Save them from cynicism and help them 
             not to impregnate the public mind with seeds of 
             cynicism.''
               To which we add, ``Amen.''
                                Letters of Condolence

                                             W. David Gwaltney,
                        502A Woodland Terrace, Alexandria, VA 22302,
                                                    November 29, 1995
               Dear Mrs. Halverson,
               I am one of the many Senate employees touched by your 
             husband through his year here as our chaplain and wanted 
             to express my love, support and sympathy during this time 
             of loss.
               It was in the early 1980's that I turned my life over to 
             Christ and attended Dr. Halverson's lunch time Bible 
             study. For the first time he made the Word of God come 
             alive to me and have revelance.
               So, I thank and praise God for his life. Dr. Halverson 
             truly carried Christ's love to those around him.
               May God's strength and peace sustain you and your family 
             during this time.
                  Most Sincerely,
                                                      David Gwaltney.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                                     Washington, DC,
                                                    November 29, 1995
             Mrs. Richard C. Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, Apt. 413,
             Arlington, VA 22202

               Dear Doris:
               I am very sorry about the passing of your husband, Dr. 
             Halverson. He was a remarkable man who made a significant 
             impact on people's lives.
               I will remember Reverend Halverson as a wonderful 
             friend, and as a respected United States Senate Chaplain. 
             He will be missed by all of us who knew him.
               Sheila and I extend our deepest sympathy to you and your 
             family during this sad time.
                  Sincerely,
                                                  Paul D. Wellstone,
                            U.S. Senator from the State of Minnesota.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                    November 29, 1995

             Mrs. Doris Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, Apt. 413,
             Arlington, VA 22202

               Dear Doris:
               It was with great sadness that I learned the news of 
             your husband's passing last evening. He was such a 
             wonderful man and a devoted pastor.
               Reverend Halverson will always be remembered by myself, 
             my colleagues, and the many staff for his dedication to 
             this institution, for his lack of partisanship, for his 
             kindness and his great spirituality. We were so blessed to 
             have him serve in the Senate for so many years even in 
             failing health. As I am sure you have heard from others, 
             he was not just our chaplain, but he was our dear friend. 
             He will be deeply missed by so many here in the Senate and 
             all around the Washington area.
               Please know that Mary Jo and I are keeping you and the 
             entire Halverson family in our thoughts and prayers. If 
             there is anything we can do, please do not hesitate to let 
             us know.
               I miss him very much. He was always ``there'' for all of 
             us.
               God Bless You.
                  With sincere sympathy,
                                                          Bob Smith,
                       U.S. Senator, from the State of New Hampshire.
                                          a
                                                  Billy Graham,
                                           Montreat, North Carolina,
                                                   November 29, 1995.
               The first time I met Dick Halverson was at a fireside 
             dedication service on top of a mountain outside Los 
             Angeles in 1949. We both had just laid a piece of wood on 
             a fire indicating our rededication to the service of 
             Christ. We became close friends.
               His impact on our Nation as a pastor and as the Senate 
             Chaplain cannot be calculated. He was probably the most 
             loved and respected chaplain the United States Senate has 
             ever known. He ministered not only to the Members, but to 
             their families and to the people who worked in the Senate 
             office buildings. Only the computers of Heaven will have a 
             complete account of the lives he touched through his 
             preaching, personal contacts, and many writings. His 
             quiet, humble, effective ministry touched millions. He was 
             a spiritual giant.
               His involvement in the early days of the National Prayer 
             Breakfasts with Dr. Abraham Vereide and Doug Coe helped 
             make it what it is today.
               If every clergyman in America patterned their life and 
             ministry after Richard Halverson, we could have a 
             different country.
               I pray that God's grace will be sufficient for those 
             that knew and loved him, especially his wife Doris and the 
             family.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                    November 29, 1995
             Mrs. Doris Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, Apt. 413,
             Arlington, VA 22202
               I was saddened to hear Dr. Richard Halverson has passed 
             away. There are not any words that could ever express my 
             feelings but, at a time like this, I hope it is comforting 
             to know that my thoughts and prayers are with you.
               Dr. Halverson was very special. He touched all of our 
             lives during his tenure as Chaplain of the United States 
             Senate. He was always there to help in any way that he 
             could. His death is a loss to us all and he will be missed 
             very much.
                  Sincerely,
                                                Barbara A. Mikulski,
                             U.S. Senator from the State of Maryland.
                                   THE WHITE HOUSE
                                   Washington, DC
                                                    November 30, 1995
             Mrs. Doris Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, Number 403,
             Arlington, VA 22202

               Dear Mrs. Halverson:
               Tipper and I were deeply saddened to learn of your 
             husband's passing. We know that words are of little 
             comfort, but we want you to know that you and your family 
             are in our thoughts and prayers.
               During my tenure in the Senate, I was often inspired by 
             his strong faith and distinguished service. I and 
             countless others will greatly miss him.
               Again, please accept my most sincere condolences.
               God Bless.
                  Sincerely,
                                                             Al Gore.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                    November 30, 1995
             Mrs. Doris C. Halverson,
             2220 North 24th Street,
             Arlington, VA 22207.

               Dear Doris:
               We just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you. 
             A dear and magnificent man has passed from our midst. I 
             was so saddened to learn of Richard's death. Certainly 
             there is a most intimate form of grief brought on by the 
             loss of one's spouse.
               Indeed, I know personally some of the pain you are 
             feeling for the Simpson family has felt with hammer blows 
             of grief with the passing of my dear father in 1993 and, 
             more recently, with the loss of my dear mother in January 
             of this year. Their loss weighs heavily on the hearts and 
             minds of all the Simpsons. There is a feeling of being 
             left behind--I know it well.
               Richard Halverson was a truly inspirational man. He was 
             a friend, a confident and a wonderful counselor. I 
             remember so well his love of music and entertainment--and 
             how he loved a great story! I shall never forget how his 
             eyes would twinkle as he listened to me spin a yarn--or 
             told one himself! His humor, his patient sensitivity, his 
             dedication and his faith made a tremendous impact upon us 
             all. He was always a joy to be around.
               Richard mastered the greatest of life's lessons--how to 
             love and be loved. His was a life to be celebrated. He was 
             indeed a wondrous man. A majestic tree has disappeared 
             from our horizon but we shall see him again on some 
             unknown day. He was truly one of nature's noblemen. My 
             life is richer for having shared a portion of it with him. 
             He will be deeply missed.
               I know that with the passing of your dear husband part 
             of the fabric of your life has been torn away. It is a 
             harsh and difficult reality that we lose those we love 
             before we are ready.
               I just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you. I 
             am certain that this is a most difficult time for you. I 
             trust that time alone will serve to heal the pain of your 
             loss. Please know that our thoughts and our prayers go 
             winging out to you. God bless you and sustain you. Ann 
             joins in sending our love and our sympathy to you and to 
             all your dear ones.
               My fondest memory of Dr. Halverson is that smile. That 
             love of others. That sparkle in the eyes. And that 
             wonderful sense of humor--and a rare patience for our 
             foibles.
               He knew my dear Dad and Mother and loved them both--and 
             he took Ann and me under his wing.
               We knew some unknown day he would be taken from us--but 
             we were not ready. We celebrate his life. He is gone--but 
             he will live in our hearts forever. God bless you with his 
             presence.
                  Most sincerely,
                                                    Alan K. Simpson,
                              U.S. Senator from the State of Wyoming.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                    November 30, 1995
             Mrs. Doris Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, Apt. 413,
             Arlington, VA 22202

               Dear Mrs. Halverson:
               I felt a deep sense of loss when I learned that our 
             beloved Dick Halverson has passed away and want to express 
             my heartfelt condolences to you and your family. As our 
             spiritual leader in the Senate, I always looked forward to 
             his words of faith and counsel as he opened our sessions 
             with a prayer.
               As a Member of the Senate, I got to know Dick not only 
             as our chaplain, but as a warm human being who took a 
             personal interest in us. I enjoyed participating with him 
             in our Weekly Prayer Breakfast sessions and the National 
             Prayer Breakfasts, and appreciated his notes of 
             encouragement which he sent to me from time to time. I 
             shall miss his constant care and presence.
               Thank you, Doris, for sharing Dick with us. As a brother 
             of a reverend who spent his life as a ``kahu,'' or 
             ``shepherd of the flock,'' I know that Dick's efficacy and 
             dedication to his ministry was possible because you and 
             your family shared fully his values and commitment to our 
             Lord.
               Well done, good and faithful servant.
                  Aloha pumehana,
                                                    Daniel K. Akaka,
                               U.S. Senator from the State of Hawaii.
                                          a
                                                    November 30, 1995
               Gayle joins me in sending our deepest sympathies. Dick 
             was not only special to us because he married us but 
             because he was such a wonderful and generous friend. He 
             was truly one of the finest men I have ever known, and we 
             both feel we were blessed by having our lives touched by 
             Dick.
               Thanks, Doris, for sharing him and giving him so much 
             happiness. Accept our love and know that we will always 
             honor Dick's memory.
                  Sincerely,
                                                        Pete Wilson,
                                              Governor of California.
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                     December 1, 1995
             Mrs. Doris Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, #413,
             Arlington, VA 22202

               Dear Mrs. Halverson:
               It was with great shock and sadness that I learned about 
             Dick's passing, and I want to express my heartfelt 
             sympathy to you and your family in this time of your 
             tremendous personal loss.
               During his tenure as Chaplain of the Senate, Dick 
             Halverson made a real difference. His inspirational 
             prayers and his spiritual guidance kept us focused on what 
             is really important in our lives. He gave his heart and 
             soul to the office of the Senate Chaplain, and we are all 
             better people because of his service.
               I will always remember Dick with great affection and 
             admiration. It was my great pleasure to know him, and my 
             privilege to call him my friend. I share your loss and 
             send my deepest condolences to your children and 
             grandchildren.
                  Sincerely,
                                                  Edward M. Kennedy,
                        U.S. Senator from the State of Massachusetts.
                                          a
                                                     December 1, 1995
               Dear Doris:
               Barbara and I send you our most sincere condolences. We 
             loved your husband very much. He was a friend, an 
             inspiration.
               To you and your wonderful family we send our family's 
             respects. May God bless Dick Halverson.
                  Sincerely,
                                                         George Bush.
                                          a
                                                     December 4, 1995
               Dear Doris:
               Ronnie and I were so sorry to learn of Richard's 
             passing. He will surely be missed by countless friends, 
             including us, but I know his absence will be felt most by 
             your and your family.
               Although there are no words that can ease the pain at a 
             time like this, we find comfort in knowing you are 
             surrounded by loved ones, like your children and 
             grandchildren, who will help in the grieving process 
             during the days and weeks ahead.
               Please know that our thoughts and our prayers are with 
             you and your entire family at this difficult time.
                  Fondly,
                                                        Nancy Reagan.
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                     December 4, 1995
             Mrs. Doris Seaton Halverson & Family,
             c/o Concern Ministries Inc.,
             P.O. Box 7800,
             McLean, VA 22106
               Dear Doris:
               Nancy and I are sorry to learn of the death of your 
             husband and wish to extend our heartfelt sympathies to 
             your family. Reverend Halverson was one of the finest 
             gentlemen I had ever known. His devotion to God and to 
             helping others, will always be remembered.
                  Sincerely,
                                                  Paul D. Coverdell,
                              U.S. Senator from the State of Georgia.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                     December 4, 1995
               Dear Mrs. Halverson.
               It was with real sorrow that we learned of your great 
             loss. Pastor Halverson was a dear friend and real leader 
             for all of us in his senatorial flock. Our thoughts and 
             prayers are with you and yours.
                                                Christopher S. Bond,
                             U.S. Senator from the State of Missouri.
                                          a
                                   THE WHITE HOUSE
                                   Washington, DC
                                                     December 5, 1995
               Dear Doris:
               Hillary and I were deeply saddened to learn of the loss 
             of your husband. As the 60th Chaplain of the United States 
             Senate, Dr. Halverson generously gave of his time and 
             talents in service to his fellow Americans. The Nation 
             shares in your grief.
               Your husband led a life and ministry that exuded his 
             love for God, compassion for humankind, and patriotism for 
             our Nation. Our hearts go out to you at this difficult 
             time, and we hope that your sorrow will be eased by the 
             love of your family and friends.
               You are in our thoughts and prayers.
                  Sincerely,
                                                        Bill Clinton.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                     December 7, 1995
               Dear Mrs. Halverson:
               I was so sorry to hear of the passing of our friend and 
             chaplain, Richard Halverson. We will all miss his quiet 
             guidance and friendship.
               Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you.
                  Sincerely,
                                                       Patty Murray,
                           U.S. Senator from the State of Washington.

                                          a

                                         The Crystal Cathedral,
                         12141 Lewis Street, Garden Grove, CA 92640,
                                                     December 7, 1995
             Mrs. Richard Halverson and Family
             c/o The Waterford House #413,
             1200 Crystal,
             Arlington, VA 22202
               Dear Mrs. Halverson:
               How very saddened I was to learn of the death of my dear 
             friend, Richard.
               He will long be remembered for his distinguished record 
             of service for 14 years, as the finest chaplain who has 
             ever served the U.S. Senate.
               Richard was everything, and more, that we could ever 
             hope for in a true Christian brother. He exemplified the 
             meaning of a true ``spiritual shepherd'' . . . who 
             responded to the high calling of devotion to God's work--
             strengthening faith, kindling hope, and manifesting the 
             charity of God toward His children. How profoundly 
             grateful we are for Richard Halverson's life.
               We pray that God will be very near to your family at 
             this difficult time, and help you move on through life, 
             remembering the joyful, happy times spent together.
               May God now give you His blessing of comforting peace 
             and touch your hearts with His healing hand.
                  In Christ's care and keeping,
                                                  Robert H. Schuller.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                     December 8, 1995
             Mrs. Richard C. Halverson,
             #413, 1200 Crystal Drive,
             Arlington, VA 22202
               Dear Mrs. Halverson:
               Just a note to join the many others who have extended 
             their sympathy on Dick's death.
               His work as Chaplain of the Senate was superb.
               All of us benefited by his counsel, advice and warmth.
               Please extend my sympathy to your children, and tell 
             them they have a heritage to be proud of.
                  Sincerely,
                                                         Paul Simon,
                             U.S. Senator from the State of Illinois.
                                                     December 8, 1995
             Mrs. Doris Halverson,
             Waterford House,
             1200 Crystal Drive, #413,
             Arlington, VA 22202
               To Doris Halverson:
               Rosalynn and I were saddened to learn of your husband's 
             death. Please know that you are in our hearts and prayers 
             during this difficult time.
               We hope that your warm memories and the love and prayers 
             of your family and friends will be of comfort to you in 
             the days ahead.
                  Sincerely,
                                                        Jimmy Carter.
                                          a
                                             Charles W. Colson,
                               P.O. Box 17500, Washington, DC 20041,
                                                    December 13, 1995
               Dear Doris:
               Patty and I were so glad we could be with you for 
             ceremony and tribute to Dick. You must have been very 
             proud and bursting with pride for your kids. They are 
             yours and Dick's greatest legacy.
               Still as things quiet down, you will feel the loneliness 
             and the grief. It is normal as C.S. Lewis wrote in Grief 
             Observed. Let is go and in due course the great Comforter 
             will turn tears of grief to tears of joy at the memories 
             of a great yet humble man who was caring husband, father 
             and servant to so many. Dick was a truly remarkable man 
             and a great friend to love.
                  Love,
                                                        Patty and Me.
                                          a
                                                   U.S. Senate,
                                               Washington, DC 20510,
                                                      January 4, 1995
             Doris Halverson,
             1200 Crystal Drive, #413,
             Arlington, VA 22202
               Dear Doris:
               Lucy and I want to express our sympathy at the loss of 
             your husband Dick. We will miss him greatly. He was filled 
             with warmth and always ready to listen. He had a twinkle 
             in his eye and was excited about life. The U.S. Senate has 
             suffered a great loss.
               Please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. 
             And let us know if there is anything we can do.
                  Sincerely,
                                                        Kent Conrad,
                         U.S. Senator from the State of North Dakota.

                                          a

                                        Office of the Chaplain,
                                      U.S. House of Representatives,
                                                      January 8, 1996
               Dear Mrs. Halverson.
               Mrs. Ford and I express to you and your family our deep 
             sorrow at the death of your husband.
               He faithfully served people of all backgrounds and in as 
             many different places and we have all felt his blessing.
               May the peace of God that passes all human understanding 
             be with you now and evermore.
                  Sincerely,
                                                   James David Ford,
                                  Chaplain, House of Representatives.

                                          a
               Dear Debbie:
               My deepest sympathy to you and your family. Your father 
             was so special and so loving and kind to me. It was like a 
             beam of sunshine every time I saw Dr. Halverson.
               I know you will miss him very much. However, we can 
             thank God for his life here, and you and your family have 
             so many wonderful memories of him.
               I will miss him too. I will keep you in my prayers.
                  Sincerely,
                                                        Sandy Mason,
                                            Senate Foreign Relations.
                                          a

                                           Senate Historical Office,
                                           Washington, DC 20510-7108,
               Dear Deborah:
               May this help express the sympathy that words cannot 
             convey. I miss his warm smile, his gentle manner, and his 
             friendly ``God bless you, brother.''
                  With sincerest condolences,
                                                         Dick Baker,
                                                    Senate Historian.
                                          a
                        My Fondest Memory of Dr. Halverson Is
                                                    February 27, 1996
               As a former supervisor of the Senate Chamber Detail, 
             both for uniformed officers and for plain clothes 
             personnel on the U.S. Capitol Police, I have many fond 
             memories of this wonderfully kind man. His demeanor was 
             consistent, that of a saint, and he was a great friend and 
             a staunch ally of the Force. His coffee and doughnut 
             breakfast meetings and his Senate opening prayers which 
             praised the U.S. Capitol Police were acts of pure love and 
             his way of letting the world know through the 
             Congressional Record that there was a very special police 
             force at work and he wanted all to know about it. Upon his 
             passing we truly lost a dedicated member of the force, as 
             anyone who looked to him for advice and guidance will 
             quickly proclaim he was considered to be a member of the 
             Department. I will never forget this great humanitarian.
                                               Sgt. Kenneth M. Allen.
                 

                          Newspaper Articles and Editorials
                  [From the Grand Forks Herald, November 30, 1995]
                    Former Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson Dies
                                 (Associated Press)
                north dakota native spent 14 years in washington post
               WASHINGTON.--The Reverend Richard Halverson, who retired 
             in March after 14 years as chaplain of the U.S. Senate, 
             died Tuesday. The North Dakota native was 79.
               Halverson, who was born in Pingree, was the 60th Senate 
             chaplain. He died Tuesday. His successor, the Reverend 
             Lloyd Ogilvie, issued a statement giving the cause of 
             death as ``declining health.''
               Halverson was awarded North Dakota's highest honor, the 
             Theodore Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, in March 1994. 
             Governor Ed Schafer, who presented Halverson with the 
             award, said at the time that Halverson was a man with the 
             skill of ``reaching down inside and understanding what is 
             happening with another person.''
               The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night honoring 
             Halverson.
               Earlier, in a tribute on the Senate floor, Senator Mark 
             Hatfield, (R-OR), said the chamber had lost ``one of its 
             greatest servants.''
               ``Dr. Halverson left us in bodily presence but his 
             spiritual legacy will remain eternal,'' Hatfield said. 
             ``He reminded us each and every day, as he strolled these 
             halls, of what it means to serve the people around you.''
               Evangelist Billy Graham, who first met Halverson in 
             1949, called him ``probably the most loved and respected 
             chaplain the United States Senate has ever known.
               He had the ``kindest, most loving words . . . for 
             everyone of anyone I have ever known,'' said Senator Pete 
             Domenici (R-NM).
               Others praised the guidance Halverson gave not only to 
             them, but to the police officers, janitors, food service 
             and other workers in the Senate.
                                          a
                   [From the Washington Times, November 30, 1995]
               Senate Chaplain Who Retired February 5, Is Dead At 79; 
                        Richard C. Halverson Served 14 Years
                                  (By Larry Witham)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, who recently retired 
             from a 14-year Senate chaplaincy praised for warmth and 
             fairness in a raucous political era, died Tuesday night at 
             Arlington Hospital of congestive heart failure. He was 79.
               He first visited Washington as a Los Angeles pastor with 
             the prayer breakfast movement and returned in 1958 to lead 
             the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, Maryland, now 
             one of the area's largest congregations.
               Elected by the Republican Senate in 1981, Mr. Halverson 
             was asked to stay in 1986 when Democrats regained control.
               Facing illness in 1992, he stated an interest in 
             retiring but again heeded a call to minister until a new 
             Senate chaplain was found.
               ``I think it is the greatest opportunity a pastor can 
             have,'' Mr. Halverson told the Washington Times a few 
             weeks before his retirement on February 5--the day after 
             he turned 79.
               One of his last morning prayers in the week before 
             retirement was: ``Our Father in heaven . . . we thank Thee 
             for Democrats and Republicans and independents. We thank 
             Thee for liberals and conservatives, for moderates and 
             radicals.''
               Considering himself on the side of every incumbent 
             Senator, he wished each one success in re-election bids.
               A native of North Dakota, Mr. Halverson graduated from 
             Princeton Theological Seminary in 1942 and after 
             ordination served his first church in Kansas City, 
             Missouri.
               Two years later he went to California, serving a small 
             congregation and then becoming minister of leadership 
             education at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood from 
             1947 to 1956.
               It was there that he joined what became the 
             International Prayer Breakfast movement. He was called to 
             Fourth Presbyterian in Bethesda in 1958, and served there 
             23 years.
               Beginning the Senate chaplaincy at age 65, Mr. Halverson 
             was known for driving to work in his old car and roaming 
             the buildings and Press Gallery to greet everyone from 
             Senators to janitors.
               He prayed across the spectrum, on occasion raising a 
             small controversy over those for whom he prayed. At times, 
             his prayers became a minisermon to lawmakers.
               ``If you are going to pray aloud, you want your prayer 
             to be meaningful to the people there,'' he once said. 
             ``But I have really struggled to feel I am not preaching 
             to the listeners.''
               An author of 21 books on the Christian life, for decades 
             he also wrote a biweekly devotional letter called 
             ``Perspective'' and as chaplain was a frequent speaker at 
             church conferences.
               ``He was uniquely qualified for the position,'' said the 
             Reverend James Ford, House chaplain. ``He spent many years 
             in a church situation working with people, and he just 
             carried that on here. He was respected among Senate 
             members and among staffers.''
               In his final days at the Senate, Mr. Halverson was not 
             pleased by the pressures lawmakers face.
               ``I have sensed a growing frustration in the Senate and 
             a kind of futility about the law never accomplishing what 
             it is intended to accomplish,'' he said.
               Lawmakers, he said, also faced an angry, cynical public 
             and hostile ``self-appointed vacuum-cleaner 
             journalists''--the name he gave reporters, even as he 
             prayed for them.
               ``Gracious Father,'' he said in 1992, ``seeking their 
             own reputation, they destroy another's as they search 
             relentlessly, microscopically for some ancient skeleton in 
             a person's life.''
               A 1993 prayer was more typical.
               ``If we separate morality from politics, we imperil our 
             Nation and threaten self-destruction,'' he prayed. 
             ``Imperial Rome was not defeated by an enemy from without; 
             it was destroyed by moral decay from within.''
               Mr. Halverson is survived by his wife, Doris Seaton 
             Halverson; two sons, Richard Jr., and Stephen; a daughter, 
             Deborah; and nine grandchildren.
               Viewing will be held at Joseph Gawler's Sons, 5130 
             Wisconsin Avenue, on Monday from 5 to 9 p.m. A memorial 
             service will be held December 11 at 7:30 p.m. at Fourth 
             Presbyterian Church, Bethesda.
               In lieu of flowers, contributions supporting Mr. 
             Halverson's ministries may be sent to Concern Ministries 
             Inc., P.O. Box 7800, McLean, VA 22106.
                [From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 30, 1995]
                                  Deaths Elsewhere
                                     (Editorial)
               Richard C. Halverson, 79, who retired in March after 14 
             years as chaplain of the U.S. Senate, died Tuesday 
             (November 28, 1995) in Washington. His successor, the 
             Reverend Lloyd Ogilvie, issued a statement giving the 
             cause of death as ``declining health.''
               A native of North Dakota, the Reverend Halverson held 
             degrees from Wheaton College and Princeton Theological 
             Seminary. Before his appointment as the 60th Senate 
             chaplain, he had pulpits at Presbyterian churches in 
             Kansas City, Missouri Coalinga and Los Angeles, 
             California; and Bethesda, Maryland.
               He is survived by his wife, Doris Grace Seaton; three 
             children; and nine grandchildren.
                                          a
                     [From the Boston Globe, November 30, 1995]
             Reverend Richard Halverson Was U.S. Senate Chaplain; At 79
                                 (Associated Press)
               WASHINGTON.--Reverend Richard C. Halverson, who retired 
             in March after 14 years as chaplain of the Senate, died 
             Tuesday at age 79.
               His successor, Reverend Lloyd Ogilvie, said Reverend 
             Halverson ``expressed deep care and encouragement to 
             Senators, their families and staffs, and Senate 
             employees.''
               The North Dakota native held degrees from Wheaton 
             College and Princeton Theological Seminary. He had 
             positions at Presbyterian churches in Kansas City, 
             Missouri; Los Angeles and Coalinga, California; and 
             Bethesda, Maryland.
               Reverend Halverson was chairman of World Vision-U.S. 
             from 1966 to 1983, and participated in pastors' 
             conferences around the world.
               On his last day as chaplain, Senators applauded him 
             after his final session-opening prayer and then lined up 
             to shake his hand.
               Senator Howell Heflin (D-AL), called him ``a wonderful 
             friend and adviser to the entire Senate family.''
               He had the ``kindest, most loving words . . . for 
             everyone of anyone I have ever known,'' said Senator Pete 
             Domenici (R-NM).
               Others praised the guidance Reverend Halverson gave not 
             only to them, but to the police officers, janitors, food 
             service and other workers in the Senate.
                                          a
                   [From the Los Angeles Times, December 1, 1995]
                      Richard Halverson; Former Senate Chaplain
                        (By the Times Staff and Wire Reports)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, who retired in March 
             after 14 years as chaplain of the U.S. Senate, has died. 
             He was 79.
               Halverson, who was the 60th Senate chaplain, died 
             Tuesday, his successor, the Reverend Lloyd Ogilvie, 
             announced Wednesday.
               The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday night honoring 
             Halverson and expressing its ``profound sorrow and deep 
             regret'' at his death.
               Evangelist Billy Graham, who met Halverson in 1949, 
             called him ``probably the most loved and respected 
             chaplain the United States Senate has ever known.''
               The North Dakota native held degrees from Wheaton 
             College and Princeton Theological Seminary, and worked in 
             churches in Kansas City, Missouri, Bethesda, Maryland, and 
             Coalinga, California.
               In Los Angeles, he was minister of leadership education 
             at Hollywood First Presbyterian Church from 1947 to 1956 
             and served periodically as manager of the Forest Home 
             Christian Grounds in the San Bernadino Mountains.
               Discussing his California years at a San Diego prayer 
             breakfast last year, Halverson said he originally moved to 
             Hollywood in the 1930s intending to seek his fame and 
             fortune in the entertainment industry.
               But six months after arriving, he said, ``I signed my 
             life over to Jesus Christ.''
               Halverson was chairman of World Vision-U.S. from 1966 to 
             1983, and participated in pastors conferences around the 
             world.
               On his last day as chaplain, Senators applauded him 
             after his final session-opening prayer and then lined up 
             to shake his hand.
               He is survived by his wife, Doris Grace Seaton, three 
             children and nine grandchildren.
                                          a
                    [From the Washington Post, December 1, 1995]
                    R.C. Halverson Dies; 14-Year Senate Chaplain
                                  (By Bart Barnes)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, 79, a Presbyterian 
             clergyman who served 14 years as chaplain of the U.S. 
             Senate and 23 years as minister of Fourth Presbyterian 
             Church in Bethesda, died of congestive heart failure 
             November 28, at Arlington Hospital.
               Mr. Halverson also was a leader in the Prayer Breakfast 
             Movement, which has drawn the support and participation of 
             hundreds of men and women in positions of influence in 
             Washington, and he was a former chairman of the board of 
             World Vision-U.S., an international Christian relief and 
             development agency with programs in almost 100 countries.
               Mr. Halverson, of Arlington, was the author of 10 books 
             and a regular weekly devotional newsletter, and he 
             preached, gave speeches and participated in conferences 
             around the world.
               As the Senate chaplain, Mr. Halverson's only official 
             duty was to open each session with a prayer, a task that 
             seldom took more than a minute or two. On many occasions, 
             there were no more than a half-dozen Senators in 
             attendance, but the low turnout did not upset him.
               ``I pray to God for the Senate,'' he once said.
               ``I feel, as the chaplain, I must be like a pastor to 
             the Senators, their families and staffs, to just be a 
             faithful servant to all these people, to the Capitol 
             Police, to the people who work in the cafeteria, to the 
             women who clean.''
               In March of this year, Mr. Halverson retired from the 
             position he had held since February 1981, when the Senate, 
             then under a new Republican leadership, picked him as its 
             spiritual leader.
               In taking the job, Mr. Halverson left his position as 
             senior Senator at Bethesda's Fourth Presbyterian Church, 
             which he had served for 23 years and built into a social 
             and evangelical force in the Washington area, increasing 
             its membership from about 600 to 2,100.
               His appointment as Senate chaplain came as no surprise, 
             newspapers said at the time, observing that the 
             Presbyterian Church often has been called ``the Republican 
             Party at prayer.'' In subsequent years, the Senate, under 
             Democratic control, reappointed Mr. Halverson as its 
             chaplain. As a pastor and preacher, Mr. Halverson was 
             known for a warm and easy rapport with his congregation, 
             both on Capitol Hill and in Bethesda, and for a flair for 
             showmanship that emerged during his boyhood in his native 
             Pingree, North Dakota. Driven by what he would later call 
             a ``penchant for entertaining,'' the young Mr. Halverson 
             used to stand outside a pool hall in his home town and 
             sing for nickels. Later, he toured Canada with a 
             vaudeville troupe, but his show business career was cut 
             short after 6 months because his voice changed.
               As a young man, he held a variety of jobs in California 
             while still dreaming of a career in show business. Feeling 
             lonely and ill at ease one New Year's Eve, he decided to 
             attend a service at a small Presbyterian church.
               ``I had a very dim view of churches and pastors at the 
             time,'' he said in a 1981 interview with The Washington 
             Post. ``In my view then, a minister was a man who had 
             failed at everything else.''
               But he accepted an invitation to join the choir at the 
             small church, and later, after a heart-to-heart talk with 
             its young pastor, who had just completed seminary 
             training, Mr. Halverson ``gave my life to Christ.''
               He graduated from Wheaton College and Princeton 
             Theological Seminary, then served in ministerial positions 
             at churches in California and in Kansas City, Missouri.
               In 1956, he came to Washington to work with the Prayer 
             Breakfast Movement, and 2 years later, he was named 
             minister at Fourth Presbyterian Church, which had just 
             moved from 13th and Fairmont Streets in Northwest 
             Washington to River Road in Bethesda.
               Under Mr. Halverson's leadership, the congregation 
             tripled, drawing new members not only from Montgomery 
             County but also from points as distant as Manassas and the 
             suburbs of Baltimore. The two Sunday morning services 
             became so crowded that an 11 a.m. Bible study class was 
             begun at Kenwood Country Club, just across the street, 
             that often drew as many as 300 participants.
               During this period, Mr. Halverson maintained his ties 
             with the Prayer Breakfast Movement, attending several 
             prayer group meetings each week at which men and women who 
             often operated in the public spotlight got together to 
             pray and discuss their spiritual needs. From 1956 until 
             1983, he served on the board of World Vision, and he was 
             its chairman from 1966 to 1983.
               With the backing of Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR), a 
             onetime member of Fourth Presbyterian Church, and others, 
             Mr. Halverson was appointed Senate chaplain, replacing 
             Reverend Edward L.R. Elson, also a Presbyterian, who had 
             served there for 12 years.
               He was the 60th person to hold the position and one of 
             the more outspoken. In a 1985 profile, the Wall Street 
             Journal said he had ``transformed the normally invisible 
             chaplain's post into one of Washington's bully pulpits. . 
             . . He addresses his prayers to God, but they often seem 
             to be sermons on the Hill, directed at his parishioners.''
               According to the Journal, Mr. Halverson said at the 
             opening of an election year session: ``Dear God, surprise 
             even Senators by leading them through a productive 
             legislative session.''
               Mr. Halverson was very nearly the last Senate chaplain. 
             In the enthusiasm for budget cutting after the election 
             last fall of Republican majorities in the House and 
             Senate, there was talk of eliminating the House and Senate 
             chaplaincies, thereby saving the treasury Mr. Halverson's 
             $115,700 salary and the $123,000 paid his House 
             counterpart. But Congress eventually decided to retain the 
             positions.
               Mr. Halverson's survivors include his wife, Doris of 
             Arlington; three children; and nine grandchildren.
                                          a
                  [From the St. Petersburg Times, December 1, 1995]
                            Reverend Richard C. Halverson
                                     (Editorial)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, 79, who retired in 
             March after 14 years as chaplain of the U.S. Senate, died 
             Tuesday in Washington. As the Senate's 60th chaplain, his 
             duties included opening each workday with a prayer. He 
             also provided pastoral care to Senators and staff members 
             as well as to other Senate workers from cooks to committee 
             chairpersons. The Senate passed a resolution Wednesday 
             honoring the Presbyterian minister.
                                          a
                  [From the Rocky Mountain News, December 1, 1995]
                         R. Halverson, Ex-Chaplain of Senate
                                 (Associated Press)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, who retired in March 
             after 14 years as chaplain of the Senate, died Tuesday in 
             Washington. He was 79.
               His successor, the Reverend Lloyd Ogilvie, said the 
             cause of death as ``declining health.''
               The North Dakota native held degrees from Wheaton 
             College and Princeton Theological Seminary.
               On his last day as chaplain, Senators applauded him 
             after his final session-opening prayer and then lined up 
             to shake his hand.
               Senator Howell Heflin (D-AL), called him ``a wonderful 
             friend and adviser to the Senate family.''
                                          a
                     [From the New York Times, December 1, 1995]
                      Richard Halverson, 79, a Senate Chaplain
                                 (Associated Press)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, who retired in March 
             after 14 years as chaplain of the United States Senate, 
             died on Tuesday at Arlington Hospital in Virginia. He was 
             79 and lived in Arlington.
               Mr. Halverson's successor, the Reverend Lloyd Ogilvie, 
             said Mr. Halverson had been in ``declining health.''
               The Senate passed a resolution on Wednesday honoring Mr. 
             Halverson and expressing its ``profound sorrow and deep 
             regret'' at his death. A number of Senators and religious 
             figures, including the Reverend Billy Graham, issued 
             statements praising Mr. Halverson's work.
               He was chairman of the charity World Vision-U.S. from 
             1966 to 1983 and participated in pastors' conferences in 
             the United States and around the world. He was sworn in as 
             Chaplain of the Senate in 1981.
               A native of Pingree, North Dakota, he held degrees from 
             Wheaton College, earned in 1939, and Princeton Theological 
             Seminary, earned in 1942. He had held positions at 
             Presbyterian churches in Kansas City, Missouri; Coalinga 
             and Los Angeles, California; and Bethesda, Maryland.
               He is survived by his wife, Doris Grace Seaton Halverson 
             of Arlington; three children, the Reverend Richard C. 
             Halverson, Jr., of Arlington, Stephen S. of Vista, 
             California, and Deborah Halverson Markey of Laurel, 
             Maryland, and nine grandchildren.
                                          a
                    [From the Arizona Republic, December 3, 1995]
                    Richard C. Halverson, Retired Senate Chaplain
                                     (Editorial)
               The Reverend Richard C. Halverson, who retired in March 
             after 14 years as Senate chaplain, has died. He was 79.
               The Reverend Halverson, who died Tuesday, was the 60th 
             Senate chaplain. He had held positions at Presbyterian 
             churches in Kansas City, Missouri; Coalinga and Los 
             Angeles, California; and Bethesda, Maryland.
               He was chairman of World Vision-United States from 1966 
             to 1983 and participated in pastors' conferences around 
             the world.
                                          a
                   [From the Indianapolis News, December 8, 1995]
                           The Reverend Richard Halverson
                                     (Editorial)
               Richard Halverson had a way of rising above the 
             political battles he witnessed as chaplain of the U.S. 
             Senate.
               He certainly saw his share of those skirmishes, both as 
             Senate chaplain for 14 years and as a Washington, DC-area 
             pastor before then. He died last week, a few months after 
             retiring as Senate chaplain.
               It was his personal faith in Jesus Christ that enabled 
             him to rise above partisan politics and be a friend and 
             pastoral counselor to Members of Congress, both 
             Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, as 
             well as officials in other offices, in the Nation's 
             capital.
               He was not one to seek publicity for himself, and 
             Members of Congress felt free to come to him for wise 
             counsel. His most visible contribution was to open the 
             Senate in prayer on a regular basis. He brought a sense of 
             humor to that aspect of Congress, as well as a grasp of 
             the tensions and challenges of the political process.
               But his most important work was of a pastoral nature, 
             helping Members of Congress and their staffs with such 
             matters as marriage counseling or their own 
             responsibilities in terms of personal faith.
               He had the ``kindest, most loving words . . . for 
             everyone of anyone I have ever known,'' said Sentor Pete 
             Domenici (R-NM).
               Halverson assumed the Senate chaplain post in 1981, at 
             the invitation of Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR), when 
             Republicans were taking over the Senate and Ronald Reagan 
             was taking over the Presidency. When Democrats took back 
             the Senate in 1987, they apparently gave no thought to a 
             new chaplain.
               Upon his retirement earlier this year, he drew praise 
             from people at different ends of the political spectrum.
               ``Since we have been in Washington, it has greatly 
             encouraged me to think of the powerful ministry Dick 
             Halverson has had at the other end of Pennsylvania 
             Avenue,'' said Bill Clinton. ``I only wish we had more men 
             and women like him--people who truly live out their faith 
             and strive to live their lives the way Jesus lived His.''
               U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, certainly of 
             a different persuasion than the President, offered this 
             compliment: ``Dr. Halverson's crowning glory is that he 
             showed us how to walk in Christ's steps for this day. He 
             never said, `Put the Bible in your judicial ruling.' He 
             was ministering to us as human beings who happened to be 
             in the judiciary.''
               Halverson once explained the key to any success he 
             enjoyed this way: ``I have to be sure every morning before 
             I leave home that I have had some time with the Lord, time 
             in his Word. I want to be very sure that God knows that, 
             as far as I am concerned, I have nothing to offer except 
             what He does in and through me.
               ``That is a tremendously important part of this job.'' 
             That is a worthwhile legacy and lesson for anyone in any 
             job.
               Meanwhile, the Nation can be thankful for a Senate 
             chaplain who practiced that challenging principle on a 
             daily basis as he fulfilled his important duties.
                                          a
                     [From Christianity Today, January 9, 1995]
                               The Soul of the Senate
                                (By Karen M. Feaver)
               With the retirement of U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard C. 
             Halverson, many in Washington are adjusting to the 
             departure of a devoted Christian servant. Before 
             Halverson's retirement, Karen Feaver, a former 
             congressional aide, returned to her old stomping grounds 
             to survey the legacy of the chaplain's tenure.
               Dr. Halverson would often walk into our Friday lunch-
             break Bible study with a bounce in his step, singing an 
             old Cole Porter tune. His ruddy complexion, snow-white 
             hair, twinkling eyes, and vaudevillian manner sometimes 
             seemed humorously at odds with his role as the chaplain of 
             the United States Senate. But congressional staffers like 
             me, eager for a sweet hour of spiritual encouragement in 
             the midst of the commotion of Capitol Hill politics, saw 
             Christ's peace enter the room with the chaplain's welcome.
               That was 5 years ago. These days Chaplain Halverson 
             walks to the Senate floor a bit more slowly, but his eyes 
             still twinkle with the same joyful presence that used to 
             make me look forward to Friday lunches. Those he greets 
             throughout the Senate respond to his ``God bless you'' 
             during the closing days of this congressional session with 
             a deep sense of gratitude tinged with sadness. After 14 
             years of service, the man Florida governor Lawton Chiles 
             calls the ``soul of the Senate'' is retiring.
               In a city where it is all too easy for the political 
             mission to eclipse the spiritual, Chaplain Halverson has 
             been a beacon, quietly calling us back to first things. 
             His witness reminded us not to allow our zeal in the 
             political to ``shut the door to dialogue'' on the eternal. 
             Following prayer each Friday, his benediction sent us out 
             in the knowledge that the greater opener of hearts is the 
             Spirit of Christ cloaked in our bodies wherever we worked 
             and went. No one lived out that example better than he.
               The humble heart he brought to the Senate in 1981 was 
             characteristic of his pastoral ministry, which began with 
             a life-changing decision in 1935. After an early stage 
             career as a 10-year-old member of a vaudeville troop 
             called the Winnipeg Kiddies and a later stint as a teenage 
             vocalist for a barnstorming dance band, Dick Halverson 
             left his native North Dakota to make his mark in 
             Hollywood. Lonesome and a bit fearful of the lifestyle 
             patterns he was developing, after spending a year in the 
             glitter of ``Tinsel Town,'' he decided on New Year's Eve, 
             1934, to visit a church in southwest Los Angeles. Two 
             months later, a young preacher--whose stage presence and 
             command of the audience struck Halverson as better suited 
             to acting than the pulpit--asked if he would like to know 
             God's plan for his life. Halverson, who had not been sure 
             there was a God, let alone that he might have a plan for 
             his life, accepted the pastor's invitation to make a 
             commitment to Christ. By 1937 he was in Henrietta Mear's 
             college department at Hollywood Presbyterian Church, one 
             of a great number of young men upon whom she exercised an 
             enormous influence.
               Wheaton College and Princeton Seminary followed before 
             several pastorates, ending in a 23-year tenure as senior 
             pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, 
             Maryland. It was one of his Fourth Presbyterian 
             parishioners, Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield, who asked him 
             in 1980 if he would be interested in serving as Senate 
             chaplain. The Republicans had just won the Senate 
             majority, and with the retirement of Edward L.R. Elson, 
             the previous chaplain, the Republican leadership had the 
             important task of selecting a shepherd for this most 
             singular flock. After a great deal of prayer, Halverson 
             decided it was God's calling.
                                 a servant's servant
               His first task as Senate chaplain, says Halverson, was 
             to figure out what the job was really all about. The job 
             description merely states that the chaplain must open the 
             Senate with prayer each day the Senate is in session. 
             Beyond the invocation, the chaplain's job had 
             traditionally been thought of as a ministry to the 
             Senators alone. But Halverson felt God directing him to be 
             a servant-pastor to everybody on the Senate side of 
             Capitol Hill. His secretary and assistant in ministry, 
             Martie Kinsell, has a sign above her desk that beautifully 
             says it all: ``Servant to the servants of the Servant.''
               When one might expect to see the chaplain only on the 
             Senate floor for the morning prayer, his ``presence is 
             everywhere,'' states Senator Hatfield. He brought with him 
             a lesson he had learned years earlier about the importance 
             of simply being available to people at their convenience 
             and in their time of need. In his book The Living Body, 
             Halverson recalls that as a young minister he asked God to 
             direct him to people in the congregation whom he should 
             make a concerted effort to befriend. He felt God's Spirit 
             lead him to contact a dentist he had seen in the pews. The 
             dentist invited him to lunch but, at the end of their time 
             together, was shocked to find that the pastor had no 
             agenda, wanted no money for the church, but simply wanted 
             to get to know him.
               Governor Chiles pinpoints this emphasis on one-on-one 
             relationships as the chaplain's ``greatest of all gifts,'' 
             noting, ``he always took the time.''
               A Senator told me of waking with Halverson when they 
             were stopped by a policeman who asked the chaplain to pray 
             for his sick wife. The chaplain prayed on the spot, 
             leaving the officer both surprised and comforted by 
             Halverson's quick response.
               Capitol police officer Robert Ellis reflected on the 
             chaplain's special friendship with the Senate police, 
             recalling how Halverson regularly reserved a room in the 
             Capitol, providing coffee and donuts for the officers so 
             that he could listen to their concerns. ``He never brushes 
             anyone off,'' said Ellis. ``Of any minister I have ever 
             known, he has touched me the most.''
               And one does not have to spend long in the Senate dining 
             room to discover how much the chaplain's care has meant 
             there. During my visit there, one after another, servers 
             and cooks spoke of his greeting them each morning with an 
             ``I love you'' or ``God bless you, sister.'' He sometimes 
             gathered the workers in a circle for morning prayer, 
             asking God to bless their day. Leila Dais, who has served 
             in the dining room for 30 years, told how Halverson once 
             opened the Senate with a special prayer for her after her 
             father passed away. Dorothy Taylor, another waitress, said 
             it ``seemed like he always knew when we needed prayer.''
               Chaplain Halverson also makes it a point to stay in 
             communication with the White House. As he has done with 
             previous President, from time to time, Halverson sends 
             notes to President Clinton containing Scriptures that God 
             has laid on his heart for the man. ``I always get a 
             personal response from President Clinton when I do that,'' 
             he says.
               The chaplain has carefully stayed the pastoral course 
             God set for him, rising above the political din to meet 
             the primary need for God's love on all sides. Though he 
             holds deep Christian convictions about the great moral 
             issues of our day that surface in the political arena, a 
             group of Democratic and Republican Senators who meet 
             weekly with the chaplain for lunch and prayer say he has 
             responded to their political and moral questions without 
             showing partiality, always answering with scriptures that 
             he thinks will help shed God's wisdom on the subject. He 
             has often listened to their floor speeches, complimenting 
             them on the thoughtfulness of their presentations, never 
             offering criticism, only encouragement in Christ.
               And many Senators express deep gratitude that he bore 
             their burdens in times of both individual and corporate 
             need. They remember Halverson's willingness to answer 
             Senator Byrd's request for him to conduct his grandson's 
             funeral in West Virginia shortly after the chaplain came 
             to the Senate and how he gathered one former Senator's 
             staff together for prayer after one of their coworkers was 
             killed. And I personally remember the chaplain asking our 
             Friday group to uphold then-Tennessee Senator Al Gore's 
             son in prayer when he was seriously injured by a car in 
             1989.
               The Senators have also appreciated Chaplain Halverson's 
             constant care for their staffs, who face daily Senate 
             pressures in addition to the natural anxiety of election 
             years. Chaplain Halverson was looking forward to his last 
             opportunity to make the rounds after the November election 
             to encourage those working in the offices of Senators who 
             lost their races for re-election.
                               a legacy of compassion
               The Senate's opening invocation remains a major 
             responsibility, and many attest to the great spiritual 
             sensitivity with which the chaplain carries out this 
             function. Indiana Senator Daniel Coats says the chaplain's 
             morning invocations have usually reflected the 
             undercurrents he detects beneath the surface of the 
             Senate's tension-filled debates. ``He always had a sense 
             of the kind of admonition or encouragement or soothing 
             balm that the Senate needed. The next day's prayer was 
             always the right word to put some healing into the 
             Senate's contentious process.''
               Above all, Senators have felt Chaplain Halverson's deep 
             love for them personally. According to Hatfield, Halverson 
             is the ``greatest defender of the Senate,'' who does not 
             hesitate to take Christians to task for unfairly 
             criticizing those he knows and cares for as friends. He 
             sees the Senators' frustrations as they seek to address 
             the great problems of our day, encouraging them with the 
             reminder that, according to the Book of Romans, even God's 
             perfect law could not produce a perfect society. Observes 
             Halverson: ``I am there as the Senators share their 
             frustrations, share their love for Christ, and share their 
             weakness and their vulnerability. I see them in an 
             entirely different way. I see them as human beings, as 
             sinful and as needy as anyone else--but, generally 
             speaking, trying to make a difference in the Nation.''
               In spite of the sensitive nature of the job, the 
             Senators have placed no restrictions on the office of the 
             chaplain. Halverson recalls that early in his tenure a few 
             Jewish Senators gently reminded him that they felt 
             excluded when he prayed ``in the name of Jesus.'' Not 
             wanting to offend them--but also not wanting to compromise 
             his calling--the chaplain has sometimes closed his prayers 
             in the name of Jesus and, at other times, in an analogous 
             title like ``the Way, the Truth, and the Life.'' And he 
             has often said to his Jewish friends in the Senate, ``You 
             know everything about my faith is Jewish, and my best 
             friend (Jesus) is Jewish.''
               In a day when increasing scrutiny is being given to 
             taxpayer support of any religious activity, the 
             announcement of Chaplain Halverson's retirement has raised 
             serious questions about the constitutionality of the 
             position of Senate chaplain. Nevertheless, no doubt 
             because of Halverson's heartfelt management of the role, a 
             clear consensus emerged in the Senate that his position 
             should be filled when he steps down, although a 
             replacement has yet to be named.
               When asked what qualities or disciplines were necessary 
             for the job, Halverson told me: ``I have to be sure every 
             morning before I leave home that I have had some time with 
             the Lord, time in his Word. I want to be very sure that 
             God knows that, as far as I am concerned, I have nothing 
             to offer except what he does in and through me. That is a 
             tremendously important part of this job.''
               Herein lies the true legacy of Halverson's chaplaincy to 
             the Senate and, indeed, to the Nation: the witness of the 
             power of Christ through a man who took seriously the call 
             to serve--without regard to station or party. A man who 
             followed his Savior's example and showed us how by 
             becoming our servant.
                      chaplain halverson on the american church
               Attempting to gauge the impact of the church on 
             leadership and society is as effective as dropping a 
             saltshaker on food. When the salt is doing its work, it is 
             scattered and unseen. Likewise, when the church is doing 
             its work, it is not visible. When the church is visible, 
             it is doing ``church work,'' not the real ministry in the 
             world. When you can see and measure what it is doing, you 
             are seeing and measuring something other than its real 
             impact.
               The invasion of secularism into the church has caused it 
             to embrace secular criteria for ``success''--number and 
             size and influence and visible impact. Paul said, ``That 
             which is seen is temporal. That which is not seen is 
             eternal'' (2 Cor. 4:18). But we have the churches today 
             measuring their effectiveness by that which is seen, the 
             temporal. The most important thing is taking seriously 
             Christ's call to serve. It is the greatest force in the 
             world.
                                      comments
               ``Since we have been in Washington it has greatly 
             encouraged me to think of the powerful ministry Dick 
             Halverson has had at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. 
             I only wish we had more men and women like him--people who 
             truly live out their faith and strive to live their lives 
             the way Jesus lived his.''
                                              President Bill Clinton.
                                          a

               ``He is a wonderful preacher and, more importantly, he 
             is a wonderful pastor who has adopted the whole Senate 
             family.''
                                            Georgia Senator Sam Nunn.
                                          a

               ``Even though we are the low man on the totem pole, he 
             always remembers at the end of the year to make a 
             statement for the Congressional Record, thanking us for 
             our good service.''
                   Melvin Jordan, employee at the Senate dining room.

                                          a

               ``Chaplain Halverson's obvious humility and compassion 
             is a tremendous--and needed--contrast to the culture of 
             the Senate, which is power and the exercise of power.''
                                        Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield.
                                          a

               ``Dr. Halverson's crowning glory is that he showed us 
             how to walk in Christ's steps for this day. He never said, 
             `Put the Bible in your judicial ruling.' He was 
             ministering to us as human beings who happened to be in 
             the judiciary.''
                               Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
                                          a
               [From the National Christian Choir News, Winter, 1995]
                   Dr. Richard C. Halverson--At Home With Our Lord
               Dr. Richard C. Halverson has gone to be with the Lord. 
             If there are men of greatness in this life, Dick Halverson 
             was certainly one of them. He was a man of God who 
             influenced the lives of untold numbers to live more 
             productively for Jesus Christ. He was pastor of Fourth 
             Presbyterian Church in Bethesda for more than 20 years 
             before he became the Chaplain of the United States Senate.
               Dr. Halverson was instrumental in the founding of The 
             National Christian Choir. In 1980, he invited Harry Causey 
             to come to Fourth Presbyterian to serve as Minister of 
             Music. During Harry's first week in the city, he shared 
             with Dr. Halverson his dream of a national Christian 
             choir. Dr. Halverson enthusiastically supported the idea 
             and offered his help. When that opportunity arose in 
             January of 1984 for Harry to form and conduct a choir and 
             orchestra in Constitution Hall--the first concert of The 
             National Christian Choir--Dr. Halverson served as 
             narrator. Following that occasion, he said: ``I have 
             learned for the first time what it means to truly worship 
             the Lord. This choir must continue!'' And it did. Dr. 
             Halverson served as a member of our founding Board of 
             Directors, offering much advice and encouragement.
               On December 11, 1995, thousands of friends and 
             colleagues gathered at Fourth Presbyterian Church to 
             remember the incredibly positive life of this Christian 
             leader. The sanctuary filled to capacity an hour before 
             the announced time, and many people were led to an 
             overflow area to watch on closed-circuit television. There 
             was a wonderfully satisfying moment just as the service 
             began when Dr. Billy Graham surprised those in attendance 
             by walking in and sitting with the Halverson family. Many 
             had come far for this tribute, but Billy Graham's presence 
             said it all.
               In the midst of our sense of loss, there were light 
             moments and laughter as we celebrated the life of this 
             wonderful man. It was a special moment when his daughter, 
             Debbie, reminded us of her father's love of music. 
             Debbie's husband, organist of the church, had asked her, 
             ``Do you suppose Pops has met Bach in heaven yet?'' 
             Debbie's answer: ``No, I doubt he's had time. He's too 
             busy jamming--with Glenn Miller!'' It was a joyful moment 
             as we imagined this man of dignity enjoying some of his 
             pleasures eternally.
               One person told us how they had asked Dick, ``Dr. 
             Halverson, what is your secret for such success in the 
             ministry?'' He answered, ``I have an advantage.'' The 
             person leaned forward to grasp the wisdom about to be 
             shared. Dick continued: ``My advantage is that I have a 
             low self image. I have discovered that in my weakness, He 
             is strong.'' Dick, we are still learning from you, dear 
             brother.
               Two days later, The National Christian Choir joined with 
             the Members of the United States Senate on Capitol Hill 
             for a private memorial service led by the new Senate 
             Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd Ogilvie. It was a very similar event, 
             but the audience consisted of names from the headlines--
             Dole, Kennedy, Hatfield, and many others. Just as 
             important, the service staff of the Senate was present. Of 
             all the speeches, in fact, the most moving was from a 
             diminutive black lady who had served in the Senate 
             cafeteria for 20 years. It was gratifying to see how the 
             famous leaders of our Nation and the support staff all 
             came together on one level of humility and love. Dick 
             Halverson had a wonderful way of helping to bridge such 
             gaps.
               One of the Senators made a statement that went something 
             like this: ``Dick Halverson is now in heaven. This 
             occasion is a reminder to all of us that entrance into 
             heaven is not accomplished by majority vote!'' Well said.
               Dick Halverson would have been embarrassed by the 
             attention afforded him at those services. He would have 
             wanted us all to focus more on the Lord Jesus Christ--and 
             he would have said so. As we step into yet another new 
             year, may we all do just that.
               Thank you, Dick, for helping us see Jesus.
                    [From the Kansas City Star, January 10, 1996]
                                      Chaplain
                                  (By Bill Tammeus)
               When the Reverend Richard C. Halverson was on the 
             ministerial staff of the old Linwood Presbyterian Church 
             in Kansas City in the mid-1940's, no one could have 
             predicted that for 14 years--from 1981 until his 
             retirement last year--he would be the effective and 
             respected chaplain of the U.S. Senate.
               Halverson, who died recently at age 79, became a trusted 
             source of spiritual guidance on Capitol Hill and a voice 
             for ecumenical cooperation. He traveled the world for many 
             years on behalf of the relief efforts of World Vision and 
             he helped to make the prayer breakfast movement a popular 
             institution among politicians.
               In Washington, he helped make the halls of Congress a 
             more caring place for people who worked there.
                                          a
                          [From The Hill, October 19, 1994]
                      Reflections of a Retiring Senate Chaplain
                                  (By Deborah Kalb)
               For the past 14 years, the Reverend Richard Halverson 
             has been privy to some of the most intimate details of the 
             private lives of Members of the Senate, staffers and 
             employees. But at a time when such information would fetch 
             astronomical sums from the purveyors of tabloid 
             journalism, he has remained totally discreet.
               As the Senate chaplain serving all 100 Senators plus 
             thousands of Senate staffers and workers, the 78-year-old 
             Presbyterian minister not only delivers the opening prayer 
             for Senate sessions, but is responsible for spiritually 
             counseling the entire Senate populace. Naturally he is 
             sensitive to the problems of people in public life.
               ``I feel a great deal of frustration in the Senate,'' 
             the white-haired, bespectacled native of North Dakota said 
             last week as he prepared to retire from his $117,000-a-
             year job. ``My conviction after 14 years is that people 
             who come to the Senate really want to do something about 
             the problems of the Nation. They are not here for 
             political purposes. Some are seduced by that, but they are 
             the grand exception. Most are here to serve the Nation.''
               As one of five officers of the Senate, the chaplain is 
             chosen by the majority party. Although Halverson was 
             appointed by a Republican-controlled Senate, he has been 
             reappointed for successive two-year terms by Democratic-
             controlled Senates as well. His House counterpart, 
             Reverend James David Ford, who has served since 1979, is 
             not planning to retire.
               In an interview in his small but comfortable Hart 
             building office, Halverson was asked about the many people 
             who are reported to be interested in succeeding him. ``I 
             would mistrust the motivation of anyone who seeks the job 
             of chaplain,'' he replied in a smoothing cadence. Noting 
             that he told the leadership not to consider anyone who is 
             actively lobbying for the position, he added, ``It is a 
             comfortable salary, compared to most ministers.''
               Halverson did not actively seek the position himself, he 
             recalls. In 1981, he had been serving as minister at the 
             Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda for over 20 years. 
             Several Members of Congress belonged to the congregation, 
             including Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR), who suggested he 
             apply for the job as Senate chaplain. Halverson was 
             turning 65 at the time, and he and his family ``felt it 
             was a good move.''
               Halverson has seen an increase in pressures on his 
             Senate flock. ``There is a lot of cynicism in the Nation 
             today,'' he says, noting increased media negativity and 
             constituent pressures. During Senate debate on the crime 
             bill, he says, ``I felt I could feel the frustration.'' He 
             sensed that while Senators were trying to pass a strong 
             bill, they felt unable to make a real difference.
               ``It has gotten worse, more intensified,'' he said, 
             adding that Senate staffers are under even more strain 
             than their bosses because they are caught between the 
             Senators and the constituents.
               But Halverson said he finds one trend ``very 
             encouraging:'' that there is a ``growing, deepening 
             awareness of the fundamental need'' for an American 
             spiritual and moral revolution. He said he welcomes 
             indications that the country is ``suddenly waking up'' to 
             ``the moral value vacuum in America and the necessity of 
             returning to (values).''
               President Clinton, among other politicians, has 
             addressed this issue. But Halverson said he finds it 
             ``troubling'' that many religious Americans are cynical 
             about politicians who express their faith. ``When a 
             politician is very vocal and upfront about his faith, 
             often people of faith become cynical about that. They feel 
             he is using it as a political device. That is not true, 
             but the result is a great reticence on the part of leaders 
             to be upfront'' about their religion.
               He recalls one Senator who had been a governor and held 
             a retreat each year, led by Halverson. When the former 
             governor came to the Senate, he did not attend the weekly 
             Senate prayer breakfast. When Halverson asked him about 
             it, he was told, ``I was so upfront with my faith when I 
             was governor, and it really cost me politically.'' Such 
             views are common, Halverson said.
               Halverson believes that people of faith should become 
             active in politics. ``Believers ought to be involved in 
             politics, or at least vote and be intelligent about 
             voting,'' he commented. He thinks one of the benefits of 
             the Christian right movements is that it gets people to 
             think about politics. He also welcomes the growth of 
             religious groups taking positions contrary to that of the 
             religious right. ``It is good, it gives some balance,'' he 
             said.
               While Halverson said he tries to keep out of politics, 
             he did get into a controversy earlier this year by 
             offering a prayer for O.J. Simpson. ``I got hundreds of 
             letters,'' he recalls, adding that letters are still 
             trickling in.
               Ministering to the Senate has kept Halverson busy. He 
             visits Senators, staffers, and other workers in the 
             hospital. He counsels staffers and workers in his office, 
             and visits Senators in their offices. And even on his 
             walks between his office and the Capitol, he says he is 
             often stopped by people asking him to pray for their 
             relatives or themselves. ``I try never to be in a hurry,'' 
             he said.
               After spending a month in the hospital in 1992 for 
             treatment of a digestive problem, Halverson has slowed 
             down. ``I must retire,'' he said. ``I cannot do the job 
             the way I feel I should. I am 78, I am hardly a 
             teenager.''
               News of his retirement has resulted in tributes to 
             Halverson in person and on the Senate floor. He hopes to 
             leave his post by the end of December, but wants to stay 
             to orient the new chaplain who will replace him.
               Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV), paid tribute to Halverson in 
             a recent Senate speech: ``He has visited with us in the 
             hospitals. He has visited with our wives and our families 
             in their sick rooms. He has attended memorial services for 
             our friends and our loved ones, and we shall never forget 
             these good deeds.'' Halverson in turn speaks warmly of 
             Byrd, calling him ``an old-fashioned righteous man.'' He 
             also has a signed portrait of the Senator on his office 
             wall.
               Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA), also commended Halverson 
             on the Senate floor, discussing his participation in an 
             ongoing Senate Bible study group conducted by scholar 
             Naomi Rosenblatt.
               What next for the ex-chaplain? Perhaps a book. ``I am 
             getting pressure to write a book,'' he said. ``If I would 
             write it the way I see the Senate, nobody would believe 
             it. I am an outside-insider, or an inside-outsider. I 
             serve all Senators, and I love all of them.''
                                          a
                   [From the York Daily Record, November 9, 1994]
                       Most Powerful Man in Washington Retires
                                   (By Cal Thomas)
               Among those leaving office at the end of this Congress 
             is a man who lived and worked among Senators for the past 
             14 years--but never played the power ``game.'' He did not 
             have many of the perks of Senators. He drove himself to 
             work in an unspectacular older car. His office was smaller 
             than all the others and, like the man who occupied it, 
             lacked pretension. And yet, according to some who know him 
             best, he has been the most powerful man in Washington.
               Richard Christian Halverson, a native of North Dakota, a 
             former chauffeur who went to Hollywood as a young man to 
             become an actor, is retiring as chaplain of the U.S. 
             Senate. A rare man in Washington, he has been beloved by 
             Democrats and Republicans, from Ted Kennedy to Jesse 
             Helms. His job description required nothing more of him 
             than to open the Senate each day with prayer, as the 
             Senate has every session since Benjamin Franklin offered 
             the first prayer at the dawn of the new nation. Some of 
             Halverson's prayers were so meaningful and relevant that 
             portions of a few of them made the evening network 
             newscasts.
               Halverson's prayers were mini-sermons, imploring not 
             only God's blessing on the Senate and its Members, but 
             imparting words of wisdom that could facilitate reasoned 
             debate and enlightened legislative decisionmaking.
               A prayer he delivered on June 23, 1993, was typical: 
             ``God of our fathers, during the presidential campaign 
             last year, Jesse Jackson reminded us that what is morally 
             wrong cannot be politically right. If we separate morality 
             from politics, we imperil our Nation and threaten self-
             destruction. Imperial Rome was not defeated by an enemy 
             from without; it was destroyed by moral decay from within. 
             Mighty God, over and over again You warned Your people, 
             Israel, that righteousness is essential to national 
             health.''
               A frequent visitor to the Senate Press Gallery, 
             Halverson prayed this prayer on February 26, 1992: 
             ``Gracious Father, investigative reporting seems epidemic 
             in an election year--its primary objective to defame 
             political candidates. Seeking their own reputation, they 
             destroy another's as they search relentlessly, 
             microscopically for some ancient skeleton in a person's 
             life. Eternal God, help these self-appointed `vacuum-
             cleaner journalists' to discover how unproductive and 
             divisive their efforts are.''
               From the mundane to the profound, Richard Halverson 
             could speak (and pray) about things in meaningful and 
             effective ways. For several decades he has written a bi-
             weekly devotional letter called ``Perspective'' that has 
             affected the thousands who have received it. I once met a 
             man in a coffee shop in Amarillo, Texas, who told me he 
             had never met Halverson but had read ``Perspective'' for 
             years, ``and it changed my life.'' That is real power, the 
             power to change the life of a person you have never met.
               Dick Halverson has not been a closet chaplain, sitting 
             in his office in the Hart Senate Office Building, waiting 
             for Senators to come to him. He has roamed the halls and 
             knows the names of waitresses and custodians as well as 
             those of Senators. The countenances of the small and the 
             great (a distinction lost on Halverson) light up in his 
             presence.
               Like his famous predecessor, Chaplain Peter Marshall, 
             Richard Halverson has been a true servant of God in a 
             place where His influence is sorely needed. Of Peter 
             Marshall, the late Senator Arthur Vandenburg wrote his 
             widow Catherine, on hearing of Marshall's death, ``To me 
             he was the embodiment of `Onward Christian Soldiers.' To 
             me he was the personification of purposeful religion. His 
             prayers were eloquent and real. He lived his faith.''
               The same could be said of Dick Halverson, whose power 
             came not from the electorate, or status, or position, but 
             from God. The new Senate will fill no office of greater or 
             more profound importance.
                                          a
                     [From the Washington Post, April 10, 1981]
                From Youth in Show Business to Chaplain of the Senate
                                 (By Marjorie Hyer)
               He learned to love the spotlight as a boy soprano, on 
             the vaudeville circuit when he was 10; he went on to 
             become internationally known as a pastor and evangelical 
             opinion maker.
               Now, at the climax of his career, he operates out of a 
             bleak, one-window cubbyhole of an office that he shares 
             with a secretary. But as chaplain of the Senate, the 
             Reverend Richard C. Halverson has one of the most 
             exclusive congregations in the world.
               At Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, where 
             Halverson, 65, will wind up 23 years of ministry at the 
             end of this month, he preaches to upwards of 1,500 people 
             every Sunday and directs a complex seven-day-a-week 
             program that reaches around the world.
               As the 50th chaplain of the Senate, he completes in a 
             minute or two the only task that is specifically assigned 
             him--opening each session of the Senate with a prayer; 
             often he is lucky if half a dozen of his distinguished 
             parishioners are in the chamber to hear it. That does not 
             worry him. ``I pray to God for the Senate,'' he reminded a 
             visitor.
               Though still feeling his way through what his new job 
             entails, Halverson sees it in much broader terms than the 
             daily prayer, and his new parish as extending well beyond 
             the 100 elected officials. ``I feel, as the chaplain, I 
             must be like a pastor to the Senators, their families and 
             staffs, to just be a faithful servant to all these people, 
             to the (Capitol) police, to the people who work in the 
             cafeteria, to the women who clean.'
               Most of them, he recognizes, have their own pastors, 
             their own church connections--at least those who want 
             them. ``So my role is just be here, to be available to 
             them, to be a servant of the public servants, to love 
             them,'' he says after two months on the job as the 
             successor to the Reverend Edward L.R. Elson, a 
             Presbyterian who served for 12 years.
               Throughout the Nation's history, men from eight 
             Christian denominations, including one Roman Catholic, 
             have served as official Senate chaplains. Apart from the 
             required opening prayer, the job has been pretty much what 
             each man has made of it.
               John Brackenridge, a Presbyterian, used the position in 
             1814 to thunder against the Senators for legislation that 
             he felt would lead to desecrating the Sabbath, such as 
             transporting the mail. He warned that God would punish 
             them, that ``your temple and your palaces will be burned 
             to the ground.''
               Two weeks later when British troops torched the White 
             House, Brackenridge declared it to be ``the chastening of 
             the Lord.''
               For others it has been a grateful way to close out a 
             career, as it was for Unitarian Edward Everett Hale, who 
             had written ``The Man Without a Country'' 40 years before 
             he assumed the chaplaincy.
               In Halverson's case, his career in the public eye began 
             early in Pingree, North Dakota, where he grew up. 
             Possessed then by what he calls ``a penchant for 
             entertaining,'' he used to stand outside the pool hall and 
             sing for nickels. His parents were divorced, but his 
             mother ``was very ambitious for me and she got me a 
             contract with a vaudeville troupe that was touring Canada.
               His show business career lasted only six months, because 
             his voice changed. But from then on, the only thing he 
             could think of was Hollywood. He got his chance the summer 
             he was 19, when his mother let him stay on and seek his 
             fortune there after a family vacation in California. He 
             lived on the 50 cents a day he earned working in a tiny 
             auto-polish factory, and entered every amateur contest he 
             could find.
               Then came Christmas, his first away from home and 
             family, and a deep loneliness compounded by an uneasy 
             conscience. Even though his family had never had anything 
             to do with churches, the life style he was drifting into 
             in his pursuit of a show business career began to conflict 
             with the strict moral code his mother had imparted.
               With some qualms, he decided to attend a New Year's Eve 
             service at a little Presbyterian church. ``I had a very 
             dim view of churches and pastors,'' he says. ``In my view 
             then, a minister was a man who had failed at everything 
             else.''
               That service only reinforced his low opinion, and the 
             minute the service was over, Halverson fled. But he was 
             met at the bottom of the steps by a layman who welcomed 
             him, introduced him to some other young men in the church 
             and invited him to a breakfast the young people were 
             having. When they discovered he loved to sing, they signed 
             him up for the choir.
               Bit by bit, the youth got drawn into the activities of 
             that congregation, although he still had not changed his 
             opinion of churches or pastors. But then came a young 
             pastor fresh out of the seminary. To Halverson's 
             amazement, the young minister, the Reverend David L. 
             Cowie, was everything Halverson thought a man ought to be, 
             shattering many of his prejudices about the church. 
             ``There was something about him that I wanted,'' Halverson 
             recalled.
               So on a Sunday night 45 years ago--Halverson still marks 
             the anniversary--he had a serious talk with Cowie and 
             concluded that the ``something'' he lacked was a 
             commitment to Christ. ``I gave my life to Christ. . . . I 
             actually signed my life over to Him in a kind of deed. I 
             still carry it around in the back of my Bible.
               After finishing Wheaton College and Princeton 
             Theological Siminary, Halverson served churches in 
             California for a dozen years. He came to Washington in 
             1956 to work with the international prayer breakfast 
             movement, a tie that he retained when, two years later, he 
             was called to Fourth Presbyterian Church, which had just 
             moved out from 13th and Fairmont Streets NW., to a new 
             suburban site on River Road in Bethesda.
               There were about 500 members when he arrived; now the 
             church has 2,100 members, coming from as far away as 
             Manassas and the suburbs of Baltimore, and three full-time 
             pastors. The two Sunday morning services became so crowded 
             last fall that the pastors launched an 11 o'clock Bible 
             study class in the Kenwood Country Club across the street 
             that draws about 300 each Sunday.
               Though Fourth Presbyterian has become a shining light in 
             worldwide evangelical Protestantism under Halverson's 
             leadership, he has put down even deeper roots in the 
             prayer breakfast movement that commands the loyalties of 
             hundreds of men and women on Capitol Hill. The movement 
             shuns publicity; one of its strengths is that the prayer 
             groups have been one of the few places in Washington where 
             men and women normally in the spotlight can admit their 
             human and spiritual needs without fear for their public 
             image.
               Because of his association with the movement throughout 
             his 25 years in Washington, as well as his friendship with 
             the large numbers of men and women from Capitol Hill who 
             attend his church, Halverson already has a wide circle of 
             friends in his new parish.
               In welcoming Halverson to the Senate on his first day, 
             Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR), who was once a member of his 
             congregation, called him ``supremely suited to be our 
             pastor and friend for the challenges ahead.''
               For all his youthful fascination with show biz, 
             clergyman Halverson today functions more typically in 
             quiet conversations, encouraging and motivating others to 
             take the lead. ``He has a style of leadership which evokes 
             leadership in others,'' said the Reverend Dr. Edward 
             White, head of the National Capital Union Presbytery.
               White, who uses words such as ``authentic,'' 
             ``unassuming'' and ``loyal'' in characterizing Halverson's 
             ministry, remarked that very often among clergy, ``big-
             steeple preachers have big-steeple egos. Dick is 
             uncharacteristic in that respect. . . .
               ``There is one thing I have noticed when I have been 
             with Dick in informal gatherings. . . . He will get to 
             talking about other people and he talks about them in such 
             a way that you would think they had hung the moon. He has 
             such a tremendous appreciation for other people.''
               Halverson does not see his new parish as a recruiting 
             ground for his own brand of Christianity. ``I am here as a 
             servant of public servants. My role is to love them, to be 
             available to them, to try to stay out of their way and to 
             minister privately to them as they come to me in need of 
             my services.
               ``Of course, I believe that the ultimate answer to their 
             needs is Jesus Christ, but I am not going to hit them over 
             the head with it,'' he said.
               Halverson has promised he will reject any temptation to 
             use his position to bring pressure for a particular piece 
             of legislation. ``I would not take any initiative to 
             lobby,'' he said.
               All of this fits with the more recent tradition of the 
             post, which is supposed to be free from political 
             influence. Under present rules, the chaplain is nominated 
             by the majority party and elected for an indefinite term 
             by vote of the full Senate.
               The chaplain's office is a former storage room, about 9 
             feet by 15 feet, just inside the door of the Russell 
             Office Building. Sharing the cramped space with his 
             secretary scarcely offers Halverson a setting for the 
             counseling he sees as part of his job, a visitor reminds 
             him. ``Well, I can always go where they are,'' he says 
             with a laugh.
               And the job does have its compensations. The chaplain's 
             prayer leads off each day's issue of the Congressional 
             Record. Halverson prays, in fairly workaday speech, for 
             God to give his flock attributes such as strength, wisdom, 
             humility, courage and divine protection from ``the forces 
             which would exploit . . . as pressure from interest groups 
             builds. He is not given to flights of ornate language or 
             great literary display.
               Halverson writes his prayers a day ahead, and while he 
             tries to keep them nonpartisan, he also strives for 
             relevance. ``I pray over my prayers,'' he said. ``I read 
             the papers to see what is going on.''
               With the fast movement of events, he writes a goodly 
             number of prayers, that may never get used before the 
             Senate. ``But,'' he says, ``they may be more important 
             than the ones that are used.''
                                          a
                     [From International Ministries Fellowship]
                                     In Memoriam
                                 (By Hal W. Guffey)
               Dr. Richard C. Halverson--With the Lord as of November 
             28, 1995.
               One of a kind. Of Norwegian ``Viking'' stock. 
             Indescribable. He loved God. He loved people. It showed!
               Not a great orator. Yet, he could say more--say it 
             better--in fewer words than any one else.
               (Exhibit A--the bi-weekly Perspective letter from which 
             SPICE has often quoted.)
               He prayed for more people than most people know--
             carrying cards with names of hundreds--thousands?
               When as Chaplain he prayed in the U.S. Senate--``Someone 
             besides God listened'' a Senator remarked.
               (Everyone should possess--and use--``No Greater 
             Power''--a collection of some of his Senate prayers and an 
             application of God's power for living--Multnomah Press.)
               Always disappointed if he did not hear prayer for 
             government leaders in church.
               From the pulpit he consistently prayed for the trash 
             collectors--the maids--the firemen--the police--yes, all 
             the people who serve the community as well as leaders.
               Musically inclined, he ended the extremely well attended 
             Sunday evening services at Fourth Presbyterian Church 
             (Bethesda, MD) with a solo rendition:

                 ``Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
                 Whose mind is stayed on Thee
                 When the shadows come and darkness falls
                 He giveth inward peace
                 O He is the only perfect reating place
                 He giveth perfect peace
                 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
                 Whose mind is stayed on thee''

               (Even our very young children enjoyed those Sunday 
             evening services!)
               Hollywood's ``call'' beckoned him to try his youthful 
             talent there. Hired on as a chauffeur/butler to a 
             prestigious ``star'' while awaiting discovery, he learned 
             about ``servanthood''.
               Converted at a Presbyterian church because an usher 
             befriended him--and got him in the choir where he heard 
             the gospel regularly.
               With a new ``call'' upon his life he studied at Wheaton 
             College in Illinois.
               Later at seminary he faced a decision--believe the 
             doubts of some professors and higher critics, or the 
             Bible. He chose the Bible.
               As an Associate Minister at Hollywood Presbyterian, God 
             gave him a fruitful ministry to men.
               Early 1958 found him in Washington, DC, with the 
             ``fellowship''--there to touch the ``movers and shakers'' 
             and the ``moved and shaken'' in and beyond this ``world'' 
             capital.
               But a true pastor, he soon added to that task the 
             Pastorate of Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, MD.
               Mid-week he might be in Indonesia, speaker at a World 
             Vision sponsored pastor's conference. (He chaired the W.V. 
             board.)
               But come Sunday morning--back in the pulpit with a fresh 
             message and new stories of what God was doing in the life 
             of His people ``over there''.
               He drilled into the minds and hearts of his congregation 
             and audiences--the work of the Church starts when the 
             believers disperse into Monday's market place.
               When one of his elders at Fourth became president of a 
             missions organization, he made a point of promising him, 
             ``If you ever need me, just let me know and I'll be 
             there.''
               You always were, Dick--without fail! Thanks. When I see 
             you again, I'll be able to sing that chorus almost as well 
             as you!!
                 
                                         

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