[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 149 (Thursday, December 1, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 1, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     ON THE RETIREMENT OF SENATORS

  Mr. RIEGLE. Mr. President, several of my Senate colleagues will be 
retiring with me at the end of this Congress. Some of them, like 
Senators Sasser, Danforth, Wallop, and DeConcini, were elected in 1976 
just as I was. Others, like Senators Boren, Mitchell, Mathews, Wofford, 
and Durenberger, arrived in later elections. But we all arrived in the 
Senate with a common goal; to help improve the lives of our 
constituents, and the Nation as a whole. Although we may have had 
differing views on how to accomplish our goal, each of us has 
endeavored to do our best for our constituents and our country.
  I have been very fortunate to work closely with some of these 
Senators over the past years, and I would like to congratulate them on 
their important public service.
  Howard Metzenbaum has had a great impact on my life, and the lives of 
many of us here. It is an understatement to say that he is both a great 
Senator and a great human being. He has brought special qualities to 
the Senator--he is a man of conscience with the courage and skill 
needed to act upon his conscience. Every debate was elevated by 
Howard's participation, and his fearlessness in confronting tough 
issues is the stuff of political legend. Nobody works harder or 
accomplishes more than he does, and this institution will be diminished 
by the lack of his presence. I have been honored to have worked 
shoulder to shoulder with Howard on countless issues that matter to the 
working people of our states, and I am especially privileged to be his 
friend.
  When Howard announced his retirement, he paid tribute to his wife, 
Shirley. Howard has had the good fortune to have a loving wife and 
partner, and a family situation from which great children and 
grandchildren have come. I know that he's looking forward to spending 
more time with Shirley and their family, but I'm glad to know that as 
the head of the Consumer Federation of America Howard Metzenbaum will 
still be on the political front lines, fighting for the interests of 
working Americans.
  The end of this Congress will also mark the departure of our majority 
leader, George Mitchell. I have rarely seen such exceptional talent and 
grace in a person as one sees in George Mitchell. He has one of the 
toughest jobs in Government, even tougher than the President's at 
times, and he has helped elevate the Senate with his dignity, 
brilliance, and fierce determination. In every way, George Mitchell has 
been the model of what a majority leader should be. Had fate been 
different, he might well have served as President. He would have had my 
vote.
  I have also worked with him in Finance Committee on an issue of great 
importance to all Americans--health care reform. George Mitchell worked 
tirelessly over many years with every Senator who genuinely wanted to 
forge a meaningful compromise on this issue. In the past 2 years, the 
majority leader endeavored to find a workable middle ground and, 
although we were finally blocked from passing health reform 
legislation, he continued to work on this issue until the very last 
days of session.
  A couple of months ago, most of our colleagues attended a dinner for 
George Mitchell during which he gave a most moving speech, reflecting 
on his years of service and the pivotal moments of his life. It is the 
kind of speech that can change a young person's life, and so I ask 
unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the speech was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

Statement of Senate Majority Leader George J. Mitchell, October 5, 1994

       I'm grateful to President Clinton, to my colleagues from 
     the Congress, and to all of you for your support for this 
     scholarship fund. This is as important to me as anything I've 
     done since I entered public service.
       Before I entered the Senate, I had the privilege of serving 
     as a Federal judge. In that position, I had great power. The 
     one I most enjoyed exercising was when I presided over what 
     are called naturalization ceremonies. They're citizenship 
     ceremonies. A group of people gathered before me in a federal 
     courtroom. They'd come from every part of the world. They'd 
     gone through the required procedures. Now in the final act, I 
     administered to them the oath of allegiance to the United 
     States. And then I made them Americans.
       It was always emotional for me because my mother was an 
     immigrant, my father the orphan son of immigrants. They had 
     no education and they lived hard lives. But because of their 
     efforts, and more importantly, because of the openness of 
     American society, I, their son, am today the Majority Leader 
     of the United States Senate.
       After every ceremony I spoke personally with each of the 
     new Americans. I asked where they came from, how they came, 
     why they came. Their stories were as different as their 
     countries of origin, but all were infused with a tangible and 
     inspiring love for this, the country of their choice. The 
     answers of the new Americans to my question of why they came 
     were different. But a common theme ran through them. It was 
     best expressed by a young Asian man who replied, in slow, 
     broken English: ``I came because here in America everyone has 
     a chance.'' A young man who'd been an American for five 
     minutes summed up the meaning of America in a single 
     sentence. Here, everyone has a chance.
       But in the twenty-first century, and the third century of 
     American history, everyone will not have a chance to succeed 
     unless they first have a chance to learn. The competition 
     will be fierce and unforgiving. Those who lack knowledge and 
     skill will not succeed. I consider myself to be especially 
     fortunate. I had a chance. I got an education.
       My mother spent her entire working life on the night shift 
     in textile mills. She was a woman of strength and substance, 
     the most influential person in my life. My father was a 
     laborer and a janitor. Like many in their generation, they 
     devoted their lives to providing for their children the 
     education they never had. They had a profound, perhaps even 
     exaggerated sense of the value of formal education. Although 
     they died without property of prominence, my parents had rich 
     and fulfilling lives by their standards--and mine.
       I experienced early in life the value of learning. In my 
     junior year at high school, I met an English teacher named 
     Elvira Whitten. I was fifteen years ago, naive, totally 
     lacking in self awareness or self-confidence. I had never 
     read a book, other than what was required to move from one 
     grade in school to the next. She was elderly, intelligent and 
     kind.
       One day she asked me to come back to class after school. I 
     did, not knowing what to expect. She talked for a few 
     minutes, then she asked me what and how much I read. I told 
     her. She picked a book up off her desk and handed it to me, 
     and said she thought I would find it interesting.
       She made it clear I didn't have to read it, but she asked 
     if I would, for her, and, if I did, to come back and tell her 
     what I thought of it. I agreed to read the book because I 
     respected her and knew that it would please her. That night, 
     I got into bed, opened the book and began reading.
       It was ``The Moon is Down,'' a short novel by John 
     Steinbeck about a wartime military occupation--presumably the 
     Nazi occupation of Norway. I stayed up most of the night 
     reading it, and could hardly wait to tell Mrs. Whitten about 
     it. She smiled, handed me another book and said, ``I thought 
     you'd like it. Here's another one you might like.''
       It went that way for a few months, and then she gently 
     suggested that I start picking out my own books. I did so, 
     and felt the first stirring of self-worth. It was my exposure 
     to the world of books, to the excitement of knowledge, and it 
     was my first step to adulthood.
       I've often wondered what would have become of me if I had 
     not met Mrs. Whitten, or if she had not taken an interest in 
     me. I will always regret that before her death I never went 
     back to tell her what a difference she made in my life. This 
     is my way of doing so, and through her, all of the other 
     teachers who hold the wondrous power to open young minds and 
     inspire young lives.
       Earlier this year, when I announced that I would not seek 
     reelection, I received hundreds of requests from groups who 
     wanted to honor me in some way. I asked that all such offers 
     be concentrated into this one effort. The money raised 
     tonight will be combined with the remainder of my campaign 
     fund to set up a scholarship foundation to help needy and 
     deserving students get a college education.
       Nothing is more important to success in American life than 
     a good education. I believe that, because of my own 
     experience and because of what I expect to be the rising 
     demands of the next century.
       I once needed help and got it. Now, fate has provided me 
     the opportunity to help others. I'm grateful for that 
     opportunity. And I'm grateful to you for helping to make it 
     possible. I've been proud to serve the people of Maine in the 
     United States Senate. It's a great honor, the greatest of my 
     life. But when the 104th Congress convenes in January, I will 
     not be there to take the oath of office as a United States 
     Senator.
       My decision not to seek reelection was based solely on my 
     personal concept of public service. I will miss the Senate. I 
     will miss my colleagues. Most of all, I will miss public 
     service.
       I've been in the private sector and then in the public 
     sector, and I'm now returning to the private sector. I take 
     nothing away from private life when I say that nothing can 
     ever give the deep and meaningful satisfaction that comes 
     from public service. Public service gives work a value and 
     meaning greater than mere personal ambition and private 
     goals.
       Public service must be and is its own reward, for it does 
     not guarantee wealth, popularity, or respect. It's often 
     frustrating. But when you do something that will change the 
     lives of people for the better, then it's worth all the 
     frustrations. We are the most fortunate people ever to have 
     lived, to be Americans, citizens of the most free, the most 
     open, the most just society in human history. Ours is 
     virtually the only government in history dedicated to opening 
     doors, not closing them.
       In America today, I believe anyone can go as far and reach 
     as high as work, talent, and education allow. We can't 
     equalize effort or talent and we shouldn't. But we can 
     provide equal opportunity--the promise to everyone of a fair 
     chance to succeed. It's because of the promise of America 
     that I was able to become the Majority Leader of the United 
     States Senate.
       Whatever new problems arise, whatever unforeseeable 
     challenges come, if we can keep that promise alive for our 
     children and theirs, America will lose her way. For me, 
     that's the purpose of public service, its inspiration and 
     finally, its reward.
       Thank you for your support, your trust, and your 
     friendship.

  Mr. Riegle. Mr. President, Jim Sasser and I came to the U.S. Senate 
together in the 1976 election. We've served together on Budget 
Committee for many years now, and we have been most fortunate to have 
him as the chairman of that committee. He was masterful and tireless in 
handling the many complex aspects of the budget process. His important 
accomplishments will leave a lasting mark on our country.
  Jim Sasser and I have worked closely together, we have relied upon 
each other's counsel and advice, and I deeply admire and respect him--
and feel very privileged to have been his seat mate on the Senate 
floor.
  On the Budget Committee, Jim has led our country to greater economic 
stability and a dramatically declining deficit--without draconian cuts 
to vital human programs. He fought to keep the budget firewalls down 
and to make fair and reasonable program cuts where necessary. Jim 
Sasser has led the charge for policies of economic expansion, job 
growth and increased economic investment. He has represented the people 
of Tennessee with integrity, and he has served his country with 
strength and honor.
  Jim has also managed to do something that is all too rare around 
here--he's successfully combined the roles of husband, father, and 
Senator. Jim's wife, Mary, has been with him for 32 years and she and 
their two children, Gray and Elizabeth, deserve great credit in putting 
up with the often harsh demands of public life.
  Senator David Boren is another colleague who is leaving the Senate, 
in fact he has just resigned his seat so that a new Oklahoma Senator 
could be sworn in. David announced many months ago that he had been 
asked to become the next president of the University of Oklahoma. With 
his exceptional talent, the University and its students will be very 
fortunate indeed.
  David Boren began his public service career in the Oklahoma House of 
Representatives in 1966. He was the youngest sitting Governor when he 
was elected in 1974, and he served in that office until 1979 when he 
won his first Senate election.
  As a member of Agriculture Committee, David has pushed policies that 
have positively affected farmers in my State of Michigan and across the 
country. The Farm Credit Act of 1987 stabilized the Farm Credit System 
and saved thousands of borrowers from bankruptcy. He has also taken a 
lead role in pushing for improved export programs which will increase 
our farm products' markets overseas. As David has now embarked on his 
new life as president of the University of Oklahoma, I wish him and his 
wife, Molly, happiness and success.
  The 104th Congress will also mark the departure of my good friend 
Senator Dennis DeConcini, who has been in public service for over 22 
years. His first successful Arizona campaign was for Pima County 
attorney in 1972, a position in which Dennis distinguished himself as a 
tough prosecutor, especially on drug crimes.
  Four years later, he and I were both elected to our first terms as 
U.S. Senators. In the years since then, Dennis has continued 
championing drug enforcement issues on the Judiciary Committee and as 
chair of the Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as being active 
on the Appropriations Committee, Veterans' Affairs Committee, and the 
Select Committee on Indian Affairs. He has served the people of Arizona 
with distinction, and has continued the tradition of public service 
established by his parents, Evo and Ora.

  Dennis is a man of heart and conscience, who cares deeply about the 
public interest and our country's future. He has been devoted to his 
work as a Senator and he has accomplished much that is good and that 
will be enduring. He will be missed by the Senate--and missed by me.
  Another Senator who has dedicated his life to public service is 
Harris Wofford of Pennsylvania. Few people have led a life as touched 
by history as Harris Wofford. He was a key aide to John F. Kennedy in 
his 1960 presidential campaign, and effectively forged the bond between 
Senator Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King that was a key event in the 
closing days of that historic election. Harris went on to become 
Special Assistant to President Kennedy and helped found the Peace 
Corps, an organization in which he later became Associate Director and 
Special Representative to Africa.
  Harris was an advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King from the time of the 
Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955, was chairman of President Kennedy's 
Sub-Cabinet Group on Civil Rights, and has been a tireless advocate for 
civil rights and liberties in our country for the past 40 years.
  Harris Wofford has also been a leader in voicing the concerns and 
needs of working men and women in our country, served admirably as 
Pennsylvania's Secretary of Labor and Industry, and continued to 
actively champion those issues here in Congress. The U.S. Senate has 
benefited greatly from Harris Wofford's great decency and effective 
service, as have the people of Pennsylvania. We need more people like 
Harris Wofford at all levels of public service. I wish Harris, his wife 
Clare, and their family all the best in the years to come--I have no 
doubt that they will continue their active lives of public service.
  Finally, I would like to say a few words about my good friend and 
able colleague Senator Harlan Mathews. Harlan has served the State of 
Tennessee, in various roles, for the past 44 years. In the 1950s, he 
was a staffer for Governor Browning, became a budget advisor to 
Governor Clement, and went on to become Commissioner of Finance. Harlan 
held that post through Governor Ellington's administration and, after a 
decade, became the longest-serving Finance Commissioner in Tennessee 
history.
  He went on to be elected as Tennessee State Treasurer in 1974 and, 
again, he went on to hold that position for a record 13 years. Harlan 
was serving as Deputy to Governor McWherter when he was asked to serve 
the remaining 2 years of Vice-President Gore's Senate term.
  Here in the Senate his has always been a voice of reason and clear 
thinking. His insight has shaped our actions here and I, like others, 
have come to greatly value his counsel. I shall miss his company. As he 
has in the past 40 years, Harlan represented the people of Tennessee 
with integrity and dedication, and I send to him and to Patsy our best 
wishes for their future.

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