[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 150 (Tuesday, December 20, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: December 20, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                    TRIBUTE TO SENATOR JAMES SASSER

 Mr. HEFLIN. Mr. President, Jim Sasser's departure from the 
Senate next year will leave a void that will prove difficult, if not 
impossible to fill.
  Jim is a product of a classic Tennessee Democratic background. His 
father was an agriculture official who moved all over the rural areas 
of the State working on government programs. He went to law school at 
Vanderbilt and practiced in Nashville. He became active in politics in 
1972, when he was named to head the Tennessee Democratic Party. He was 
elected to the Senate just 4 years later, and soon emerged as an expert 
on floor procedure and budget issues. He leaves as one of our most 
respected colleagues.
  Over the years Jim kept in touch with Tennesseans by visiting each of 
the State's 95 counties once a year, hiking through the Cherokee 
National Forest to see how much timber is harvested, and boating over 
Kentucky Lake to see how the fish are affected by water pollution. His 
career was a lesson in how to successfully pay attention to the 
specific concerns of the people we represent, while at the same time 
serving as a strong national leader. His vision will be missed by his 
colleagues who remain in the Senate, but we hope to see him in other 
leadership positions in the future.

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