[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 125 (Monday, July 31, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11037-S11038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                BEN ALEXANDER: I'LL BE LOST WITHOUT HIM

 Mr. HOLLINGS. Mr. President, one of the greatest joys of being 
a U.S. Senator is the opportunity to work with the brightest, most 
talented young people in the country. Inevitably, it is 

[[Page S 11038]]
with a mixed sense of sadness and pride that one watches them mature 
and then move on to the next aspect of their career. That certainly 
describes my feelings today as my upstate director, Ben Alexander, 
leaves to go to law school.
  There are quite a few things that anyone who has any contact with Ben 
will ascertain immediately--he is smart, he is conscientious, he is 
tireless, and he is relentlessly good natured. If one talks to Ben a 
little longer, one will find that he has a voluminous knowledge of 
South Carolina's upstate. He can tell you the economic statistics, 
election results, business prospects and wedding announcements for 
every town in 10 counties. And he is just as proficient at expediting a 
Social Security case as helping industry and government build the 
infrastructure necessary to a healthy business climate. In addition, he 
began an intern program that has been a boon to both my office and the 
many fine universities found in the upstate. In short, Ben can do it 
all and do it all well.
  Despite all this obvious talents, I had some reservations about 
giving a 22-year-old primary responsibility for the most populous area 
of the State when he began nearly 7 years ago. On my first visit to the 
Greenville area after Ben had taken over, he picked me up at the 
airport and proceeded to reenforce all my worst fears by getting lost. 
Well, we eventually got where we were going and I later learned that 
Ben was famous for his hard work but infamous for his sense of 
direction. But there turned out to be no need to worry. Ben learned to 
read a road map just as well as he could read a political map. And I 
can assure you that my office never took a wrong turn under Ben's 
stewardship.
  Mr. President, I rise today to say thanks to Ben Alexander for all he 
has done for me and for the people of South Carolina. As he heads off 
to law school, he will remain a member of the extended Hollings family. 
I appreciate this opportunity to thank him for a job well done and to 
wish him every success in the years ahead.


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