[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11616-S11617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO SENATOR ALAN SIMPSON

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. President, I want to talk about a friend who will be 
leaving the Senate, a man whom I respect greatly, a man who--to quote a 
phrase he uses--is ``a friend of his friends,'' and that is Senator 
Alan Simpson, from Wyoming, who will be retiring from the Senate at the 
end of this session.
  Al Simpson is particularly close to me. He is from Cody, WY, a town 
of 10,000 or 12,000. Cody is also the same town I am from. We were both 
there last weekend at the Buffalo Bill Museum event.
  Al is a lifelong friend, a good and gracious man. He comes from a 
family of good and gracious leadership. The first person that I 
remember as a kid, who was an outstanding citizen, one of those kinds 
that you remember, was Milward Simpson, Al's dad. Interestingly enough, 
the thing I remember the most was that he is the first guy I ever saw 
who could simply stand up and talk without being prepared, or without 
needing notes, and do it so eloquently. I guess that is where Al 
Simpson acquires his ability to do the same thing.
  So many here in the Senate have known Al Simpson for a very long 
time, too, and are his friends. Al has been here for 18 years 
representing our State, battling for our State, battling for this 
country, and all of us feel so fortunate to have had him here. Some 
have mixed feelings about him leaving. On the one hand, all of us are 
happy that he and Ann will have an opportunity to do some other things. 
They have great interests, whether it be in museums, whether it be in 
health care, whether it be in the other historic things they have been 
interested in. But they have great grace and style in their personal 
relationships, and they will all be missed.
  I have had the privilege of serving on the team from Wyoming with Al 
Simpson for the 5 years I was in the House, and these special 2 years, 
the last 2 years, I have been in the Senate. I suppose we have a unique 
closeness in our delegation from Wyoming. As everyone else does, we 
have two Members in the Senate, but we have just one in the House. 
There are just three of us. The people in Wyoming find it fairly easy 
to contact the delegation when they come, since there are just three of 
us.
  We were talking yesterday about the population of Wyoming when I was 
presiding. There are about 470,000 people, and about 100,000 square 
miles for them to live. But in a State like that we become pretty 
personal in politics. We have an opportunity to talk. We have an 
opportunity to express the prejudices that each of us have, and ideas. 
It is truly unique. We have unique relationships. We have all been 
Republicans since I have been here. We have all been friends.

  I have known Alan virtually all my life. We lived basically up the 
street across the alley from the Simpson's in the wintertime. I knew 
him when he weighed 260 pounds, and had hair, and, as he says, thought 
beer was food. But fortunately Ann came along, and dressed him up. And 
he has been an outstanding representative of Wyoming since; frankly, 
not just of Wyoming. Al Simpson represents some of the best of this 
country; represents the kind of person who looks at an issue and takes 
the position that he believes is correct.
  Clearly in this business there is a tendency to take the position 
that seems to be most popular. There is nothing unusual about that.
  But Al Simpson has throughout his service here and in the Wyoming 
legislature been willing to take those positions that are not the most 
popular; that are not the easiest; that are not the road most traveled. 
And he has felt comfortable taking them.
  I, particularly, will miss Al Simpson. We came from the same town, 
and the same university, since we only have one in Wyoming. We lived in 
the same athletic dorm, and now served in the same Senate.
  So I have been around this guy a lot, and others will miss him too. 
He is a national figure.
  He tells the story about a hotel in Cody where a lot of strangers 
come through, and someone coming up to him and saying --someone he did 
not know--``Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Al Simpson?'' 
He said, ``Yes. Sometimes.'' The man said, ``It makes you mad, doesn't 
it?''
  He is well known--well known because of his humor; the great skill 
and gift of humor that he has to make things seem a little lighter than 
they are. He says continuously and so properly, ``You know, I take the 
issues seriously but I don't take myself seriously.'' We need more of 
that. We need more of that.
  He is my political mentor and our senior Senator. I can tell you that 
Milward and Lorna, his parents, would be so proud. His father was a 
U.S. Senator as well as the Governor of our State, and president of the 
university and served on the board of trustees. Al and his brother have 
followed him in that great tradition of courage and class.
  Let me just close by saying not only does he have great humor, great 
grace, and a great partner in Ann, but he is an extraordinary 
legislator. You can see

[[Page S11617]]

him working today on the illegal immigration bill, a tough issue; and, 
quite frankly, one that is not as important in Wyoming as it is in 
other places. But that does not matter. Al said this is an important 
issue to our country, as he has undertaken to deal with Social Security 
in ways to honestly change it, and has had some controversy with groups 
that want the status quo. He has been willing to undertake the 
difficult question of entitlements that, obviously, have to be dealt 
with but are political dynamite--the old third rail of politics that no 
one is willing to touch. Al Simpson has done that, and will continue 
to.
  One of his first activities following his departure here--I thought 
about saying ``departed friend.'' That is not right. He has his whole 
life before him. He is not departing. He is simply moving on to Harvard 
to teach at the Kennedy School of Government. It will be interesting to 
see the impact he will have at Harvard. I think it will be wonderful.
  He has taken on the media on entitlements. He has done all of those 
things that are not easy to do. He stands for the things that are good 
about this system.
  So I will miss our good friend and mentor--lifelong friend--who has 
the wisdom and willingness to take on the tough problems. Besides, I 
will not have anyone to join with me in the recitations of the 
``Cremation of Sam McGee'' which we enjoy doing from time to time.
  So I want to say, ``Hats off'' to Al Simpson, and we wish him the 
very, very best. I know he and Ann will have a wonderful, continuous 
time.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  Mr. BYRD addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The distinguished Senator from West Virginia.

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