[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 141 (Thursday, October 3, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12252-S12254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO RETIRING SENATORS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, it is time to say farewell to a number of 
our colleagues and friends. These are not easy good byes. I have served 
with many of our departing colleagues since I first came to the Senate 
in 1978. We were freshmen together, had to learn the ropes as new kids 
on the block together. That process of learning and

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growing together builds friendships and bonds that are deep and 
enduring.
  The Senators who are retiring, Mr. President, are each individuals 
who have given a significant portion of their lives to public service. 
Cynicism has grown about Congress as an institution. Many, perhaps 
most, believe that Members of Congress act out of selfish motives. 
These departing Senators are a testament to the error of that belief.
  I do not believe one of these Members, Mr. President, would prefer a 
reception on the Hill to an evening at home or an opportunity to read 
to their grandchild or shoot hoops with their teenagers or take a walk 
in a park with a friend. Most Members would rather have a homemade pot 
roast than fancy hors d'oeuvres at a reception. Why do they do what 
they do? Why do they work the long hours, take the redeye flights, miss 
the family celebrations? Because it is part of being available to our 
constituents, it is part of being a representative of the people of our 
States, and it is part of being a public servant. It is part of being a 
U.S. Senator.
  Every one of these departing Members has worked long hours, has 
missed special family occasions, has flown when they have been so tired 
that they have had to rely on their schedule to tell them where they 
are and where they are supposed to go. Every one of them has had to 
push themselves at times to go to that one additional meeting, to take 
that one additional phone call, to read one more report in order to get 
a bill passed or an amendment adopted. They have worked to make America 
stronger, our people free, keep Government working at a better rate and 
a more efficient rate and at less cost. They have had different paths 
to that end, but their goals, like all of our goals, are fundamentally 
the same.
  It is with a sense of real kinship and of great loss that I say 
farewell, as we all do, then to Senators Pryor, Exon, Simpson, Simon, 
Kassebaum, Heflin, Pell, Bradley, Johnston, Brown, Frahm, and last but 
not least, Senator Hatfield.
  About a week ago I gave separate remarks about my ranking member and 
my chairman both, Senator Bill Cohen of Maine.


                             Senator Pryor

  David Pryor and I both came to the Senate in 1978 and served for most 
of the time on the Governmental Affairs Committee. During that service 
on the committee, Dave Pryor aggressively and perceptively challenged 
the Department of Defense on some of its questionable weapons systems 
and procurement practices. He dogged the Federal agencies to stop the 
excessive use of consultants at taxpayer expense and he diligently 
oversaw the workings of the Postal Service and the Federal work force.
  He and I worked in our early years on a taxpayers' bill of rights to 
finally give taxpayers, who were being audited, hounded by the IRS, 
notice of what their rights were as American citizens.
  His persistence paid off and that bill of rights is now law, mainly 
because of David Pryor.
  As chairman of the Aging Committee, he fought price gouging by the 
pharmaceutical companies and pushed legislation to make drug companies 
give their most favorable prices to Medicare and Medicaid recipients.
  David did all of this with grace and charm. He made this institution 
a better place because of his presence. He is a man of common sense and 
the common touch. He was able to stay on an even keel despite the 
personalities and the pressures. He continually reminded us of our 
purpose and place and gently helped to keep our egos in check.
  Perhaps the most telling characteristic of David Pryor is his genuine 
commitment to average men and women with whom he deals and works. He 
knows the name of everyone, from the Capitol Police who protect the 
Capitol and its occupants, to the men and women who serve us lunch on 
Tuesday. His connection to average people is not a political statement. 
It is personal, genuine human behavior.
  He exudes kindness and decency whether he's asking about a personal 
family member who might have been sick or remembers an incident in 
someone's life that may have caused pain. He does so not from political 
calculation or from a computer disk which has stored information, but 
because that is the way David Pryor is.
  His wife, Barbara, has been a source of inestimable strength. Barbara 
Pryor, my wife Barbara, David and I have become genuine friends over 
the years and we look forward being with them many, many times in the 
years ahead.
  David Pryor has served the people of Arkansas and this great Nation 
with extraordinary distinction. He will leave a large void 
professionally and personally. May his spirit continue to soar and he 
and his family be in good health as he returns to his beloved Arkansas.


                              SENATOR EXON

  Mr. President, I have sat next to Senator Jim Exon on the Armed 
Services Committee for 18 years. Another member of the class of 1978, 
Jim has become one of my truly dear friends. We have shared more than 
adjoining seats. We have been comrades-in-arms even in those instances 
when we were on different sides of an issue. He is a straight-from-the-
shoulder, tell-it-like-if-is kind of guy who uses plain talk but no 
malice, although he was at times frustrated by endless twists and turns 
and minutiae of the legislative process.
  As a former governor of Nebraska, Jim demonstrated a knack of stating 
issues simply and directly. His conservative approach to the budget was 
applied consistently, and he was willing to take difficult stands on 
spending issues because of the genuineness of his beliefs.
  These 18 years have been marked by true personal kindness to me and 
deep mutual friendship. He is famous for dropping a friendly or 
humorous note to colleagues to reduce the tension and keep us on track. 
He has a raucous, wonderful laugh which frequently fill, committee 
rooms with a reminder of our own humanity. And he would often bring us 
down to earth with an irreverent, but totally appropriate comment.
  Jim Exon seems totally content to return to his beloved Pat, his 
children and grandchildren, and he has a right to be content after 
three notable terms in the Senate.


                            SENATOR SIMPSON

  Mr. President, Al Simpson also came to the Senate with me in 1978 and 
immediately Al and Ann, his wife, became two of Barbara's and my best 
friends in the Senate. Simply stated, he has one of the best sense of 
humor in the Senate. I often thing he's such a special Senator because 
he spent 1 year, before entering college, at Cranbrook School in 
Michigan. He claims, however, it's all the other years he spent in the 
cowboy State of Wyoming.
  Whatever the reason, Al Simpson has applied the principles that he 
lives by with tremendous integrity and consistency, even when 
politically unwise or risky. He has taken on some of the strongest 
interest groups in the Nation and he has done so without fear. He has 
taken on some of the toughest issues with his work on immigration and 
entitlement programs.
  He has a deep sense of the limitations and fallibility that we 
necessarily bring to the legislative process. He punctures balloons and 
skewers egos; but he is the first to apologize when he thinks he has 
overdone it.
  You can listen to Al Simpson tell a story for the 20th time, and like 
wine, it gets better each time. He too has mellowed a bit over the 
years, but his sharp wit and genuine, love for his colleagues has 
remained undiminished.
  For his beloved state of Wyoming, Al Simpson has been a dedicated 
public servant. He is a big and wide open as Wyoming. He is full of 
life and full of fun. He is a giant of a man, and a giant of a Senator, 
and a giant of a friend.


                             senator simon

  Mr. President, another gentle and positive force in this body will be 
leaving us with retirement of Senator Paul Simon. Paul and Jean, his 
wife, reflect the best values of this Nation. Their public service over 
the decades has made our country a better place.
  Education has been one of Paul's keen interests, and he has thrown 
himself into the creation of education opportunity for all Americans. 
He was a lead sponsor of the 1994 education bill which established the 
important school-to-work program for non-college bound high school 
students. He was the moving force in the Senate for direct student 
loans. He has been a leader in

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fighting violence on television and in the movies.
  Paul is invariably decent and kind and a real gentleman. His manner 
of debate and his personal relationships have lifted the tone of the 
Senate and helped to preserve its decoum, often in the face of great 
odds. When Paul Simon comes to the floor to speak on a subject, people 
listen because of the simple, direct, and honest way he makes his case.
  He is slow to anger and quick to understand, and he is as considerate 
as they come. The people of Illinois and this Nation have been well-
served by Paul's presence in this body. May he never run out of bow 
ties.


                           senator kassebaum

  Mr. President, it is with real regret that I say goodbye to our dear 
colleague from Kansas, Nancy Kassebaum. Another member of the class of 
1978, Nancy has made her mark in both foreign affairs and on the Labor 
and Education Committee. Nancy doesn't fit into anybody's mold or 
label. She is one of a kind.
  She was a leader in the fight for economic sanctions against South 
Africa and was prescient in her opposition to $700 million in credit 
guarantees for Iraq before the Persian Gulf war. She has wrestled with 
innovative ways to make Federal programs more efficient and effective, 
and whether or not you agree or disagree with her on an issue, you 
respect her motives and her commitment.
  She has been able to bridge differences of party and ideology to 
develop bipartisan approaches to solving problems. Her major 
accomplishment this year with the passage of the Kennedy-Kassebaum 
health-care bill epitomizes her ability to do what it takes to help 
people better lives.
  Nancy's gentle, kind demeanor has been so important to her 
achievements and to the daily life of the Senate family. Kansas has 
been lucky to have her as their Representative in the Senate and the 
millions of workers now with portable health care were lucky she cared 
so deeply about their lives.


                             senator heflin

  Mr. President, another member of the class of 1978 is Howell Heflin. 
Looking ever the part of the ``country judge'', Howell has played an 
important role in the life of the Senate. His careful attention to the 
facts, his thoughtful analysis, his methodical to an issue, have been 
the very elements needed in this body we all should like to remain the 
world's most deliberative body. He has taken on some of the more 
thankless tasks in the Senate, including the arcane issues involving 
bankruptcy and administrative practice. We will all miss his expertise 
and diligence.
  Senator Heflin leaves behind a distinguished career as a public 
servant--serving 6 years as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court 
and 18 years as a U.S. Senator. He has proudly and diligently 
represented the people of Alabama--calling the shots as he sees them 
and doing what he thinks is about for his constituents. We need the 
judicial, detailed approach of Howell Heflin in the Senate. My wife, 
Barbara, and I have enjoyed our friendship with Howell and his wife, 
Mike. We wish him well in his retirement. It is well-deserved, for a 
very, very, special Member of this body.


                            senator bradley

  Mr. President, about 15 years ago, I was riding in Bill Bradley's car 
coming back from a speaking engagement in Baltimore. Surprisingly, the 
car was a small, compact car. I say surprisingly, because the car was 
Bradley's and he is not a small person. But cramped in this small car, 
we were chatting about various issues we were working on and Bill 
mentioned the tax system. I was struck by the size of the problem he 
was willing to tackle, the thoughtfulness of his comments, and the 
ambition of his plan. That was the first I had heard of what later was 
to become the 1986 tax reform legislation. That's part of the legacy 
that Senator Bradley leaves behind--tackling issues head-on regardless 
of size and asking the big questions.
  Bill Bradley has addressed some of the most pressing issues of our 
time--racial disparity, urban decay, how to achieve a civil society. If 
this were Plato's Republic, Bill Bradley would be one of the 
philosopher kings.
  Another member of the class of 1978, we will miss his clear and 
original thinking, his willingness to take on the big issues, his 
commitment to building bridges among the diverse ethnic and interest 
groups in this country. I hope Bill stays in the political dialogue so 
we can benefit from his thoughts and ideas.
  He and his wife, Ernestine, will both be missed by my wife and me.

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