[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 21, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S142-S143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF PAUL E. TSONGAS

  Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I was saddened Saturday to learn of the 
loss of

[[Page S143]]

one of the great men that I have had the honor of serving with in the 
U.S. Senate, Paul E. Tsongas of Massachusetts.
  Paul Tsongas and I arrived in this body at the same time almost 
exactly 18 years ago in 1979. By that time Paul had already 
distinguished himself in 4 years of service in the House of 
Representatives, including legislation creating the first urban 
national historical park in his beloved hometown of Lowell. This became 
the catalyst for a remarkable renaissance in that historical New 
England mill town.
  He arrived as the first Peace Corps veteran ever elected to the 
Senate. He valued highly his opportunity to serve in Ethiopia and spoke 
frequently of those 2 years as the formative years of his desire for 
public service. As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee 
he was a voice for human rights around the world, but particularly on 
the African continent. In his 1981 book, ``The Road From Here,'' Paul 
wrote, ``[Human rights] are rooted in our culture and history, and we 
should champion them. Third World people need to have us honor this 
principle because if we don't, no one effectively will. And ultimately 
it is the moral and economic strength of America that will count, not 
just our military might.''
  Paul accomplished a great deal in a short time in the Senate, 
including the passage of the Alaska Lands Act of 1980 which more than 
doubled the size of the national park system and which President Carter 
called the most important conservation legislation of the century.
  However, he will be remembered best for his years after the Senate. 
He retired from the Senate in 1984 after learning that he had cancer, 
pledging to devote more time to his family. In the book, ``Heading 
Home'', about his decision to leave the Senate, he wrote: ``On their 
deathbed, no one ever said, 'I wish I had spent more time with my 
business.'.''
  He overcame cancer undergoing a then-experimental medical procedure, 
and went on to become a Presidential candidate in 1992, and a founder 
of the Concord Coalition, a bipartisan organization which has become a 
credible and widely-respected grassroots voice for fiscal 
responsibility in government.
  As the family and friends of Paul Tsongas mourn his death and 
celebrate his life, Barbara and I will have Niki and Paul's three 
daughters Ashley, Katina, and Molly in our thoughts and prayers.
  Mr. President, a member of my staff, Rich Arenberg, who served Paul 
Tsongas for more than 10 years as a staff member and friend wrote a few 
personal words which are most apt:

       Paul Tsongas was an uncommon man. He honored America with 
     the purity of his honesty and candor. There was no private 
     Paul Tsongas, no public Paul Tsongas. He gave totally and 
     completely of himself. He said exactly what he believed. In 
     an age of partisan vitriol, he spoke softly and without 
     animus. Although his voice was cool, his beliefs were 
     passionately and tenaciously held. He believed that rational 
     people of good will could solve any problem, bridge any 
     difference, and lead by the force of reason. Paul Tsongas 
     loved his family more than anything on earth and he loved his 
     country deeply. He saw little distinction between the two 
     because he believed the greatest gift we can give to our 
     children is a strong future for America.

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