[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5901-S5902]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SENATOR ROCKEFELLER'S BIRTHDAY

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, in 1964, a tall, bright-eyed, 27-year-old 
Harvard graduate arrived in West Virginia as a VISTA volunteer, eager 
to take on the ills of poverty, eager to change the world, starting 
with the small, rural town of Emmons, WV.
  But things did not quite turn out for the young man exactly the way 
that he expected them to. As John D. ``Jay'' Rockefeller, IV, quickly 
discovered, just as untold others have, there is something about West 
Virginia that gets into the blood and stirs the utmost depths of the 
soul. One West Virginia newspaper in February of last year quoted him 
speaking about those early days in Emmons. In that speech Jay 
Rockefeller reflected ``In the end, I was the one who was transformed 
by the experience--completely transformed.'' Subsequently, Rockefeller 
decided to move to West Virginia to live, rear a family, and build an 
impressive career of public service that

[[Page S5902]]

continues to benefit West Virginians today.
  Mr. President, today marks the 60th birthday of my colleague, Senator 
Jay Rockefeller, and I take this opportunity to recognize this 
milestone for my friend and ally, an outstanding Senator, and a 
distinguished West Virginian.
  You can, perhaps, imagine the eyebrows that were raised initially by 
West Virginians, or some of them, when the young, energetic, wealthy 
Rockefeller moved from New York to the foothills of their State.
  He took a lot of ribbing early on--and I can tell you that it was not 
all good natured. Many did not see the match as one of perfect bliss. 
At best it might have been described as the near equivalent of a James 
Carville-Mary Matalin union. But Jay Rockefeller endured with 
determination.
  After serving a 2-year term in the West Virginia House of Delegates, 
Rockefeller served 4 years as Secretary of State. Then, after a 3-year 
sabbatical from politics during which he served as the President of 
West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon, he ran for and won the 
West Virginia Governor's seat--not the kind of comfortable, overstuffed 
chair one might expect a Rockefeller to occupy in West Virginia.
  Some in West Virginia have said that the sure way to end a political 
career in our State is to become Governor. I have referred to it, from 
time to time, as a good jumping off place--not a place from which I 
would particularly like to jump. It may well be our State's most 
unforgiving job. But Jay Rockefeller weathered the rough shoals of 
gubernatorial service in West Virginia and, in 1984, went on to win a 
U.S. Senate seat. That says a lot about his resolve, his vision and his 
determination.
  Since his arrival in the Senate, I have watched Jay emerge as a 
strong leader focusing on the needs and concerns that affect West 
Virginia and the Nation. He looks beyond the borders of West Virginia. 
Through his work to improve the quality of life in West Virginia, Jay 
has also won over many of those who were at first skeptical at the idea 
of a Rockefeller moving into mountaineer country.
  Jay won his people over with hard work. He has focused his efforts on 
aiding veterans and championed health care issues. Like so many others 
who throughout the years have been cured by the healing waters of West 
Virginia's mountain springs, Jay Rockefeller has become an enthusiastic 
salesman for West Virginia, boasting of its admirable, unequaled 
attributes to any potential convert and even drawing them in from far-
flung locations around the globe. The long arms of Jay Rockefeller have 
reached even across the Pacific to Japan to help draw business 
interests to the mountains and valleys of Appalachia. He can speak 
Japanese. He can write Japanese. He has studied the Japanese language.
  I am glad that Jay made that life-changing decision to go to Emmons 
three decades ago. Since that time he has made great strides toward 
improving the quality of life for my people in my State, which he has 
proudly made his adopted home, as I have adopted West Virginia, my 
home, having been born in North Carolina almost 80 years ago. Today, on 
his 60th birthday, Senator Rockefeller's efforts to encourage 
development and prosperity all across West Virginia are well known. I 
salute his efforts. And Erma and I wish Jay and his wife, Sharon, 
continued success and happiness for many years to come.
  A poet whose name I do not recall said it perhaps best, and I shall 
use the lines of that poet in saying happy birthday to Jay Rockefeller:

     Count your garden by the flowers,
     Never by the leaves that fall;
     Count your days by the sunny hours,
     Not remembering clouds at all.
     Count your nights by stars, not shadows,
     Count your life by smiles, not tears;
     And on this beautiful June morning, Jay,
     Count your age by friends, not years.

                          ____________________