[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 151 (Wednesday, October 21, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12896-S12897]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             KIRK O'DONNELL

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, two weeks ago, a number of my 
colleagues and many members of the Washington community gathered at the 
National Guard Museum for a memorial tribute to a highly respected and 
admired figure in modern American political life: Kirk O'Donnell. As 
most of my colleagues know, Kirk O'Donnell was the chief counsel to 
former Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill Jr. and Boston Mayor Kevin White, and 
he also served as an advisor to Mayors, Congressmen, Senators, and even 
Presidents. Tragically, Kirk O'Donnell recently died at the age of 52.
  As a fellow Democrat, New Englander, and Irish-American, I had many 
occasions to cross paths with Kirk O'Donnell, and we eventually became 
friends. And I have met few people in my political career who were as 
capable and well-liked as Kirk.
  Al Hunt of the Wall Street Journal remembered Kirk as ``one of the 
ablest and most honorable people in American politics.'' Tom Oliphant 
of the Boston Globe said, ``he was arguably the best mayor Boston never 
had. . . Kirk O'Donnell's life demonstrates that all of us can make a 
difference and that each of us should try.''
  In an era of growing cynicism toward politics, he made people feel 
optimistic that government could have a positive impact on people's 
lives. It is always difficult to lose someone who is clearly so 
special, but it is made all the more difficult by the fact that Kirk 
was so young and had so much more to offer.
  The afterword from the O'Donnell funeral program was Ralph Waldo 
Emerson's definition of what constitutes a successful life:


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     `` . . . to win the respect of intelligent people and the 
     affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest 
     critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to 
     appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the 
     world a little better place than we found it, whether by a 
     healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social 
     condition; to know even one life breathed easier because you 
     have lived. . . . This is to have succeeded.''

  By this measure, Kirk O'Donnell led a successful life. He was a 
remarkable man, and I will truly miss his friendship.
  Kirk O'Donnell is survived by his wife Kathryn and his two children, 
Holly and Brendan. I offer my heartfelt sympathies to them all.

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