[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 111 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1715]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                       IN MEMORY OF G. SAGE LYONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SONNY CALLAHAN

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 2, 1999

  Mr. CALLAHAN. Mr. Speaker, recently, Mobile, and indeed, the entire 
state of Alabama, lost a true statesman, a fine public servant and 
simply put, an overall wonderful human being when my longtime friend, 
Sage Lyons, passed away earlier this year following a brief battle with 
pancreatic cancer.
  Not only did I consider Sage a close personal friend, but I also 
looked upon him as one of my political mentors. Even though in age he 
was a few years my junior, I began my stint in public service in 1970 
with my first election to the Alabama House of Representatives, the 
same year Sage would be elected Speaker of the House. For this reason, 
and for so many others, I recall with great fondness Sage's wonderful 
sense of humor, his strong will, his keen intellect and one of his 
lasting trademarks, the fact that his word was always as good as his 
bond.
  Mr. Speaker, while Sage's name may not appear as often in Alabama 
history as some of our more colorful political figures, the fact is in 
his own quiet, yet very effective way, Sage made many lasting 
contributions to Mobile and to Alabama, and it is very much an 
understatement to say his legacy will live on for generations to come. 
Almost without equal, there are few men who have left such a 
distinguished mark of public service as did my friend Sage.
  Born in Mobile, Alabama, on October 1, 1936, George Sage Lyons 
graduated first from University Military School in Mobile and later 
from Washington and Lee University. From there, he proceeded to The 
University of Alabama where he earned his law degree. In 1962, he 
returned to Mobile and helped establish the firm Lyons, Pipes & Cook.
  Elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1969, Sage 
flourished as a politician. In 1971, at the age of 34, he became the 
youngest legislator ever to be elected Speaker, a post he held until 
1975 when he declined to seek reelection and threw himself back into 
his legal practice.
  But Sage's ties to the State Capitol in Montgomery did not end with 
his departure from office.
  Throughout both his professional and political career, Sage's advice 
and support continued to be sought by people from all walks of life--
Republicans and Democrats, blacks and whites, rich and poor alike. It 
was commonly believed if you had Sage Lyons in your corner, then you 
had a real warrior on your side.
  In 1995, Sage once again answered the call to public service by 
putting his personal interests aside to return to Montgomery to assist 
then-Governor Fob James, first as his chief legal advisor and later as 
his finance director. As he had more than 20 years before, Sage 
provided a sound voice of reason and lent a steady hand on the ship of 
state.
  In an editorial reflecting on Sage's death, the Mobile Register 
wrote: ``Alabama has lost a competent, willing public servant. Even 
more, it has lost a man of integrity, who routinely placed good 
government over politics and people over political parties.''
  Mr. Speaker, on March 5th Alabama lost one of her most giving and 
gifted native sons. Naturally, his death left a big void in the lives 
of his many friends and family, as well as his hometown which 
benefitted so greatly by his involvement in the public arena. Sage is 
survived by his widow, Elsie, their two children, George Sage, Jr. and 
Amelia, as well as three grandchildren. They remain in our thoughts and 
prayers, just as Sage remains in a select group which is clearly among 
the best and brightest our state has ever produced.

                          ____________________