[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 165 (Friday, November 19, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15200-S15201]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            SENATOR HOLLINGS

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, on occasion I have noted the birthdays of 
some of my colleagues by sharing a few observations about them. But, 
like those poor schoolchildren whose birthdays fall in the middle of 
the summer vacation, thus denying them the pleasure of a day of special 
recognition at school, one of my colleague's birthday falls on a day 
when the Senate can be virtually guaranteed not to be in session. I do 
not wish to let the whim of the calendar prevent me from honoring a man 
whose many sterling qualities compare to his more natally auspicious 
brethren.
  Senator Ernest F. ``Fritz'' Hollings was born on January 1, 1922, 
denying by just a few hours an extra year's tax deduction to his 
hardworking parents. That may have been the only disappointment caused 
by their over-achieving son, however. Young Ernest went on to do his 
parents proud by graduating as a member of the highest honor society at 
The Citadel in 1942, then serving proudly for thirty-three months in 
World War II, attaining the rank of captain. Upon returning home, he 
again took up the scholar's mantle, earning his law degree at the 
University of South Carolina in 1947, followed by his doctorate of law 
from The Citadel in 1959. He excelled as a lawyer, being admitted to 
practice before the South Carolina Supreme Court, the U.S. District 
Court, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Tax Court, U.S. Customs 
Court, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He was first elected to public 
office at the tender age of 26, in 1948, to the South Carolina General 
Assembly, and subsequently served with distinction as lieutenant 
governor, South Carolina's youngest Governor in this century, and as 
Senator. I feel sure his parents must have been proud of him. I know 
that I am proud to have served with him in the United States Senate for 
the last thirty-two, almost thirty-three, years.
  The rolling, sonorous cadences of this rich Carolina drawl soften the 
edges of Senator Hollings's sometimes acerbic observations and acid 
analysis of bills and treaties. I know of few Members who can so 
decisively carve up sloppy legislation with so few trenchant 
observations, so mellifluously delivered, that one still feels that the 
afternoon is going smoothly and pleasantly. With his background in tax 
and customs law, Senator Hollings has long been a force on the Commerce 
Committee, and his energy is felt on the Senate Floor any time trade 
legislation or treaties are considered. As a member of the 
Appropriations and Budget Committees, he is well versed in the 
intricacies of fiscal policy-making. And on telecommunications matters 
few would dare tangle with him without first arming themselves with 
unassailable arguments at one's trigger finger, for fear of being 
completely done in by his quick-draw ripostes!

  We have been on opposite ends of main street legislative shoot-outs 
over the years regarding the Balanced Budget Amendment and the 
nefarious Line Item Veto, but never has courtesy or friendship fallen 
victim to our philosophical disagreements. To the contrary, we have 
found common ground in our opposition to unfair trade practices and 
unequal trade agreements that hurt Americans. On the whole, I must 
admit I prefer to have Senator Hollings on my side, rather than 
against, as he is such a formidable foe.

[[Page S15201]]

  I have highlighted a few of my distinguished colleague's many honors, 
but there is one that still eludes him. For though he continues to make 
his parents proud in heaven, and his family and constituents proud here 
on Earth, he remains the most senior junior Senator in our nation's 
history. At 32 years and 10 months, Senator Hollings has surpassed even 
the legendary Senator John C. Stennis, who served 31 years and 2 months 
of his impressive 42 years of service as a Senator from Mississippi in 
the shadow of the equally legendary Senator James O. Eastland. This 
record is a testament to both the performance and the endurance of 
Senator Hollings and his distinguished senior Senator, Strom Thurmond. 
I know that Senator Hollings wears his title with pride and good humor, 
and his home state of South Carolina is all the better for it.
  As these last weeks of this congressional session come to a 
clattering and confusing end amid legislation, floor debates, and 
appropriations conferences, I am proud to keep a resolution I made last 
New Year's day to remember and pay tribute to a good friend and a 
remarkable, well talented Senator. I hope during his next birthday, 
come January 1, the year 2000, hidden among the hoopla and hyperbole 
surrounding the year 2000, that Senator Hollings and his lovely wife, 
Peatsy, can celebrate his birthday knowing that it does not pass 
unnoticed or unacknowledged by his friends here in the Senate.
  So, on behalf of my wife Erma, I say to Senator Hollings these words:

     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 that beautiful January day,
     Count your age by friends, not years.

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