[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 17 (Wednesday, February 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S730-S731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SENATOR ROCKEFELLER'S FIRST GRANDCHILD

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, it is my pleasure to congratulate my 
esteemed colleague, Senator Rockefeller, and his wife, Sharon, on the 
occasion of the birth of their first grandchild. Laura Chandler 
Rockefeller was born on Wednesday evening, February 16.
  February, the second month of our calendar year, is from the Latin, 
februarius. It is a word of Sabine origin, signifying purification. The 
Roman festival of purification was held during this month. Nature, in 
the midst of Winter, with its cold, yet cleansing air, is preparing for 
the glorious blooms of Spring. And, in this or any season, what can 
more exemplify the innocence and purity of life than a newborn baby?
  Laura's proud parents are Senator and Mrs. Rockefeller's eldest son, 
John, and his lovely wife, Emily. Laura is in good hands. She is 
blessed with parents, and grandparents, who love her, and who love 
learning. John is

[[Page S731]]

completing his doctoral studies in English Literature at Johns Hopkins 
University, and Emily is a teacher. The first, the most profound, 
teacher we have is our mother. When we first enter this world, in a 
blaze of light and confusion, in such frightening contrast to our 
earlier serenity, it is mother who comforts us. It is mother who 
soothes our cries, who cradles us safely in her arms, and rocks us to 
sleep. This is the first, most precious gift of a caring mother.
  I have no doubt that John and Emily will teach Laura the joy, the 
lifelong comfort, of the great books. The great, old man who raised me, 
my uncle, was truly the most remarkable man I have ever been privileged 
to know. He was just an old coal miner. He was not educated in this 
world's halls and universities. He was a wise man and a hard-working 
coal miner who played his part in life with a stoic and dignified 
determination to do his best for his small family, for his country, and 
for his God. He encouraged me to read, to learn, to develop my mind to 
the best of my own abilities. As another great man wrote, ``The reading 
of all good books is like conversations with the finest men of past 
centuries.''
  Carl Sandburg once said that ``a baby is God's opinion that life 
should go on.'' One of the greatest joys of our existence is to simply 
hold a newborn baby, especially if that baby is our own daughter, or 
son, or grandchild, or great grandchild--just to hold a newborn baby 
that possesses all of the freshness and the newness and the promise of 
life. We gaze in awe at this valiant little creature, so helpless, and 
yet so strong, as its tiny, perfect fingers grasp our own little finger 
with eager curiosity and awareness and pull that finger about.

     No flower-bells that expand and shrink
     Gleam half so heavenly sweet
     As shine on life's untrodden brink
     A baby's feet.--Algernon Swinburne.

  In my experience, parenthood is a challenging balance of love and 
responsibility. It is a tapestry of the finest, and most delicate, 
weaving. We love and guide our children, and we try to always honor 
this awesome commitment. And we see a pageant of hellos and goodbyes. 
Children grow up. They go away to school. They go to work, marry, and 
have children of their own. And then, there are greetings to new and 
wonderful additions into our midst. For a grandparent, this tapestry, 
in the glow of a family's history, becomes more elaborate, more richly 
colored, and more easily observed. It has been one of the greatest 
delights of my own life, and in Erma's life, to witness this amazing 
procession of life following after life, seeing a new plateau rise, new 
plateau of immortality, a new taste. We wish Senator Rockefeller and 
Sharon the same happiness that has been our experience.
  Laura is the granddaughter of one Senator, and the great-
granddaughter of another, our greatly admired former colleague, Senator 
Charles Percy. In these fast paced times, more than ever, grandparents 
are an essential refuge of reflection and continuity between the 
generations. They are the living history of our shared past. In their 
reminiscences of earlier days, in their principles forged over a 
lifetime of experience and hard work, they offer a unique, valuable 
perspective of a complex and intricate world. I recall with 
considerable awe the birth of my great granddaughter, Carolyn Byrd 
Fatemi, born on March 4 of last year. March 4 in the old days was when 
the new Congress came into session, and a new President was sworn into 
office March 4. Now that day is the birthday of Erma and my great 
granddaughter, Carolyn Byrd Fatemi. It is a joyous, and humbling, 
realization to truly see oneself as part of that intricate tapestry of 
successive generations.
  A new baby, so fragile, so tiny, so soft, so sweet, so delicate, and 
yet so determined to join this wonderful, maddening world, stirs our 
hearts and reminds us once more of our enduring link to the eternal. As 
William Wordsworth wrote,

     Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
     The soul that rises with us, our life's star,
     Hath had elsewhere its setting,
     And cometh from afar;
     Not in entire forgetfulness,
     And not in utter nakedness,
     But trailing clouds of glory do we come
     From God, who is our home:
     Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

  Erma and I also congratulate Senator and Mrs. Rockefeller on the 
engagement of their daughter, Valerie, to Mr. James Douglas Carnegie. 
Perhaps the greatest transition in a person's life is when he makes 
that great leap from ``I'' to ``We.'' It is the beginning of a journey 
with a beloved partner, who will share life's joys, and ease its 
inevitable burdens. My own treasured wife, Erma, and I have been on 
this wondrous journey for sixty-two years, and it will soon be 63, the 
Lord willing. To Valerie and James, I would wish the benediction of 
Milton, ``Mutual love, the crown of all our bliss.''
  Senator Rockefeller has worked tirelessly for the people of West 
Virginia for over thirty years. It has been my great privilege to work 
alongside him in this Chamber for the past fifteen years. He has been a 
tenacious champion of developing economic opportunities for West 
Virginia's workers, and a compassionate, determined voice for children, 
for senior citizens, for our nation's veterans, and for our retired 
coal miners. I could not wish for a more capable, diligent and 
congenial colleague. I offer Senator Rockefeller my best wishes on 
these happy occasions for his family, and also my sincere gratitude to 
him for his intelligence, his strength of character, and his 
friendship.
  Congratulations again, 100 times, on the birth of this beautiful 
little granddaughter. How proud he has to be.
  I yield the floor.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I say to Senator Byrd, that was a most 
enjoyable presentation. I am glad I was here to have an opportunity to 
hear it.
  Mr. BYRD. I thank the Senator.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Sessions). The Senator from Georgia.
  Mr. COVERDELL. Although there is no unanimous consent, we have been 
moving back and forth on both sides. Under that scenario, Senator Grams 
is here and will make a presentation; Senator Kerry is the next 
speaker.
  Mr. KERRY. If I may ask, Mr. President, how long does the Senator 
from Minnesota plan to speak?
  Mr. GRAMS. Four or five minutes.
  Mr. KERRY. I have no objection.

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