[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 34 (Thursday, March 23, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S1659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SEAN-MICHAEL MILES

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, I want to pay tribute to a young man, 
Sean-Michael Miles. Slightly over a year ago, his life was taken 
tragically in an automobile accident in Bozeman, MT, while he was home 
celebrating the Christmas holidays with his family. Everyone privileged 
to know Sean was touched by his contagious zest for life. He was among 
the very best to emerge from our State, from ``The Last Best Place.'' 
He was a shining star. He is my friend.
  Sean's father and I grew up as neighbors. We went to school together 
and remained close friends ever since. I might add, Sean's grandmother, 
affectionately known as Granny Miles, was one of my baby sitters. I 
know this family well. Their strength and love for one another is an 
inspiration to all of us who know them. Sean-Michael's future was as 
bright as one could imagine. He graduated at the top of his class in 
Bozeman High School in 1997 and was selected by his classmates to 
deliver the commencement address. That same address, filled with 
familiar compassion for our Native American heritage, is still talked 
about today. Such was its honesty, its power, its celebration of 
promise.
  At Princeton University, where Sean was in his second year, he was 
admired as an exceptional writer, an accomplished artist and musician. 
Perhaps a classmate put it best: Sean was totally brilliant and 
completely humble, a cool combination.
  Following his graduation from Princeton, Sean intended to return to 
his beloved Montana and commit himself to a career dedicated to writing 
and the preservation of our last remaining wildlands.  Sean enjoyed 
considerable gifts, and was truly living up to them.

  Sean wanted to make the world a better place, and believed completely 
that one person can truly make a difference. There was no cynicism in 
his life. He befriended the friendless, and remembered the forgotten. 
Above all, he was making a difference. It is a loss beyond Montana's 
boundaries as well. Professor John McPhee of Princeton echoed such 
sentiments:

       By my lights, Sean-Michael Miles was the best that we can 
     do--bright, responsive, hardworking, clear in expression, 
     clear in thought, and with a personality immediately likable, 
     immediately demanding respect. We will all miss him terribly.

  Sean enjoyed a way with words. I would like to share a small piece of 
his brilliant work.
  After climbing atop a remote buffalo jump, he discovered the ``drive 
lines'' that the Native tribes of our region used centuries ago to 
funnel herds of bison over the cliff's edge. Looking out beyond that 
edge, toward the vast expanse of the Absoorka Beartooth Wilderness, 
Sean wrote:

       Whenever I think of the changes sweeping over Montana like 
     a spring storm, a lump forms in my throat. My first breath 
     was drawn from mountain air.
       Yet I know that this land may pay a price for being 
     beautiful, as change advances, carrying with it the prospect 
     of loss. It is a land I desperately love. It is a part of me. 
     It hurts so much to care so much. Yet as a Westerner, I am 
     invited to breathe it all in deeply each day.
       Despite change and loss, a drive line containing wisdom 
     offered through memories stretches before me. For now I am 
     satisfied to walk along its path, eyes fixed on what remains 
     a geography of hope.

  Sean-Michael Miles was proud to live his entire life surrounded by 
the majestic spine of mountains that he fondly referred to with the 
Blackfeet phrase, ``the backbone of the world.''
  Sean's death casts a dark shadow over the future of those of us who 
knew and loved him. Yet it is the light he offers that we commemorate 
today.
  I have risen today to announce that I will create a fellowship in 
Sean's name that will focus on the conservation issues that were so 
dear to him. I am also pleased and honored to announce that the first 
Congressional Fellow serving in this prestigious position will be 
Sean's beloved sister Michelle. Her younger sister, Shaleen, once 
served as Democratic page on the floor of the Senate. So today, 
Michelle, who is sitting behind me, I welcome you to my staff, and I 
know that you bring with you your brother's finest qualities. May the 
legacy of Sean-Michael Miles, who walked with the silent feet of 
reverence through the wilds, forever serve as a source of inspiration 
for generations to come.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia.

                          ____________________