[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 128 (Friday, October 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1793-E1794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


     TRIBUTE TO ARTHUR MALAN TINKER ST. CLAIR, AN OUTSTANDING WEST 
         VIRGINIAN, ON HIS RETIREMENT AS U.S. SENATE DOORKEEPER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

                            of west virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 12, 2000

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, two days ago our distinguished senior 
Senator from West Virginia, Robert C. Byrd, rose on the floor to pay 
tribute to ``Tinker'' St. Clair of McDowell County, West Virginia. At 
the end of this year, Tinker St. Clair will retire from his post as 
senior Doorkeeper in the U.S. Senate after 21 years of distinguished 
service to that body.
  Mr. Speaker, that is but a small part of this man's remarkable 
contribution to his family, his community, his State and his Nation.
  When Arthur St. Clair was a toddler, he was an active little boy 
which led his grandmother to call him a ``little stinker.'' His envious 
brother, who couldn't yet pronounce all his words, called him ``a 
little tinker,'' and the nickname ``Tinker'' has remained with Arthur 
to this day.
  Arthur ``Tinker'' St. Clair, born on January 6, 1916, is today 84 
years old, having lived a busy, varied life with his late wife of 56 
years, Elnora Hall St. Clair, raising their children Patty Lee and 
Linda, now Linda St. Clair Pence, wife of Ed Pence. Tinker is looking 
forward to his retirement, so that he can spend some quality time with 
his three grandchildren, Kimberly George, and Edwin Bryan and Mack 
Malan Pence. Tinker also looks forward to his greatest love, spending 
time with his two great-grandchildren, Nicholas Paul George and 
Jonathan Malan George.
  Being a West Virginian, Tinker is the descendant from his father 
William Woods St. Clair, coal miner, school board member, and small 
businessman, and his homemaker mother Etta Mae Cochran St. Clair. 
Tinker was brought up with a strong work ethic, family values, and more 
than a gentle nudge toward community service handed down by his parents 
and grandparents, in what has been called ``the free state of 
McDowell.''
  Mr. Speaker, I have the honor to represent McDowell County, West 
Virginia, Tinker's homeplace. I just as importantly have the honor of 
calling Tinker a dear and true friend from day one. Over the years, 
this southern-most county has seen a decline in population from 100,000 
coal miners and their families, to today's count of approximately 
30,000 men, women and children. The population drop was brought about 
when coal mines began to mechanize, and during those years of decline, 
unemployment has remained higher than the national average for the 
people who remained in McDowell County. It was the good, strong, 
determined people like Tinker St. Clair who stayed in the county and 
who never stopped helping his people in good times and in bad, until 
his retirement there in 1979.
  Upon graduating from Gary High School in 1937, his first job was 
driving a school bus for McDowell County Public Schools. That is when 
he first met his future wife, Elnora. Once he was married and raising 
his children, Tinker went to work in 1941 for the Consolidated Bus 
Lines (which later became Continental Trailways), where he worked until 
1947. Realizing how important transportation was and is

[[Page E1794]]

for his community of deep valleys and winding roads, it wasn't long 
before Tinker started his own taxi service company in 1947, serving 
Welch, Pineville and Oceana, West Virginia.
  But Tinker was born of parents who were also deeply involved in 
community affairs, and he and his wife Elnora were always ready, 
willing and able when it came to serving on local political committees, 
and both were active in the Democratic party of McDowell County West 
Virginia. As Tinker will tell you, McDowell County went Democratic in 
1934 when the first-ever Democrat was elected, and the county has 
remained a democratic stronghold, with Tinker's help, ever since.
  Tinker was proud to be politically active, and he traveled around the 
county campaigning for Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Lyndon Baines 
Johnson. He also traveled the county with the late Senator Jennings 
Randolph, with our senior Senator Robert C. Byrd, Jay Rockefeller, and 
Nick J. Rahall--and I can tell you that it was a great pleasure 
whenever I found myself at Elnora's table many, many times during my 
own campaigns for the House. Tinker recalls that when traveling the 
county with Ben Cartwright of Bonanza fame, he invited him and his 
associates back to his home for a home cooked meal--requiring his wife 
Elnora to have to scramble to fix the meal on a moment's notice--but 
she did it with great pleasure, for she was as committed as Tinker to 
helping out the folks running for the Presidency, including Hubert H. 
Humphrey during his West Virginia campaign.
  Tinker gave up the taxi business to become the Deputy Sheriff and 
Court Bailiff in McDowell County, during which time he became a Member 
of the McDowell County Democratic Executive Committee, and was a 
delegate to the National Convention in the years 1952 to 1965. He then 
became a criminal investigator for the county's prosecuting attorney, 
and a justice of the peace. Finally, Arthur ``Tinker'' St. Clair was 
appointed to the position of County Clerk, and afterwards was reelected 
to a six year term with a majority vote of 89 percent. That wasn't 
machine politics folks, that was pure Tinker.
  Actually, Tinker hadn't thought of retiring at the age of 63 as 
County Clerk in 1979, but his children had all moved up to the 
Washington, D.C. area, and his wife Elnora tired of traveling back and 
forth to see her grandchildren. So one day, Elnora told Tinker she was 
once again visiting her children, and he asked her when she would get 
back. She said she wasn't coming back. That's when Tinker retired from 
the County Clerk's position and followed his beloved wife of 56 years 
to Washington.
  Now Elnora had her say in June of 1979, and so Tinker retired. But he 
wasn't happy not working. He just couldn't see himself retiring at age 
63. So, Tinker called his old friend, U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, and 
asked him if there was anything he could do for him. Senator Byrd took 
him in hand, and within a month of his arrival in Washington, he began 
serving as Doorkeeper for the U.S. Senate, where he worked for another, 
memorable 21 years.
  As noted above, Mr. Speaker, Arthur ``Tinker'' St. Clair was born to 
the work ethic, to family values, and to community service. He has 
worked ever since he graduated from high school in 1937. Without a 
college degree, Tinker rose from bus driver to County Clerk in his 
native McDowell County, helping it to grow and to prosper in good times 
and bad; in a county who knew Tinker St. Clair for his ability to reach 
out to every person he met--and who always found a way to help whoever 
asked--whether it was a local resident and friend, a local official, or 
candidates for President--it didn't matter to Tinker. He was always 
sure he could make a difference--at home in McDowell County--and on the 
national level--and he and his late wife Elnora made that difference.
  Since coming to Washington 21 years ago to serve as Doorkeeper, 
Tinker has maintained his cheerful countenance, shared the wisdom of 
his years, and found words of encouragement for everyone he met. Just 
like he did all those years of growing up and working to serve the free 
state of McDowell County, West Virginia.
  I hope that when I reach the age of 63, that rather than retire, I 
will look for another way to serve my country for another 21 years--
until I too have reached the age of 84, just like Tinker St. Clair. I 
will miss seeing Tinker when I have the chance to go over to the Senate 
side, where I always knew I would get a smile, a firm handshake, and 
news from down home.

                          ____________________