[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 128 (Thursday, October 3, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S9868]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO U.S. SENATOR JESSE HELMS

  Mr. INOUYE. I wish to take a moment to express my appreciation and 
admiration for my good friend from North Carolina, Senator Jesse Helms.
  I have had the privilege of working with Senator Helms for the past 
30 years. Although he and I do not share the same ideologies, Senator 
Helms has always kept his word to me. In this day and age, 
``trustworthiness'' is a trait that is becoming increasingly rare, 
particularly in the political arena. Yet Senator Helms has remained 
true to himself and his upbringing. Senator Helms is trustworthy.
  Senator Helms is a true statesman and gentleman, courteous, 
courageous, and compassionate. He is a man who understands what it 
means to do one's duty to God, country, and family. He emulates the 
idea upon which America was founded, the idea that each individual 
controls his or her destiny and has a right to pursue and achieve their 
dreams, and that great societies are built by people who are inspired 
and motivated to reach high and work hard.
  Senator Helms has, on many occasions, inspired and motivated me. He 
has set an example for me and my colleagues. His life is a model of one 
who honors and defends the Constitution, works to make our country a 
better place, and conducts himself with dignity and respect for others.
  I thank my dear friend for the many courtesies he has extended to me 
throughout the years. I will miss his kindness and friendship. To 
Senator Helms and his wife, Dot, I wish them many years of happiness 
and continued good health in the bright years ahead.
  Mr. SARBANES. Mr. President, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
honoring Jesse Helms, the senior Senator from North Carolina, for his 
many years of service to his State and to the Nation.
  While Senator Helms has served in the United States Senate for more 
than a quarter-century, his earlier years were equally active and 
productive. Following his service in the U.S. Navy during World War II, 
he became the city editor of the Raleigh Times. He served as 
Administrative Assistant to two U.S. Senators before becoming Executive 
Director of the North Carolina Bank Association in 1953. The Tarheel 
Banker became the largest State banking publication in the State while 
Jesse Helms was its editor. He was Executive Vice President, Vice 
Chairman of the Board, and Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Capitol 
Broadcasting Company in Raleigh, NC from 1960 until his election to the 
Senate in 1972.
  During his service in the U.S. Senate, Senator Helms has served as a 
member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, the 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry which he chaired in 
the 1980s, and the Foreign Relations Committee, of which he was a 
former chairman and the current ranking member. In 1973, he became the 
first Republican, as well as the first Senator from North Carolina, to 
receive the Golden Gavel, an award presented for presiding over the 
Senate for more than 117 hours. Senator Helms was awarded a second 
Golden Gavel for presiding for more than 120 hours in 1974.
  It goes without saying that Jesse Helms has become a fixture and a 
legend in this body. While Senator Helms and I have often differed over 
the years in our approaches and our positions to the many important 
issues that have come before the Senate for consideration, Senator 
Helms has always been a force to be reckoned with. His public service 
has been marked by hard work and diligence. I am pleased to have had 
the opportunity to serve with Senator Helms over these many years and 
want to join my colleagues in paying tribute to him today.
  Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, over the course of the day, we have heard 
from my colleagues many of Senator Jesse Helms' remarkable 
accomplishments over the course of his life. He is a husband, a father, 
a Senator, a Navy veteran, a defender of freedom, and a good friend. 
But above all, Jesse Helms is a man of God.
  I should also add that he is a man of the people. Senator Helms has 
seen more Senators, staffers, and pages in his tenure than most 
Members, and he treated all of them like they were from his own family. 
He is constantly noted for his friendly demeanor to those strangers who 
meet Jesse for the first time, but go away from their meetings feeling 
like a personal relationship has just formed. Senator Helms has always 
been willing to take those precious extra few minutes when meeting 
someone to make personal connections that endure him to many.
  Rarely do people keep their convictions as strong as Jesse Helms, 
especially facing the type of scrutiny that politicians do in the 
spotlight. Throughout his 30 years in the Senate, Senator Helms has 
fought hard for the commonsense values that he brought with him from 
the great State of North Carolina. He has stood for the vision that our 
Founding Fathers imagined when they framed the Constitution. I cannot 
help but think that North Carolina and indeed our country is indebted 
to Senator Helms for his service to our country. It has been a 
privilege to stand with the Senator on so many of the issues that are 
important to the United States. I am proud to call Senator Helms a 
colleague and a friend, and we all know how much his leadership will be 
missed in this institution.
  Thank you, Jesse, for your continued dedication not only to the 
Senate, but also your country which is so near and dear to your heart.

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