[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 22, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9698-S9699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
IN REMEMBRANCE OF STROM THURMOND
Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in
the Record my remarks of December 9, 2002, before the U.S. Capitol
Historical Society.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
``Who well lives, long lives; for this age of ours should
not be numbered by years, days and hours.''
We are gathered here today to salute a friend and colleague
who has lived long and spent his days well.
Strom Thurmond has been a teacher, an athletic coach, an
educational administrator, a lawyer, a State legislator, a
circuit court judge, a county superintendent, a soldier, a
Presidential nominee, and a Governor--and all of that was
packed into just his first 52 years.
In 1954, Strom won his first election to the Senate as a
write-in candidate--beginning
[[Page S9699]]
his Senate sojourn with the singular achievement of being the
only person in history to be elected to the Senate in that
fashion.
As he began his Senate service with a ``first'' he also
leaves it by setting two more records--that of being the
longest serving Senator in U.S. history and also being the
oldest person to serve in the U.S. Senate. May I note here
that he is also the only person in the Senate who is old
enough to be my big brother. But, Strom, like Casey Stengel,
I'll never make the mistake of being 70 again.
Strom Thurmond's life is not just about length and
achievement, it is about personal service and commitment.
Now, I am not speaking here about Strom's well-known
appreciation for the gentler sex. I am speaking about his
love of his country and his commitment to serve it.
Consider the fact that Strom Thurmond volunteered for
service in World War II. He did that when he could have
stayed safely at home. Strom was beyond draft age in 1942.
Additionally, as a judge, he held draft-exempted status. Yet
he went. And in 1944, Strom Thurmond was part of D-Day--the
invasion of the beaches of Normandy that signaled the defeat
of worldwide fascism. He risked his life to serve the nation
he loved.
After the war, Strom Thurmond served the State that he
loved by becoming its Governor.
In 1948, Governor Strom Thurmond tried again to serve the
country that he loved by running for President as a States
rights Democrat. He carried four States and won 39 electoral
votes. Undaunted, in 1954 Strom found another way to serve
his beloved State and country by being elected to the U.S.
Senate. It is in this role, that of U.S. Senator, that we
have come to understand the extraordinary service of this
man from South Carolina.
Strom Thurmond is a man who, because of the quantity of his
years, has seen enormous change--the rise and fall of Nazi
Germany; the Russian Revolution; the rise and fall of the
Soviet empire; two world wars; space exploration; civil
rights upheaval; and incredible advances in technology and
medicine. Indeed, the world is very different from the one
that Strom Thurmond knew as a young man. He has been witness
to the ``vicissitudes of fortune, which spares neither man
nor the proudest of his works, which buries empires and
cities in a common grave.''
And yet Strom has never lost his desire to serve, to make
his contribution, to add his voice and his views to the rich
conglomeration of beliefs and viewpoints which, when mixed
together, yield an idea called America.
Strom is never one to become discouraged, disheartened or
disenchanted. He loves his country, and he has been a
faithful and devoted defender of the Nation's need for a
strong defense. No summer soldier, no sunshine patriot, he.
Youth is not a time of life--it is a state of mind. It is
not a matter of red cheeks, red lips and supple knees. It is
a temper of the will; a quality of the imagination. Youth
means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity,
of the appetite for a adventure over a life of ease. This
often exists in a man of 50, more than in a boy of 20. Nobody
grows old by merely living a number of years; people grow old
by deserting their dreams.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm
wrinkles the soul.
Whether 70 or 16, there is in every being's heart a love of
wonder; the sweet amazement at the stars and starlike things
and thoughts.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as
young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young
as your hope, as old as your despair.
In the central place of your heart, there is a wireless
station. So long as it receives messages of beauty, hope,
cheer, grandeur, courage, and power form the Earth, from men
and from the Infinite--so long are you young. When the wires
are all down and the central places of your heart are covered
with the snows of pessimism and the ice of cynicism, then are
you grown old, indeed!
In the words of Pericles: ``It is only the love of honor
that never grows old.''
Today, it is not the length but the quality of Strom
Thurmond's life which we celebrate. For that marvelous life
of character and courage I salute him. It is a privilege to
know him, an honor to serve with him, and an education to
ponder his remarkable life.
Multiplication Table of Happiness
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 this beautiful December afternoon,
Count your age by friends, not years.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to an
American political icon, patriot, war hero, and lifelong South
Carolinian, Senator Strom Thurmond. While many will recall Senator
Thurmond's half-century career on the political stage, I shall fondly
remember the many kindnesses he extended to my family and me. He was a
warm-hearted, gentle man, and I will count it as one of my life's
honors to have served with him in the U.S. Senate.
I join my colleagues in extending my heartfelt condolences to his
family who have lost a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. Strom
was a legend in the Senate and touched many of us during his long
career. In fact, I will always remember Senator Thurmond's 90th
birthday party when he turned to the audience and said, ``If you all
eat right, exercise, and don't drink whiskey, you'll be here for the
100th birthday party.'' Strom Thurmond was a remarkable American; I
don't think we'll see another one like him for a long time, if ever.
Mr. KYL. Mr. President, we mourn the loss of Strom Thurmond, the
legendary Senator who held his first public office in the late 1920s
and who died on June 27 in his hometown of Edgefield, SC. The State of
South Carolina lost a beloved native son and the Senate lost a
cheerful, robust, honorable, and dedicated colleague. He was someone
who was always eager to help me and to accommodate my concerns. It was
an honor to work with him on issues of national defense, foreign
policy, and many other matters important to the people of the United
States.
South Carolinians' outpouring of respect when he died was massive.
Senator Thurmond had been a judge, a soldier who landed in Normandy as
a member of the 82nd Airborne Division in 1942, a Governor of South
Carolina, and chairman of the Judiciary and Armed Services committees
in this body. He was also someone who changed his mind on an issue of
great import--race in America--and he was a fine example to his fellow
citizens on that score.
Strom Thurmond was an indomitable spirit. He represented continuity
in the U.S. Senate, becoming, in 1996, its oldest serving Member and,
in 1997, its longest serving Member. Those are for the record books.
But on a personal level, I can say I admired tremendously his buoyant
spirit. I appreciated him for assisting me in so many ways, and for his
stalwart service to our country.
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