[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 173 (Monday, November 24, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S15807-S15808]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING BILL SIMPSON

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, the death of Bill Simpson on November 20 
at the Veterans Medical Center here in Washington was very much like 
having a death in the family of the Senate.
  Bill was known to many of us as the well-respected and effective 
Administrative Assistant of former Senator James O. Eastland of 
Mississippi. He

[[Page S15808]]

served for 10 years on Senator Eastland's staff and was widely known in 
Mississippi as the person to call to get things done in our State.
  I first met him when he became a member of the staff of Governor Paul 
B. Johnson, Jr. Bill was a talented speech writer as well as an astute 
political tactician for Governor Johnson. They accomplished a great 
deal in that 4-year term because of the thoughtful leadership of 
Governor Johnson and the able assistance of Bill Simpson. The 
``Shipyard of the Future'' was built by Litton Industries at Pascagoula 
and the Mississippi Research and Development Center was established in 
Jackson.
  When I was elected to the Senate in 1978 to replace Senator Eastland, 
I tried to talk Bill Simpson into staying on as a member of my staff, 
but President Carter was more persuasive, and Bill left the Senate to 
serve as an assistant to Hamilton Jordan, the Chief of Staff in The 
White House.
  Bill Simpson grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and graduated from 
St. Stanislas College in Bay St. Louis and the U.S. Merchant Marine 
Academy at Kings Point, NY. His father served as Mayor of Pass 
Christian and his brother, Jim Simpson, Sr. was a 7-term member of the 
Mississippi House of Representatives.
  Bill's nephew, Jim Simpson, Jr., carries on the family tradition in 
Mississippi politics as a respected member of the House of 
Representatives from Harrison county, and his son, Bill Simpson, Jr., 
serves on the staff of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
  Bill enjoyed the love and support of a devoted family and the 
camaraderie of countless friends. As chairman of the board of the 116 
Club he would hold court and tell stories about the Senate and our 
State of Mississippi with a twinkle in his eye and love in his heart.
  We extend to his wife, Evelyn, and his children, Bill, Jr. and Ellen, 
and his three grandchildren, our sincerest condolences.

                       HONORING THE ARMED FORCES


                   sergeant major cornell w. gilmore

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to honor a Virginia 
Soldier, Sergeant Major Cornell W. Gilmore, who was tragically killed 
in action in Iraq on Friday, November 7th, 2003. I want to express 
gratitude, on behalf of the Senate, for his service to our Nation. The 
American people, I am certain, join me in expressing their prayers and 
compassion to his family.
  As the Sergeant Major of the Army's Judge Advocate General Corps, he 
served as the primary adviser to the judge advocate general on all 
matters concerning the health and welfare of all the enlisted soldiers 
within that command. A heavy responsibility that he bore freely and he 
served with great effect. He accompanied his commanding general, Major 
General Thomas J. Romig, to Iraq to ensure the soldiers legal needs 
were being met while away from home. Major General Romig stated that he 
was ``one of the most dynamic leaders I ever met.''
  Sergeant Major Gilmore leaves behind his wife, Donna; his daughter, 
Dawnita; his son, Cornell, Jr.; his father William; and his mother, 
Louise.
  Sergeant Major Gilmore was both an exceptional soldier and a caring 
citizen, giving his time freely to community and his church. At every 
post throughout his career he has been a mentor to many through his 
love of God and music, most recently serving as the music minister at 
the Shilo Christian Church in Stafford, VA. The local media reported 
that 100 former pupils served in the choir during his funeral service 
with more than 1300 mourners present.
  His family members are brave Americans who have sacrificed so much 
for this Nation. We owe them and the other families who have lost their 
loved ones a debt of gratitude. Sergeant Major Gilmore was an 
exceptional man with a bright future and family in front of him. His 
wife stated, ``he lived and died doing what he loved best--being with 
soldiers.'' I cannot craft a finer eulogy, the Commonwealth of Virginia 
and the entire Nation shall mourn his loss.

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