[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 59 (Thursday, April 12, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4407-S4413]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING SENATOR TED STEVENS
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to honor a colleague and a
friend, Senator Ted Stevens, who this week becomes history's longest
serving Republican member of the Senate. This is an outsized
accomplishment for a man whose name is virtually synonymous with the
Nation's largest State. Yet no one who ever crossed paths with Senator
Stevens is surprised that he has achieved it.
The long list of things he has done for the people of Alaska in the
course of a remarkable 39 years in the Senate traces an arc as vast as
the State itself. His love for that State and this country is
legendary. This milestone is merely an occasion to recall and retell
that legend. As the Republican leader, an admirer, and a friend, I
welcome it.
It is a story that takes us back to a day when transistor radios were
new to the White House and construction workers had just cleared a
space in the Bronx for Yankee Stadium. America was changing quickly,
and Theodore Fulton Stevens would take as much of it as he could.
Born in Indianapolis, he moved to Redondo, CA, as a boy and learned
to surf along the beaches of the South Bay. His pioneering spirit took
him to Oregon and Montana for college and then to even more exotic
places as an Army Air Corps pilot in World War II. At 19 years old, he
was flying C-46 transport planes over the Himalayas and into China
supporting the legendary Flying Tigers. He left the Army after
achieving the rank of lieutenant and in recognition of his bravery
received a Distinguished Flying Cross and an Air Medal.
A decorated war veteran in his early 20s, Ted returned to California
to resume his studies and later enrolled at Harvard Law School. A
consummate tough guy, the man who would one day prepare for tough
legislative fights by donning ties that featured the Incredible Hulk
helped pay his way through law school by tending bar and selling his
own blood.
After law school, Ted showed up in Washington to practice his trade.
He
[[Page S4408]]
married a girl named Ann, and together they set out on yet another
adventure. With an appetite for risk and a passion for service, Ted
would carve a life for himself and his young family out of the vast
expanse of the Alaska territory. He would devote the rest of his life
to helping people there achieve the same rights and privileges that
those in the lower 48 took for granted. As a result of decades of work
in the service of that goal, the name ``Ted Stevens'' would one day be
synonymous with an area one-sixth the size of the entire United States.
He was there at the creation. As a young lawyer at the Department of
the Interior, Ted Stevens stood over a map with President Eisenhower
and traced out the borders of the 49th State. He returned there in
1961, started a law firm of his own, and soon won a seat for himself in
the Alaska House of Representatives. Four years after that, Democratic
Senator Bob Bartlett passed away, and on Christmas Eve, the State's
Republican Governor chose Ted to replace him.
Now, Ted Stevens wasn't well known outside his home State, but
curious folks in Washington could have found this brief description of
him in Newsweek. Here is how they summed him up:
Stevens is a 5'6" cigar smoker who hunts moose and earned a
reputation as a scrapper in the Alaska House of
Representatives.
It was brief, but it wasn't far off. Ted didn't leave his scrappiness
in Juneau. He would bring it to Washington.
A story about the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972
illustrates the point. Ted was a first term minority senator
at the time, but he was determined to find a way to get this
piece of legislation enacted into law.
The story goes that Ted was carpooling into work one
morning with the Democratic chairman who could make it
happen, and he got him to agree to a vote on his amendment
that day.
Well, the day passed without any action. They called the
bill up on the floor, and the thing went through second
reading, third reading, and then onto a final vote. No
amendment.
Ted ran right up to the Chairman and yelled at him right to
his face: ``You SOB, you promised me a vote!' Hearing the
commotion, the Democratic leader, Mike Mansfield, came over
to chastise Ted. Nobody swears in this chamber, he said.
But then Ted told Mansfield what had happened, and how
important the bill was to his State. Mansfield turned to the
chairman and asked whether the story was true. When he found
out it was, he took the bill back to a second reading,
offered the Stevens amendment in his own name, and the
amendment passed.
This was just one of the major pieces of critical
legislation Ted has fought for on behalf of Alaskans. There
have been many others. Ted never tires of fighting for the
people of Alaska. But if you ask his staff, they'll say he
just never tires.
His chief of staff, George Lowe, remembers his first trip
to Alaska with the boss. A staff assistant at the time,
George was a little taken back when he picked Ted up at 6
a.m. and the Senator had already gone through the briefing
book he'd been given the night before, already read the
papers, and already been on the phone to Washington for a
couple hours.
I needed a vacation after doing for two weeks what he'd
been doing for 39 years,' he said.
After Ann's tragic death, Ted met his beloved Catherine.
They would add a sixth child to Ted's brood, Lily, who many
of us remember running around the Senate as a little girl.
Catherine had to get used to Ted's tenacity early on. The
day after their wedding, he agreed to fill in for a colleague
on a trip to tout Reaganomics in China. She had never let him
live down that ``Honeymoon.''
As chief of staff, George says nothing's changed. He's
learned to put his Blackberry in the basement when he goes to
bed at night, or the boss would keep him up with e-mails.
Ted will tell you he works so hard because there's so much
work to do. Alaskans don't have the benefit of centuries of
infrastructure and planning that much of the rest of the
country does. Of the giant State's more than 200 villages,
only a handful had running water when Ted came to the Senate.
But largely thanks to him, roughly half of them do now.
He's tried to make sure that people on the outside
understand the challenges. And turning down an invitation to
Alaska from Ted Stevens isn't recommended if you ever expect
to appear before him at a committee hearing. An entire
generation of Federal officials has trekked up there at Ted's
invitation.
Elaine and I have spent six of the last seven July recesses
at the Kenai River King Salmon Classic and, like everybody
else who's been there, we never leave without being impressed
by two things: the magnificence of the scenery, and just how
much of Alaska's progress is a direct result of Ted Stevens.
It starts at the airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage
International. It runs through the pipeline; the land
settlement claims; the double-hulled tankers that move along
the shore; and through all the homes in the remotest reaches
of Alaska that have radio and television because of Ted. And
it continues with his epic battle to open up the Artic
National Wildlife Refuge.
`They sent me here to stand up for the State of Alaska,'
Ted once said. That's just what he's done. And Alaskans love
him for it: on March 22, 2000, the Alaska State Legislature
named Ted Stevens Alaskan of the Century.
But he's done a lot more for the rest of us besides. Thanks
to a remarkable 35-year tenure on the Appropriations
Committee, no one has done more for the U.S. military than
Ted Stevens. Never one to deny or delay materials or supplies
to troops at home or in the field, he's secured funds to
continue funding the F-117, to replace Air Force One, for
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like the Predator and Global Hawk,
and for a replacement Coast Guard Icebreaker and the F-16
program.
He was instrumental in ensuring funds for early military
research on everything from breast cancer to AIDS.
I remember asking myself when I first arrived in the Senate
whether Stevens was ever in a good mood.
But I learned, as everyone else who knows him does, that,
like Hamlet, Ted Stevens ``speaks daggers but uses none.''
And in this, ``his tongue and his soul be hypocrites.''
Those who weren't convinced of this changed their minds
during that sad week in September 2003, when we learned about
the death of Senator Gordon Smith's son, Garrett. Senator
Smith opposed Ted on ANWR, the biggest issue of his life. And
a lesser man might have held a grudge. Yet it was Ted who
arranged to fly himself and his colleagues in the Senate to
the funeral.
They say the only way to have a friend is to be one. And
Ted's friendship with Senator Inouye, is one of the great
models of bipartisanship this building has ever known. We all
know the two men call each other brothers. But some might not
recall that Ted has actually donaTed money from his own
Political Action Committee to Senator Inouye's re-election
campaign.
How does Ted do all this?
He's always looking forward. Thirty-nine years in the
Senate, and he doesn't reminisce. He hasn't slowed down a
bit. He plays tennis and enjoys fishing. He tries to get in
an hour at the Senate gym every day. And when he says he's a
fighter, he means it: his staff assures me he still trains on
a speed bag.
When Ted got to the Senate, he had a motto: ``To hell with
the politics, do what's right for Alaska.'' Over the years,
he changed that motto, just slightly. Now it's: ``To hell
with the politics, do what's right for the Nation.'' But in
one of the most distinguished careers in the history of this
body, he's done both.
The people of Alaska and this Nation are better for having
Ted Stevens around. We'd hardly know what to do without him.
And in appreciation of his friendship and his noble service
to State and country, I honor him today for his historic
achievement and wish him many more years of good health and
service.
(Applause.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii is recognized.
Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I am a proud Democrat. Ted Stevens is a
proud Republican. People have said, how can you two ever get together?
Well, as the leader has indicated, we call each other brothers.
I know this is a violation of our party rules, but I have contributed
to Ted's campaign, and he has contributed to my campaign. Last election
was one of the most negative and partisan ones that I have ever
experienced. The issue was Iraq, as it is today. Ted Stevens came up to
me and said: You know, this election is sending a bad message to the
fellows and the women in Iraq. We should send another message. So he
proposed that we do our very best to pass the Defense appropriations
bill in a timely fashion unanimously. The record will show that the
subcommittee came out and voted unanimously for the Defense
appropriations bill. The full committee responded by unanimously voting
for it, and the Senate, for the first time in history, voted 100 to 0.
That is bipartisanship, Mr. President. We have demonstrated that it
can be done, and it has been done many times. We have many things in
common, but I think more things uncommon. He represents glaciers; I
represent coconut trees. But we do have many things in common. We
fought in World War II--he in China with the Flying Tigers, and I was
in Europe fighting the Germans. We represented territories. So we came
in as new Members of the Senate, and he and I have received the crown
of being ``pork men of the year.'' We are No. 1 in add-ons in the
United States Senate.
Mr. President, I am proud to call Ted Stevens my brother. I hope we
can
[[Page S4409]]
continue this brothership for as long as we are here. We have just
given him a new title: the Strom Thurmond of the Arctic Circle.
(Applause.)
Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues in recognizing
Senator Ted Stevens upon this milestone of his serving longer in this
body than any other Republican Senator. This is a significant moment
and our former President pro tempore of the Senate has set an
impressive, historic accomplishment.
I think this is most significant not because we are recognizing Ted
Stevens for his length of service in this body, but rather because we
are recognizing what Ted Stevens has accomplished in this institution
as a U.S. Senator. There are few individuals who can equal his service
and accomplishments as a true leader.
As Alaska's Senior Senator, his steadfast and tenacious advocacy of
his State and constituents is widely known. His career transcends
Alaska's transition from a frontier and U.S. territory to an important
and vibrant State.
After earning his law degree at Harvard University, Ted Stevens moved
to the heart of Alaska, the Chena River and Fairbanks, where he became
a prosecutor and a U.S. attorney in the early 1950s.
Ted quickly became a leader in the statehood movement and in 1956 he
served his first assignment in Washington as the Department of
Interior's legislative counsel and later Solicitor General. He later
returned to Alaska and was elected to the Alaska House of
Representatives where he became the majority leader and speaker pro
tempore. In 1968 he was appointed to fill Senator Bartlett's seat in
the U.S. Senate. He was elected to retain that seat in 1970 and has
been a part of this institution ever since.
Ted is a forceful and dedicated advocate for the people of Alaska. He
has brought about significant economic development, be it clearing the
way for North Slope petroleum development and the construction of the
Alaska pipeline, the upcoming natural gas pipeline, countless small
airports and aviation improvements, or overall basic infrastructure. He
has been a tenacious advocate for the Alaskan fishing industry,
including creation of the Exclusive Economic Zone to allow the
sustainable harvest of the largest and most valuable fishery in the
United States. It is not by chance that the basic law governing
fisheries in this Nation is called the Magnuson-Stevens Act.
Like most Alaskans, Ted is a true sportsman with a rich appreciation
for the unique and special environmental resources of his State. Men
and women fishing on the Kenai River or trolling off Cape Chacon or
other waters need just look next to them, through sunshine or inclement
weather, to see the Senior Senator from Alaska fishing for kings, or
reds or silvers or halibut.
Ted Stevens is an American Senator who has made tremendous
contributions to U.S. security policy and defense posture since the
1960s.
Ted Stevens left college to fight in the Second World War. Senator
Stevens served in the Army Air Corps and flew support missions over the
Himalayas to General Stillwell and our forces in the China/Burma
theater.
Since 1980, Senator Stevens has served as either chairman or ranking
member of the Senate's Department of Defense Appropriations
Subcommittee. The aircraft, the ships, the missiles, the tanks and
combat vehicles, and the weapons systems that are manned by our
dedicated men and women in the U.S. Armed Forces have been developed,
procured and supported under Ted Stevens's steady and pragmatic
leadership. The training, pay and support of our personnel have been
carried out by programs that he championed and shepherded through the
Congress. The ``operating tempos'' and readiness levels are items of
personal interest for him. He is a champion of research and development
to ensure our Nation's leadership is not diminished, and that America
remains prepared to take on threats to its national security.
As an appropriator, Ted Stevens has often focused on the business of
national defense. Like others, he has been a champion of the ``top
line'' for the Defense Budget, seeking to ensure that national security
is remains a priority and receives appropriate funding. He has also
dedicated long hours to ensuring that funds are not wasted and that
priorities are addressed.
Finally, Ted Stevens should be recognized for his work as a
legislator in this body. Ted Stevens has authored and championed
legislation far too numerous to list. He has left his mark on so many
laws, policies and programs that benefit Americans across this Nation.
For example, Ted Stevens has played a leadership role in our national
space programs, and it was his personal effort that allowed NASA to
recover from the Challenger disaster in 1986. He helped create the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and has been the
sponsor or cosponsor of countless significant pieces of environmental
legislation. He has championed remote sensing satellites that protect
our Nation from severe weather and is the author and foremost supporter
of our Nation's ocean exploration program.
Ted Stevens has also left his mark on every piece of
telecommunications legislation over the past 20 years. He has put
forward legislation that provides for our airports and air
transportation systems, and terrorism countermeasures. He is a strong
advocate for the Coast Guard and has overseen fleet, aircraft, and
system modernization during the 1980s and 1990s.
Ted Stevens has been a leader on issues as diverse as reform of U.S.
civil service retirement programs, to the rules governing the operation
of the U.S. Senate. So often it is Senator Stevens's style to be the
workhorse and moving force behind legislation, but to let others
receive the credit. He is a Senator who pulls up his sleeves and works
and he is a man of his word.
Ted is a dedicated family man--to his wife Catherine and his daughter
Lily, and his children from his first marriage to Ann Stevens. Ted
Stevens is a Senator who lives every day to the fullest. He is
tireless.
So Mr. President, it is very appropriate that the Senate convene here
today to recognize and congratulate our Republican President pro
tempore, the vice chairman of the Commerce Committee and the former
chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. We are here today to
recognize the length of his service and the accomplishments of his
Senate service.
Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to my friend
and colleague, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska. Today, Senator Stevens
has the distinct honor of becoming the longest serving Republican
Senator in this Chamber.
I know of no greater patriot and lover of freedom than Ted Stevens.
Whether flying his C-47 with the Flying Tigers in World War II, or
serving in the Alaska House of Representatives, Senator Stevens' life
is a model of heroism and personal integrity.
Ted's tenure in the Senate has been equally impressive. He chaired
the Senate Appropriations Committee for 6 years, the Commerce, Science,
and Transportation Committee for 2 years, and served as the Senate
President pro tempore for 4 years. In each and every one of these high
offices, Ted served with dignity and distinction.
As one who has had a stewardship over our Nation's military for many
years, there is no greater friend to our men and women in the military
than Senator Stevens. No one in Congress has done more to make our
Nation's military the great institution it is today. We all rely
heavily on Ted's expertise on so many defense-related matters, as I
believe many in this body and throughout the Federal Government do. He
is the Senate's greatest asset with regard to the needs of the
military, and his knowledge about defense issues has proven invaluable
every time this Nation has faced a crisis in the last four decades.
Although Ted is not the tallest man in the Senate, my colleagues and
I all look up to the senior Senator from Alaska. When he comes to work
in his Incredible Hulk tie, you know he means business and is ready to
do whatever it takes to ensure legislation which improves the lives of
Americans gets safely sheparded through the Senate.
It has been my privilege to know and work with Ted for many years
here in the Senate, and even though he has been described by some as
gruff and grouchy, I have always found him to be very helpful and
patient. Take for example a few months ago when I was
[[Page S4410]]
meeting with several constituents from Utah in my DC office. During our
conversations, we found that we needed some expertise that only Ted
could provide. I hurriedly called him at home in Alaska without pausing
to calculate the time difference. Although it was midmorning where I
was sitting in DC, it was quite early in the morning in Alaska where a
groggy Ted Stevens courteously took my call, helped me with the
information I needed, and--I hope--promptly went back to bed to finish
his night's sleep. Ted has shown similar types of courtesy and kindness
to several Members of this body and he has always proven able to
balance the delicate, yet competing, needs to maintain good friendships
and still move the work of the country forward even when all sides are
not in agreement.
Ted's wisdom and his character have served as an example to everyone
he meets, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve the
people of the United States alongside my dear, dear friend, Senator Ted
Stevens.
So, from one old bull to another old bull, I would like to thank my
good friend Ted for his friendship and leadership. Also, I would like
to thank his wife Catherine for her selflessness and willingness to
share her husband. The hours kept by a hard-working Senator are long
and can be very demanding on families, but Catherine has been extremely
patient and our Nation is grateful.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is recognized.
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am embarrassed but very grateful to my
friends, our leader, Mr. McConnell, and my great friend and brother,
Dan Inouye. Dan and I have been here a long time. Actually, he came to
the Senate before I got here. I was downtown with the Eisenhower
administration when he arrived in the Department of the Interior. I
went home after that Presidency ended to Alaska and never expected to
come back. But I did, and I am grateful for the outline of my service
that our Republican leader has presented in the Senate.
I can only say two or three things. One is that I would not be here
now if it wasn't for a real understanding family. My first wife was,
and my current wife, Katherine, has been supportive beyond anyone's
understanding. It is a long way to go home. I remember one year I flew
home 35 times--one day up and one day back, almost. But I have been
away from my family a great deal. I have 6 children and 11
grandchildren and they have understood my commitment to the Senate. I
do believe that it would be impossible to be here without that type of
support.
I also have been privileged and ask that after my remarks, I be
permitted later to have printed in the Record a list of the dedicated
young Alaskans who have come down and worked with me in various
positions; also, those who have worked with me at home. I have had a
series of distinguished chiefs of staff who have gone on to other
functions and have shown what training in the Senate can do for a young
person. I think over a dozen of my chiefs of staff have gone through
law school working full time in my office and going to school full
time. We sort of run a separate adjunct of the Senate, and that is a
law school on the side, I think.
I do believe I have had the honor of serving with many great people.
I served with the people who were here when I came here--Senator Baker,
Senator Mansfield, Senator Scott, Senator Magnuson, Senator Dole,
Senator Jackson, Senator Cook, Senator Bible, Senator Bell, Senator
Hollings--there are so many.
I remember the time when Senator McClellan, who was chairman of the
Appropriations Committee, took the whole committee up to Alaska because
he was tired of asking me why I was seeking so much money. He decided
to take the whole committee up there. We traveled through the State for
2 weeks. That doesn't happen now.
I am surrounded by friends here on both sides of the aisle, and I am
still very honored to be here.
Let me close by saying I really think I am here because of the
mentors I had in Alaska. Two publishers--Bill Snedden, publisher of the
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and Bob Atwood, publisher of the Anchorage
Times--urged me to come to Washington to participate in the Eisenhower
administration during our fight for statehood. I was lucky enough to
tie into former Senator Fred Seaton who was Secretary of the Interior.
I worked with him for a period of almost 4 years and left Washington as
the Solicitor of the Department of the Interior, his reward to me for
our working together.
I was also honored to follow a good friend, a friend I got to know
during the territorial days as we fought for statehood, and that was
Bob Bartlett. He was my predecessor. He was, during the time we were
fighting for statehood, the delegate from the Territory of Alaska as a
Democrat.
I think our relationship was almost as close as the relationship I
have with Senator Inouye. He was a fine man, a great and distinguished
public servant for Alaska. I am honored to hold what Alaskans call the
Bartlett seat.
I thank my colleagues again for the courtesy all have shown me. I
passed a milestone only because Strom made the mistake of being a
Democrat for two terms. I am honored to have this recognition today.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The majority leader is recognized.
Mr. REID. Mr. President, when I came to Washington, Senator Inouye--I
am sorry, Senator Stevens. They are like brothers, and it is easy to
get them mixed up--Senator Stevens had already been here 12 or 13
years. He has a distinguished service: 38 years in this Chamber, going
on 15,000 votes, decorated pilot in World War II. But there are a
number of instances that I want to spread on this record regarding
Senator Stevens.
First of all, he has a relationship that has already been mentioned
with one of America's great people, Senator Dan Inouye. Dan Inouye, of
course, is a Medal of Honor winner. A gentleman describes who he is.
But the relationship between Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens, when
the history books are written, will be legendary. They are friends, a
Republican and a Democrat, who are like a couple of brothers.
They have traveled the world over many times, and the relationship is
something we should all recognize as being possible in this Chamber.
People of different parties from different parts of our United States
can become friends. Party affiliation is secondary to their
relationship.
For me, the example they have set has paved the way for the
relationship Senator Ensign and I have. We are from the same State,
with totally different political philosophies, but our friendship is,
in our own minds, comparable to that of Senator Stevens and Senator
Inouye. Thank you very much, I say to Senator Stevens and Senator
Inouye, for the example you have set for us.
I also want to relate to everyone something that is remarkable to me.
I was serving in the House of Representatives when Senator Alan Bible
died. Senator Bible served in the Senate for 20 years. He was a great
public servant from the State of Nevada and a dignified Senator who,
because of illness, left the Senate after 20 years.
When he died, there was a plane available to take anyone who wanted
to go to the State of Nevada to his funeral. I went, and the only other
Member of Congress who traveled to Nevada was Ted Stevens. It was a
long way to Reno, NV, where Senator Bible was buried, but Ted Stevens
went. Why did he go? Because on a very important vote to Senator
Stevens that made the difference between Senator Stevens carrying the
day or losing the day, Senator Bible stepped forward, as Senator
Stevens said, courageously and voted with this Republican Senator.
Think about that: Senator Bible was long gone, hadn't been in the
Senate for many years. He died. But Senator Stevens remembered Senator
Bible doing something that he thought was beyond the call of his
democratic duty. And so Senator Stevens and I took this lonely flight
to Reno, NV, to attend the funeral of my friend and Senator Stevens'
friend, Senator Bible. That speaks volumes about the kind of person
Senator Stevens is.
One of the highlights of my congressional service has been the
ability to travel all over the world. It is part of our obligation as
Members of Congress to go see what American interests are doing around
the world. On one of those trips, I signed up to go as a
[[Page S4411]]
young Senator and was led by the great John Glenn and Ted Stevens. It
was a memorable trip. I can remember--the Iron Curtain was down--
leaving Austria and going into Czechoslovakia. They stopped the train.
In came the KGB and other Iron Curtain soldiers. They looked under the
train, in the train, and looked at all of us. We went into Prague, and
in a little diner, bar, that evening, a man came in wearing a flight
jacket, a World War II flight jacket. Of course, Senator Glenn and
Senator Stevens had worn those flight jackets representing the United
States as they flew airplanes: one a marine, one a member of the Army
Air Corps.
The conversation that night with that man, who probably was a KGB
plant, as we talked later, developed into a great conversation. We were
able to be regaled with conversations about Senator Glenn in World War
II and Senator Stevens in World War II flying airplanes for America's
interests around the world. I always will remember that.
Finally, I say to Senator Stevens, at this desk right here, you
watched me manage a few bills. We were able to finish an appropriations
bill. You thought I helped a lot. So you gave me the distinct honor of
giving me one of your Hulk ties, which I still have.
(Laughter.)
We laugh and joke about that, but it meant a lot to me that Senator
Stevens thought enough of me to give me one of his ties.
So I say to Senator Stevens, at this important occasion for you, of
course, and our country, recognizing you, your service in this body,
the longest serving Republican in the history of the Republic, I extend
to you my appreciation and my friendship.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is recognized.
Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the junior Senator from Alaska is on
her feet. I wanted to make sure you saw her. She will be seeking
recognition.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Alaska is recognized.
Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, it gives me enormous pride to pay
tribute to our senior Senator, to my senior Senator, Mr. Stevens, and
to listen to the comments, to listen to the stories from so many of you
as colleagues and friends.
For so many years--I think my whole life--I have grown up hearing the
stories about Senator Stevens, and to understand how today--tomorrow,
actually--he makes history as the longest serving Republican Senator.
What you all need to appreciate is that so much of the history of Ted
Stevens is also the history of the State of Alaska. They are
inextricably tied, and we know that. So to be able to share that with
his friends and colleagues for so many years is so important.
I truly appreciate the words of the Republican leader outlining the
history, the very storied military career that Senator Stevens had,
understanding how he went on to be the U.S. attorney for the territory
at the time, his schooling through UCLA, through Harvard. Coming back
to the State of Alaska is where we all kind of pick up with the history
that is now legendary and is seen in so many places.
Someone mentioned the Ted Stevens International Airport. We look
around to so many of the monuments in the State, whether it is the
Trans-Alaska Pipeline that has been delivering oil to the lower 48 for
the past 25-some-odd years--we look at those and we think: Ted Stevens.
I don't know how many of you are aware of the history of our State as
it relates to our lands and knowing and understanding that it was Ted
Stevens who moved these forward, whether it was ANILCA, our land
conservation act, the Native Claims Settlement Act, the effort to build
the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Act, the
Denali Commission--these are living legends, if you will, through
legislation that came about through the dedication, through the
persistence, through the urging of Senator Stevens.
We all want to believe, certainly, that we work on behalf of the
people we represent, but as we look to these legislative victories,
these legislative successes that Senator Stevens has put in place over
the years, I believe that truly demonstrates his commitment to the
people of Alaska. When we think about providing the Native peoples with
title to their lands, when we think about the educational challenges
that face us in this enormous State with geographic and rural
challenges that we can only imagine, when we think about how we provide
health care in a State such as Alaska, all we need to do is look to the
initiatives that have been put in place.
Senator Stevens has always--always--kept Alaska first and has been
very selfless in his efforts to put his State, to put the people of
Alaska first.
We lovingly call him throughout the State ``Uncle Ted.''
And you chuckle, but I think it is fair to say. They might not say it
to your face, Ted, but behind your back they are always calling you
Uncle Ted, because I hear it. They love it. The people of Alaska love
it when you put on your Super Hero tie, when you wear the Hulk tie,
because that is your signal that you mean business on behalf of the
people of the State of Alaska.
You know, talk about people who have minds as sharp as a tack, Ted
will come up to me and we will be talking about something and he will
say, You remember back in 1973 when so-and-so said something to so-and-
so? And I am thinking, I was still in high school back then; no, I
don't remember that. But he has such a grasp of the history and the
facts. I appreciated his comment that he doesn't reminisce, but he is
not going to let go of the factual background that has gotten us to
where we are today.
Senator Stevens mentioned those who have worked for him, and he and I
have a unique relationship in that I was an intern for him. I credit
him as my first political mentor here. Whether that means your staff
will go on to succeed both you and me, who knows, but I look to what
you have provided me as I have joined the family of the Senate here. I
could not have asked for a better mentor, a better colleague to work
side by side with as we move forward to advance the interests of the
State of Alaska.
I know I will have you to work together with for years to come, and I
join my colleagues again in acknowledging you on this truly historic
occasion. I think it is fair to say, as an Alaskan, I feel personally
blessed to have you and your leadership for our State and our Nation,
and for that I thank you very much.
(Applause, Senators rising.)
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the list of
family and Senate staff to which I previously referred, be printed in
the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Family
My wife, Catherine Ann Stevens, my deceased wife, Ann
Cherrington Stevens, who left us due to our 1978 accident. We
have six children, Susan, Beth, Walter, Ted, Ben, and Lily;
and our eleven grandchildren, Susan, Ben, Augustus, Theodore
II (Ben and Elizabeth Stevens family), Sally Masako (Ted and
Junko Stevens family), Ann, Rachel and Elizabeth (Walter and
Debbie Stevens family), Laura Beth, John Peter, and Sara Ann
(Susan and David Covich family).
____
Senate Staff
Chiefs of Staff
Ron Birch; George Nethercutt; Tim McKeever; Rebecca Cox;
Bill Phillips; Greg Chapados; Lisa Sutherland; Mitch Rose;
Carol White; Dave Russell; George Lowe.
Former Staff in the Whip Office
Susan Alvarado--one of the first professional female staff
assistants to leadership.
Larry Burton--whip office.
DeLynn Henry--long term scheduler.
Staff Directors
Appropriations--Steve Cortese, Jim Morhard; Commerce--Lisa
Sutherland, Christine Kurth; Government Affairs--Wayne
Schley, Al McDermott; Rules--Al McDermott; Ethics--Bill
Canfield; Whip--Rebecca Cox; President Pro Tempore Office--
Jennifer Lowe; President Pro Tempore Emeritus Office--George
Lowe.
Alaska Staff
Barb Andrews Mee; Marie Nash; Edie Opinsky; Jim Egan;
Gloria McCutcheon; Ruth Burnett; Mike Dalton; Diane
Hutchinson; Connie McKenzie.
____
Current and Former Stevens' Personal Office Staffers From 1969 to April
12, 2007 (*Current Staff Member)
A
Albrittain, Nancy A.; Alexander, David M.; Allen, Dorothy
M.; Alowa, Allen D.; Alvarado, Susan E.; Alvord, Melanie A.;
Andrews, Barbara A. (now Andrews-Mee); Andrews, Christina;
Angerman, Lillie; Arai, T. Juliette; Aravosis, John G.;
Arness, Peggy M.; Arnold, Susan L.; *Arthur, Will.
B
Bahmer, Barbara A.; Bahmer, Gale O.; Bailey, Helen S.;
Baker, Bridget L.;
[[Page S4412]]
Baker, Elizabeth Anna-Marie; Baker, Laurie; Ballash, Heather
L.; Banks, Gary S.; Barbagallo, Nelly E.; Barnes, Mark;
Bartosik, Curtis J.; Bass, Sandra R.; Bates, Gwendolyn J.;
Behm, Yvonne D.; Beighle, Jon J.; Belcher, Janet B.; Belon,
Valerie L.; *Bennett, Doris C.; Bennett, Patricia A.;
Bergstrom, Minta C.; Bertoson, Todd; *Bertrand, Joel; Binns,
Mahalia J.; Birch, Ronald G.; Blackwell, Michelle; Blanchard,
Virginia; Boatman, Robert W.; Bolton, Jerry K.; Bookout,
Cynthia R.; Bombeck, Tui; Boone, Courtney; Bourassa,
Phillippe H.; Boyer, Robert L.; Brandman, Sonja; Brandt-
Erichsen, Svend A.; Braniff, Mimi; Brewer, Martha J.;
Bridenbaugh, Kathleen A.; Briggs, Michael G.; Britt, Gloria;
Britt, Sharon M.; Brown, Benjamin E.; Brown, Charlie L.;
Brown, Lauren E.; Brown, Sylvia H.; Bryant, Julie; Bullock,
George D.; Bundy, Elliot; Burnett, John S.; Burnett, Ruth E.;
Burnett, Suzanne; Burnett, Wally; Burton, Larry D.; Butzlaff,
Nathan B.
C
Cabaniss, Virginia Dale; Call, Kay L.; *Campbell, Nikki;
Carlisle, Margo D.B.; Carlson, Thomas L.; Castillo, Florence
A.; Causey, Janel (Anderson); Chaffins, Katherine E.;
Chapados, Greg; Chapek, Rebekah A.; Christian, Diana F.;
Christie, Monica A.; Chomski, Kathleen (Brown); Ciccone,
Christine M.; Cipra, Fredesvinda K.; Clancy, Lynda E.; Clark,
Jane B.; Clements, Barbara; Clements, Charles; Cole, Brent;
Collins, William L., III; Colver, Jane D.; Comstock, Earl W.;
*Connell, Elizabeth J.; Covington, G. Dianne; Constantine,
Janet A.; Cook, Caroline W.; Cook, Cora J.; Corbin, Lelani;
Corthell, Lisa L.; Costello, Earle E.; Covington, G. Dianne;
Cowen, James S.; Cowen, Joseph D.; Cox, Rebecca (Gernhardt);
Craddick, Elaine L.; Craddick, Jan O.; Crawford, James M.;
Crews, Darcy L.; Crittenden, Benjamin R.; Crittenden, Evelyn
M.; Crittenden, Harriet C.; Crosley, Margy M.; Crossman,
Sally J.; Crow, Michelle (now Maher); Cullen, Ann P.
D
Dalton, Kathleen F.; Dames, Edna M.; Dames, John C.;
Daniels, Lorna; Darnell, Joseph; Davidge, Ric; *Davis, Mark;
Dearring, Barbara G.; *Demopoulos, Nicolia; Derr, H.J.;
Devore, Jon M.; Devore, Michelle (Butler); Dewhirst, Mary K.;
Dickey, H. Gen; Dietz, Suzanne; Dinneen, Mark K.; Dittman,
David; Dittman, Terry; Dixon, Karen G.; Donahue, Helen S.;
Doogan, Laura; Dow, Wendi; Drager, Philip J.; Droege,
Phillip; Dunbar, Henry T.
E
*Eames, Seth; Egan, James B.; Eklund, Nancy A.; Elerding,
Mary Jane; Elliott, Norman H., IV; Elwell, Dan; *Engibous,
Robyn; Evans, Ernest H.
F
Farr, Meghan; Farrell, Alycia; Fate, Julie Y.; Faunce, Mary
L.; Feind, Gena M.; Ferguson, John D.; Ferguson, Pamela G.;
Fessenden, Lori Ann; Fink, Joshua; Fitch, Karen M.; Flanders,
Barbara; Flannigan, Michael J.; Fradley, Dennis C.; Franz,
Joan L.; Fraser, Robert C.; Frazier, Ernest M.; Freitag,
Renee; Friehlke, Ann; Fromuth, Peter J.; Fuller, Douglas
S.; Fuller, Kimberly A.
G
Gallagher, Hugh G.; Gayman, Carol (Steiner); German,
Penelope S.; Gibson, Duane R.; Gilman, Bradley D.; Gilman,
Lisa C.K.; Gilman, Margaret; Gimm, Viola M.; Glasmann,
Michael J.; Godwin, Agnes C.; Goodman, Stuart A.; Gore, Mary;
Grane, Kimberly; Grant, Ian; Graves, Roger K.; Gray, Louise
A.; Green, Isaac A.; Greisen, David; Gregg, Samantha C.;
Griffiths, Leslie O.; Groseclose, Robert B.; Gruenberg, Max
F., Jr.; Gustufson, Carol.
H
Haggart, Richard G.; Halcomb, Patricia M.; Henry, Diana L.
(now Diana H. West / then Diana H. Barnhart); Hall, Lisa C.;
Halvarson, Janet M.; Hansen, Paul G.; Hanson, Ingrid C.;
Harrison, Ardine; Haugen, Leif; Hayes, James; Hayes, Lindsay;
Hays, Dorothy A.; Hefke, Nancy L.; Hegg, Ruth E.; Hegyi,
Karen R.; Henry, Diana; *Henry, Martha DeLynn; Henthorn,
Deborah T.; Herman, Margaret G.; Hess, Carol (Logan); Hess,
Kelly A.; Hett, Susan Elaine; Hickling, Elizabeth M.;
Highbaugh, Rita K.; Hill, Cynthia L.; Hilscher, Hilary J.;
Hinkley, Jeanette (Nichols); Hobbs, Mary Jo; Hodson, Lona M.;
Hogan, John J.; Hozey, John; *Hughes, Brian; Hultberg,
Rebecca L.; Hutchison, Diane.
I
Iani, Frances S.; Irrigoo, Connie; Ivko, Terri L.
J
Jaehning, Leslie; Jeffress, R.D.; Jennings, Malin T.;
Jessup, Carolyn R,; Johansen, Gary L.; Johnsen, Krag A.;
Johnson, Louise L.; Johnson, Myrtle F.; Johnson, Rhonda;
Johnson, Robert W.; Johnston, Martha R.; Jolly, Claire Anne;
Jones, G. Kevin.
K
Kaplan, Gregory D.; Katongan, Adeline R.; Katz, John W.;
Keller, Kristen L.; Kelly, Ernest B., III; Kemppel, Denali
A.; Kerezy, John D.; *Kerley, Patrick J.; Kerttula, Anna M.;
Kidd, Margaret L.; King, Sara L.; Kirchoff, Scharine;
Kloster, Kendra; Konigsberg, Charles S.; Kozie, Michelle;
Kron, Stephanie A.; Kurth, Christine.
L
Lack, Jonathon H.; Ladd, Priscilla D.; Lahmeyer, Lillian
A.; Lahmeyer, Michelle E.; Landry, Jeffrey; Lang, Cheri A.;
Lang, Deborah S.; Langton, Michal; Lappi, Karen D.; Larson,
Dean M.; Larson, Michelle R.; *Laudenberger, Theresa A.;
Layton, Mark; Lawrie, Heather A.; *Leathard, Scott; Lee,
Claire K.P.; Leonard, Lindsay; Lewis, Irene C.; Lock,
Kathleen M.; Loewen, Reuben M.; Logan, Douglas M.;
Longnecker, Barbara A.; Louis, Claudia J.; Lounsbury, Joel;
*Lowe, George H., IV; Lowe, Jennifer (Mies); Lund, Thomas R.;
Lundquist, Andrew.
M
Macauly, Margie M.; Maculay, Gail C.; Magnusson, Lori M.;
Mai, Audra M.; *Maitlen, Brandon; Maloney, Wayne; Martin,
Bernadette V.; Martin, Guy R.; Mason, Paisley; Matsuno-Nash,
Marie; May, Terence; McAlpin, Jay A.; McCabe, John T.;
McClees, Charles J., Jr.; McCuthheon, Gloria; McGuire, Lesil
L.; McInerney, Anne E.; McInturff, Janell A.; McKeever,
Timothy A. McKenzie, Connie; McLeod, Phillip W.; Menduno,
F.M.; Messina, Gary S.; *Michalski, Nathan; Miller, Alexis
R.; Miller, Terrence B.; Mock, Lisa C.; Moore, Elizabeth M.;
Moran, Margaret A.; Moran, Michael P.; Morgheim, Jeffrey
S. Motley, Allison H.; Motznik, Lavonne L.; Murdey,
Phyllis M.; Murphy, Ann Marie; Murphy, Lynne F. (now
Hill); *Musgrove, John; Musko, Tonja J.; Myers, Joanne.
N
Nelson, James B.; Nethercutt, George R., Jr.; Newman,
Kathryn C.; Nichols, Steven; Nicolet, Katherine L.; Niemi,
Celia B.; Nikzad, Cheri A.; Norton, Katherine H.; Nosek,
Peter C.
O
O'Hara, Kristina D.; O'Leary, Michael S.; Odom, Jane H.;
Odom, Milton W., III; Oliver, Lori Ann; Olson, Lori A.;
O'Keefe, Sean; O'Keefe, Shannon B.; Opinsky, Celine; Opinsky,
Edith M.; Osborne, Jason M.; Otierney, Daniel P.; Oursler,
Susan J.; Owletuck, George N.
P
*Palmer, Suzanne; Parker, Carole A.; Parsons, James;
Patton, Penny E.; Paxton, Matthew; Pence, Randall G.; Perdue,
Karen R.; Perles, Steven R.; Peterson, Darwin; Peyton,
Leonard James; Phillips, William D.; Pierce, Rosemary D.;
Pignalberi, Marco A.; Pillifant, Thomas H.; Pinnolis, Barry
R.; Plunk, Karen S.; Powers, Penny S.; Pugh, Kristen; Pusich,
Shannon M.
Q
Quam, Dana C.; Quinlan, Clarissa M.; Quisenberry, Jack B.;
Quist, Linda A.
R
*Raabe, Aprille; Radakovich, Keith K.; Raffeto, John C.;
Randall, William T.; Range, Kimberly D.; Rawson, Debra;
Raymond, Patricia A.; Reeve, Mary; Reeves, Katharine E.;
Rice, Eugenie A.; Richard, Ryan R.; Richards, Bonnie E.;
Richardson, Linda L.; Richmond, Kristen K.; Rickett, Robert
R.; Rideout, Anita; Rigos, Chris J.; Robbins, Jane A.;
*Robbins, Mark; Roberts, Laury; Rogers Candice; Rogozinski,
Janet L.; Roots, John; Rose, Mitchell F.; Rosenquist, Jane
S.; Rosenquist, Matthew; Rosenwald, Cynthia M.; Rubinstein,
Pamela A.; Ruff, Richard; Rugg, William J.; Rushton, A.
Lyell, III; Russell, David C.
S
Sandahl, Virginia; *Saunders, Aaron; Schabacker, Chris;
Schaefermeyer, Darryl J.; Schafer, Jennifer A.; Schemmel,
Cheryl A.; Schley, Wayne A.; Schneider, Mark; Schroer, Jo
Anne W.; Schultheis, Bruce E.; Schwartz, Judith A.; Scott,
Shirley A.; Seekins, Kerri L.; Seelbaugh, Patricia A.;
Shaftel, Douglas; Sharp, Amy R.; Shaver, Victoria L.; Shaw,
Douglas B.; Shepherd, Leslie C.; Sherbert, Eva M.; Shore,
Mary E.; Shoup, Sharon; Silver, Steven W.; Simpson, Maryann;
Slick, Sherrie A.; Slovikosky, Beverly A.; Smith, Robert B.;
*Sorensen, Ray; Southall, A. Doris; Spaan, Michael R.;
Sparck, Amy; Sparck, Michelle; Spencer, Mark E.; Spils, Carol
A.; *Spinelli, Lindsey; Springer, Mark A.; St. Sauver,
Beverly K.; Staser, Jeffrey B.; Stealey, Katherine; Stealey,
Mary L.; Stenehjem, Connie M.; Stengl, Susan P.; Stepovich,
Antonia M.; Stepovich, Laura M.; Stepovich, Melissa M.;
Stevens, Elizabeth (Engelken); Steverson, Judith (Garnett);
Stiefel, Justin; Stokes, Robert C., III; Stone, Michelle A.;
Stone, Sandra; Sullivan, H. Paul, Jr.; Sumpter, Gerri; Sunne,
Anne C.; Sutherland, Lisa; Sutherland, Scott A.; Swan, Lulu;
Sykes, Gwendolyn;
T
Taft, Margo L.; Tanner, Patrick; Terlesky, Juanita S.;
Tess, Terry L.; Todd, James M.; Todd, Karen G.; Tony, Paul
D.; Trimble, Mary H.; Thompson, Pamela S.; Trump, Marsha V.;
Teeley, Sandra E.; Turner, Lewis N.; Tyser, Sue E.
U
Utter, Brian.
V
Vallet, Paul P.; Vaughn, Philip; Vanderjack, Andrew;
Verble, Saga O.; Von Gemmingen, Brett; Vrem, Lisa S.
W
* Wackowski, Steve; Wagoner, Norman B.; Wallace, John
Foster; * Waller, Karina; Weaver, Karen; Weaver, Robert C.,
Jr.; Weddle, Aaron; Wahto, Heidi A.; Weddle, Justin;
Weidlein, Patricia M.; Weiss, Kelly S.; Webster, Patricia S.;
West, Jade C.; Wheeler, Ruth B.; White, Carol M.; Wilken,
Alan W.; Williams, Cynthia G.; * Williams, Kate N.; Winn,
Robert L.; Wold, Joanne; Wolek, Gail A.; Williams, Anne M.;
Wonder, E. Paul; Wesley, David H.; Wood, Sarah A.; Woodrow,
Shirley A.; Woodworth, Glen E.
[[Page S4413]]
Y
Yarmon, Joel; Yauney, James A.
____________________