[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 185 (Wednesday, December 10, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10842-S10843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                FAREWELL

  Mrs. DOLE. Mr. President, I rise to speak on the floor of this 
Chamber for the final time in my service as a Senator from the State of 
North Carolina. As I do, I cannot help but think back some 12 and a 
half years ago, when I sat up in the Senate Gallery to watch another 
Senator Dole, my husband Bob, deliver his farewell speech in this 
Chamber after nearly three decades of service.
  Bob began his remarks by reflecting on words spoken by Abraham 
Lincoln in 1860, when a delegation arrived in Springfield, IL, to 
officially inform him he had been nominated by his party for the 
Presidency. Lincoln spoke just two sentences, and then he said to the 
large crowd of friends and neighbors gathered on his lawn:

       Now I will no longer defer the pleasure of taking each of 
     you by the hand.

  I rise with a heart full of gratitude, and, like President Lincoln 
and like Bob Dole, what I wish I could do is to take the hand of all 
those who have helped me on my life's journey and to express my 
heartfelt thanks. I would begin with friends from my home State. I have 
been blessed to serve the public in numerous capacities during my 
career. Without question, the highest honor has been representing North 
Carolina in the Senate. I thank my fellow Tar Heels for granting me the 
privilege of serving them.
  Then there are a number of North Carolinians now gone whom I wish I 
could take by the hand again to thank them for the examples they set, 
the values they instilled in me and the love, guidance, and support 
they provided.
  There is my grandmother, Mom Cathey. I can still vividly recall the 
Sunday afternoons spent with other neighborhood children at her home. 
We would enjoy lemonade and homemade cookies while Mom Cathey read from 
her Bible, which is now one of my most cherished possessions. My 
grandmother practiced what she preached, and she truly lived her life 
for others.
  My beloved father John Hanford always supported my interests and 
taught me that anything worth doing deserved my best effort. When I 
wanted to run for president of my high school, which was not something 
girls did in those days, he stood right behind me cheering me on. He 
was protective but not overbearing.
  My precious mother Mary, who passed away just shy of 103 years old, 
was also front and center in my life. She taught me at a very young age 
that the real joy in life is giving back to your community and helping 
those around you, and she was always there to urge me to go the extra 
mile: You finished your homework early. Have you thought about entering 
that essay contest? Unbeknownst to her, mother's example of hard work 
and dedication drew me toward public service as my mission field, my 
passion. She was a constant source of inspiration.

[[Page S10843]]

  My dear brother John, 13 years my senior, who passed away earlier 
this year, was a role model I put on a pedestal. He encouraged me at 
every turn, providing me with invaluable counsel and infinite support. 
And there is no finer example of a beautiful, caring heart, a person 
who lives her faith, than John's wife Bunny.
  Speaking of faith, I am so proud of my two nephews, John Hanford III, 
currently traveling the world as our U.S. Ambassador at Large for 
religious freedom, and Jody Hanford, his brother, 17 years with Campus 
Crusade for Christ and 15 visits to work in Russia and Ukraine.
  I also wish I could thank teachers such as Agnes Weant, whose 
dedication to young people led her outside the classroom on more than 
one evening to discuss colleges and future opportunities with my 
parents, and Duke University's dean, Florence Brinkley, who encouraged 
me to spend a summer in England studying at Oxford.
  Because of the support and encouragement I received from family, 
friends, and teachers, I ventured to Washington, seeking to be part of 
something greater than myself. As a young adult, I was incredibly 
fortunate to encounter several great mentors who offered me direction, 
opportunity, and encouragement, mentors such as Bill Cochrane, who was 
thought of by many as North Carolina's third Senator. Bill served in 
the office of North Carolina Democratic Senator B. Everett Jordan, and 
he was like a one-man personnel office, assisting eager young people in 
finding jobs in Washington. During the summer of 1960, I worked in 
Senator Jordan's office. Knowing that firsthand historical experiences 
are much treasured by young people, Bill helped me get a front-row 
ticket to my first national campaign on board Vice Presidential nominee 
Lyndon B. Johnson's whistle stop tour of the South. Although my 
staunchly Republican father was concerned about my riding through the 
South, especially through Salisbury, my hometown, on LBJ's train, I 
knew Bill Cochrane was giving me an unmatchable learning experience, 
and I was right.
  And how I wish I could hold out a hand of thanks to a remarkable 
woman who served in this Chamber for many years, Margaret Chase Smith 
of Maine. While working for Senator Jordan, I had the gall to request a 
meeting with Senator Smith. She didn't know me from Adam, but not only 
did she agree to see me, she devoted an entire hour to sharing her 
thoughts and encouraging me to get a law degree so I could bring some 
additional skills to a public policy job. I took her advice and entered 
Harvard Law School 2 years later. Senator Smith's example taught me the 
importance of having an open door for younger people who also seek 
public service as a noble endeavor and might need a little advice and 
mentoring along the way.
  I was privileged to have the best mentor imaginable in Virginia 
Knauer, special assistant to President Nixon for consumer affairs. 
Virginia, a truly unselfish boss, wanted me as her deputy to have every 
experience that she had--my first testimony before Congress, my first 
press conference, speeches across America. After working with her for 5 
years, Virginia wanted to support my nomination to the Federal Trade 
Commission. ``Oh, no, Virginia,'' I remember telling her. I said, ``I 
love being your deputy'' when she broached the subject. Virginia 
replied:

       Elizabeth, you have grown and learned as much as you can in 
     this job. It is time for you to spread your wings.

  In other words, she nudged me out of the nest. To this day, Virginia, 
at age 93, remains one of my most cherished friends, and I am grateful 
to President Nixon for my many years on the Federal Trade Commission.
  I am indebted to former President Ronald Reagan for asking me to 
serve as his Secretary of Transportation and to President George 
Herbert Walker Bush for the privilege of serving as Secretary of Labor. 
And I thank the Board of Governors of the American Red Cross and their 
army of millions of volunteers for allowing me to serve 8 years as 
their president. At each of these positions, I have been fortunate, 
indeed, to be part of a team of extraordinary, hard-working men and 
women. I thank all those who have shared the mission fields with me 
over the years.
  My special thanks to my very talented and capable Senate staff. These 
incredible men and women understand what it means to be true servants 
of the public, to have a passion for what they do. Yes, we have shared 
a mission field. We have worked hard. We have had some fun along the 
way, too, and we made a positive difference for North Carolina and 
America.
  I thank all Members of the U.S. Senate. I knew many of you as friends 
long before becoming your colleague, and you will remain my friends 
after I depart the Senate. You will surely be in my thoughts and 
prayers as you steer our country through the challenging times ahead.
  Most especially, I thank my incredibly supportive husband Bob, who is 
a constant example--and probably for some of you as well--that a leader 
should have not only a strong backbone but also a funny bone. From 
armed service to public service, elected six times by his Republican 
colleagues to be their leader, Bob's more than half a century of 
service to our country is a constant inspiration. Because of his 
leadership, we now have the beautiful memorial to the men and women of 
World War II. Bob's compassion and caring for his fellow man, exhibited 
through his actions in both public and private life, are to me 
unparalleled. He remains the light of my life. For all that you have 
done for me and for countless others and for our country, I thank you, 
Bob, from the bottom of my heart.
  I could never have dreamed of the people I have been privileged to 
meet, the jobs I have been privileged to hold, or the issues I have 
been privileged to influence. Perhaps Theodore Roosevelt said it best 
with these words:

       Far and away, the best prize life has to offer is the 
     chance to work hard at work worth doing.

  I am so very fortunate to have found that best prize as a servant of 
the public. While I don't know what awaits me in life's journey, what 
will come next, I pray that I will find a way to continue to work hard 
at work worth doing.
  May God bless America, and may God bless the United States Senate.
  I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Louisiana.

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