[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 95 (Tuesday, June 23, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1544-E1545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF WARREN H. ABERNATHY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JOE WILSON

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 23, 2009

  Mr. WILSON of South Carolina. Yesterday, South Carolina lost a 
longtime friend and leader of our state, Colonel Warren H. Abernathy. A 
native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Mr. Abernathy will always be 
revered as the right-hand confidant of the late Senator Strom Thurmond. 
I learned firsthand as a Thurmond intern in 1967 of his devotion and 
loyalty to Senator Thurmond.
  The eulogy below was thoughtfully written by JasonSpencer in today's 
Spartanburg Herald-Journal:

             Thurmond's Right-Hand Man Dies in Spartanburg

       South Carolina lost a keen mind, public servant and power 
     broker in state and national politics early Monday with the 
     death of Warren H. Abernathy. He was 85.
       Abernathy, of 111 Hillbrook Drive, is often described as 
     the late Sen. Strom Thurmond's right-hand man, someone who 
     worked tirelessly behind the scenes.
       The dynamic between the two was that they were of one mind. 
     Thurmond was the public face; Abernathy, the private man. He 
     stood in the background almost any time a newspaper 
     photographer was around. He turned down offers to write 
     books, or to be the subject of one.
       ``He was the man in the shadow. And he liked that,'' said 
     daughter Marcia Duncan of Gaffney. ``He never wanted to run 
     for political office. He said he liked what he was doing, and 
     that he was supporting someone who could make a difference in 
     South Carolina.''
       Thurmond, while governor in the 1940s, hired a young 
     Abernathy after the late S.C. Supreme Court Chief Justice 
     Bruce Littlejohn introduced them. He would later serve as 
     Thurmond's state manager, overseeing four offices, and as 
     secretary-treasurer of the Strom Thurmond Foundation.
       He worked with Thurmond for nearly half a century.

[[Page E1545]]

       Thurmond, in 1997, described Abernathy as having 
     ``excellent leadership skills and a quick intellect.''
       But up until his death, Abernathy never referred to 
     Thurmond by his first name. He always called him ``the 
     senator,'' Duncan said.
       Abernathy was one of nine children who grew up during the 
     Depression in the family's home on Edwards Avenue, where they 
     would walk to Southside Baptist Church each Sunday. The 
     Spartanburg High graduate attended several area colleges, and 
     was drafted into the Army during World War II. He would later 
     join the Army Reserves and retire a colonel.
       Attorney John B. White Jr., whose family has been long-time 
     friends with the Abernathys, called Warren, ``a distinct 
     individual who was gifted at approaching people, reading 
     people and dealing with people. And he dealt with them with 
     wisdom, kindness, humor, passion and encouragement.''
       He added: ``One of the most important lessons I learned 
     from Mr. Abernathy was loyalty. He was an individual who . . 
     . I don't want to say he demanded loyalty, but he certainly 
     expected loyalty from the people who were lucky enough to say 
     they were friends of his. His word was his bond.''
       Abernathy died early Monday at Spartanburg Regional Medical 
     Center, after battling pneumonia and a heart attack on June 
     15.


                    A very self-effacing individual

       Abernathy developed a talent and a reputation for being 
     politically savvy and offering sound judgment.
       ``Many people who were seeking higher office over the years 
     asked his opinion about their chances,'' said former S.C. 
     Republican Party Chairman Barry Wynn of Spartanburg. ``The 
     General Assembly, when legislation was being considered, 
     trusted his judgment and considered his opinions . . . His 
     influence was making sure people considered the facts and 
     looked at the consequences of what they were doing, whether 
     it was legislative or judicial appointments.''
       But Abernathy never overestimated his political power--he 
     once told his daughter he didn't have power, ``just a few 
     good friends''--and, by all accounts, always remained wholly 
     loyal to Thurmond. The number listed in the phone book for 
     the senator's office in Spartanburg was Abernathy's home.
       ``The reason Strom Thurmond was so popular was because of 
     constituent services, and Warren was the key constituent 
     person in this part of the state,'' said former Congresswoman 
     Liz Patterson, whose father, Olin Johnson, defeated Thurmond 
     in a 1950 Senate race.
       Several people interviewed for this article said Abernathy 
     was able to recognize opportunities for South Carolina, form 
     a consensus about how to approach them, and then, with the 
     help of Thurmond's seniority, get things done.
       Wynn said Abernathy shares in Thurmond's legacy.
       Thurmond ran unsuccessfully for president on a 
     segregationist platform in 1948, but later changed his view 
     on race--though he never publicly apologized for it. Thurmond 
     was the first Southern senator to hire a senior black aide--
     Thomas Moss of Orangeburg--and he eventually would support 
     making Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday.
       ``There's two chapters in Strom Thurmond's life, and in 
     that second chapter, Senator Thurmond really reached out to 
     the minority community and did everything he could to repair 
     any ill will--and I think Warren Abernathy was a big part of 
     that second chapter,'' Wynn said.
       Former U.S. Commerce Secretary Fred Dent of Spartanburg 
     added, ``I don't know that any outsider knew how he 
     contributed to the senator. He was not the kind to brag that 
     he had done this or that. He gave advice to the senator, and 
     that was it. He was a very self-effacing individual and was 
     extremely well versed in political issues.''


                      A Strom Thurmond Independent

       Thurmond, Abernathy and Moss together determined that they 
     would make amends for the past, Duncan said.
       ``Daddy encouraged him (Thurmond). That was his way of 
     trying to help the senator bring the state together,'' she 
     said. ``They probably decided it together, because they did 
     everything together. They were each other's confidant.''
       Abernathy, however, was more than just the man behind the 
     senator.
       Ernest Finney, the first black chief justice of the S.C. 
     Supreme Court, said Abernathy was one of the people he met 
     with when seeking that position. He called Abernathy the 
     ``doorkeeper'' for Thurmond.
       ``He was straightforward. He looked you in the eye. He 
     talked to you,'' Finney said. ``He didn't give you a song and 
     dance.''
       State Sen. John Courson, a Richland County Republican who 
     will be pallbearer at Abernathy's funeral, met Abernathy in 
     1972. Over time, their relationship grew to the point where 
     they'd meet weekly over lunch or dinner.
       ``He talked in riddles,'' Courson said. ``I remember, when 
     Lee Atwater had gone to work for President Reagan, we were 
     having these lunches and dinners and (Abernathy) would say 
     things like, `the pool-hall crowd says this.' I thought, this 
     guy is a devout Southern Baptist. Why is he talking about the 
     pool-hall crowd? Lee explained that was a euphemism for the 
     man-on-the-street. It took me awhile to learn the nuances of 
     his English.''
       Courson said he last talked with Abernathy less than two 
     weeks ago. Abernathy always liked to hear the latest Columbia 
     gossip, and the two mused on the upcoming gubernatorial and 
     Senate races. Courson said Abernathy was ``like a second 
     father.''
       ``Honestly, I still don't know whether he was a Democrat or 
     Republican,'' he said. ``I think Warren Abernathy was a Strom 
     Thurmond Independent.''


                         Never cheat the world

       Despite the politics, the people who knew Abernathy best 
     concentrated Monday on his spirit of camaraderie, his 
     devotion to his church and his words of wisdom.
       For more than 50 years, the Whites and Abernathys have held 
     annual Christmas breakfasts. In 2007, the firm sponsoring the 
     event sent out just more than 3,000 invitations.
       Abernathy enjoyed spending Saturday mornings at Ike's 
     Korner Grille. When he got too old to drive, friends would 
     come by and pick him up.
       And throughout his life, he made financial contributions to 
     churches, schools and other organizations often, if not 
     exclusively, to be used to help those less fortunate.
       ``He always said to me, whenever he gave me money, `Never 
     cheat the world.' How about that? And he always told me, `The 
     world is round . . . anything you do will come back around,' 
     '' Duncan said.
       Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Wednesday at 
     Southside Baptist Church, and burial with military honors 
     will follow in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens.
       Former state Supreme Court Justice E.C. Burnett, a 
     Spartanburg native, said he learned the value of patience and 
     to not take things at face value from Abernathy.
       ``He was a man who loved South Carolina and loved this 
     country like few in today's politics. That's a very brazen 
     thing to say. But I say it unreservedly. There will never be 
     another Warren Abernathy. He will be greatly missed.''

                          ____________________