[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 171 (Wednesday, November 18, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11443-S11444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CONGRATULATING SENATOR ROBERT C. BYRD

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I could not be prouder to rise today 
to congratulate a public servant without any peer at all, that being 
Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia. On this actually very 
momentous day, November 18, 2009, my dear friend and colleague becomes 
the longest serving Member of Congress in the history of this Nation. 
On Friday, he will also celebrate a warm and joyous birthday.
  Senator Byrd passes the incredible Carl Hayden of Arizona who served 
honorably in the House and then the Senate for 56 years, 319 days. We 
come together today as an institution to recognize that no Senator in 
history has cast more votes or has been elected by his colleagues to 
more leadership positions than Robert C. Byrd, no one else--a sign of 
the enormous warmth and tremendous respect and the unwavering 
admiration we all share for Senator Robert C. Byrd.
  I am lucky every day to call Senator Byrd my friend, as I have been 
able to work with him in the Senate for the last 25 years and for the 
preceding 8 years when I was a Governor. But most importantly and most 
powerfully, Senator Byrd always makes me so very proud to be a West 
Virginian.
  At our State capitol in Charleston, they are honoring Senator Byrd 
with a special celebration today. The same is happening in small towns, 
cities and communities all across our State. My fellow West Virginians 
are giving thanks for Senator Byrd's voice and for his vision. We are 
grateful for his strength and his rock-solid principle, which over the 
years has come to define West Virginia as surely as our endless hills 
and beautiful streams.
  The people of my State love and respect Senator Robert C. Byrd, in 
part because so many share his very powerful story. So many have 
battled against the odds and continue to fight every day to try to make 
a better life for themselves and for their community. They are proud of 
their State, even knowing their State is not known by many, but they 
take pride in their unity.
  Senator Byrd learned early in life what it meant to be loyal, have a 
strong work ethic, and possess an untiring faith in God. And it was 
these values these innately West Virginia values that guided his every 
action, and made him such a strong fighter for our State. Even in the 
hardest, youngest days of his life, Senator Robert C. Byrd never grew 
discouraged. It was not his nature. Growing up, he faced enormous 
challenges, but he had something called an iron will and he had a sense 
of purpose.

  Now years later, we can sum up that purpose with the phrase 
``fighting for West Virginia.'' It has always rung true, whether it is 
his 50th birthday or, in fact, his 92nd birthday. Whether he was a 
freshman in the House or the Senate's longest serving Member, it

[[Page S11444]]

has never changed with Robert C. Byrd. His fight for West Virginia is 
fundamental to his world, which is West Virginia's world. It is in his 
blood. It is a sacred cause.
  It is not just the building of roads, that which is so often 
associated with Senator Byrd--and to be sure, those roads have 
transformed our State and connected us with other parts of the Nation 
and to each other--but so much more. When you pick up a local 
newspaper, always some institution, some college, some volunteer fire 
department, some research institute at a university or college has been 
helped by Senator Byrd. It is his job, but it is also his very special 
honor at which he excels because of his love for West Virginia.
  Ultimately, it is work: it is simply hard work, and Robert Byrd never 
shied away from it for the people of West Virginia, for the 
Constitution and, yes for this institution, the Senate and its special 
place in our government and our Nation.
  This week, I think of the many birthdays past that he has shared with 
many of us and with his precious wife Erma, his partner in everything, 
who gave him the great strength and great faith to reach great heights. 
It was a little sad to me--and I think to all of us who know him--the 
cost to him of her death. He changed just a little bit in ways that are 
hard to explain but ways which are very deep within his soul because he 
loved and depended on her so much. And I know that as we mark this 
tremendous milestone today, she is with us with great joy in her heart.
  Please allow me to take this special moment to thank my beloved 
friend and congratulate him on this profound day in the whole history 
of the Senate, which truly sets him apart from all the rest. I am 
delighted to celebrate such an incredible milestone.
  I wish him a wonderful birthday, many years of service, and all the 
happiness in the world. But most of all, I thank him for what matters 
the most to me, and that is his profound service to the people of the 
State of West Virginia.
  For more than half a century, West Virginia has had in Robert C. Byrd 
a great man leading us in our greatest battles. And for that, we are 
truly blessed.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I rise this morning, along with a group 
of my colleagues who will be here, to talk about the importance of 
addressing health care reform to help small businesses. Senator 
Landrieu is leading this effort, and she is going to be coordinating 
the speakers this morning.
  Mr. President, before I begin, I want to thank Senator Rockefeller 
for his eloquent comments about Senator Byrd. My family lived in West 
Virginia for about 30 years and truly appreciated the difference 
Senator Byrd made for the State, and I am very honored to be able to 
serve with him, even for a very brief time. So I say to Senator 
Rockefeller, thank you very much for those comments.

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