[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 1, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S12092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO BILLY JOE DAUGHERTY

  Mr. INHOFE. Mr. President, I lost a very dear friend of mine named 
Billy Joe Daugherty a few days ago. I never thought I could sit in one 
chair for 4 hours, but I did this past Monday. Yesterday they had a 
memorial for Billy Joe.
  He is a guy who as a very young man came to Tulsa, OK. He built one 
of the largest churches in the Nation. He has been all throughout the 
Soviet Union--at that time it was the Soviet Union--and throughout the 
world, and he has been saving souls. This guy was just fantastic. When 
he died last week, he was only 57 years old. I sat there--I actually 
sat there, I say to the Chair, for 4 hours in one chair. I didn't think 
I would be able to do that because I normally am not that patient. But 
as people started giving talks and the eulogies, the best was saved 
until last. Billy Joe Daugherty was married for 35 years or so to his 
wife Sharon. She gave the most beautiful, long speech about her life 
with Billy Joe Daugherty. Then, one by one, the kids--four kids: John, 
Paul, Sarah, and Ruthie--stood up and gave tributes. I was thinking: My 
prayer is that when--my wife and I have been married--two weeks from 
now it will be 50 years. We have 20 kids and grandkids. By the way, we 
had all 20 kids and grandkids at one table for Thanksgiving, something 
that many people are not aware is even possible in this day and age. 
But my prayer is that when my time comes and I am gone, that my kids 
will revere me as much as Billy Joe Daugherty's kids revered him.
  I remember back in 1978--Billy Joe died last week when he was 57--he 
would have been about 26, 27 years old. I was mayor of the city of 
Tulsa. I was elected for the first time. I served three 2-year terms. I 
am a morning person. I don't do very well at night. In the morning I 
perform pretty well. I had a policy--and I lived it all the way through 
those three terms as mayor of Tulsa--that I would open up the city hall 
at 6 o'clock in the morning and I would make sure no one else was 
there--no security, nobody else--and stay until 8 o'clock so that 
everyone knew they could come down and visit with the mayor for 2 hours 
every day if anyone wanted.
  Not many of them got up that early. The first visitor I had back in 
1978 was kind of a skinny kid, who came in and said, ``I'm Billy Joe 
Daugherty, and I want to pray with you.'' That is the first time I ever 
met the guy. I cannot tell you that he came by every week for those 6 
years, but he was a regular who was always showing up. We did pray for 
each other, for our families, and for the city of Tulsa.
  I can remember a favorite verse that he used most of the time, a most 
common verse, the 23rd Psalm:

     The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
     He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
     He leadeth me beside still waters.
     He restoreth my soul:
     He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name 
           sake.

  The path of righteousness. Billy Joe was led by Jesus down the path 
of righteousness probably two, three decades ago. I cannot tell you how 
many thousands of people Billy Joe has led down that path of 
righteousness.

     Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
     I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
     Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

  I am sure that when Billy Joe went through that valley of the shadow 
of death, he probably, knowing him, wasn't even walking. He was 
probably running because he knew what was on the other side.

     Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine 
           enemies;
     Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.

  Here was the good part. Billy Joe said this:

       Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of 
     my life.

  He might have changed that and said: Surely goodness and mercy and 
Sharon will follow me all the rest of my days. Whatever it was, they 
did it together. He led a life--in 57 short years--that accomplished 
more than most people who will live to be a hundred.
  The final words of that verse were:

     And I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

  I could look at you folks here today and tell you I don't think Billy 
Joe Daugherty is in heaven, I know Billy Joe Daugherty is in heaven. He 
is looking down at us and thinking two things. First, he is saying: If 
you only knew what I know now. And then you have to keep in mind the 
other thing--Billy Joe is in a different time zone now, and he probably 
said that in just a wink of time, we will all be together. I have every 
expectation that will happen.
  So this is not to say goodbye to Billy Joe Daugherty; this is to say, 
so long, we will see you soon.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________