[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 36 (Monday, February 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S1116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM GASTON CAPERTON III

 Mr. MANCHIN. Mr. President, it is a great privilege of mine to 
rise and honor the legacy of one of the most influential, generous, and 
inspiring West Virginians I have ever had the pleasure of calling a 
dear friend: William Gaston Caperton IIII. My friend Gaston turns 80 
years young on February 21, 2020, and it is an honor to celebrate his 
legacy with my fellow West Virginians.
  It would be difficult to find anyone as knowledgeable or dedicated to 
our home State as Gaston. The son of Eliza and William Gaston Caperton, 
Jr., Gaston was born and raised with his sister, Cary, in our home 
State's capital, Charleston. I have always said there is no greater 
accomplishment in the world than to be in a position to give back to 
the community you love, that made you who you are. That is what made 
Gaston the wonderful, inspiring, and generous person he was. After 
attending Episcopal High School in Alexandria, VA, and the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gaston returned home to join the 
family business. Under his leadership, the McDonough-Caperton Insurance 
Group became the 10th largest privately owned insurance brokerage firm 
in the United States. Along the way, he owned and operated a bank and a 
mortgage company.
  The people of the home State that Gaston and I share have an 
exceptional can-do spirit, a neighborly love that is unrelenting, and 
are grounded by the same core principle: to help others be the best 
they can be. That is Gaston's legacy as a public servant and as a 
leader. After a successful business career in finance and insurance, 
Gaston was elected as West Virginia's 31st Governor in 1988 and quickly 
revolutionized West Virginia's education system. During the 8 years of 
his administration, the average teacher salary went from 49th in the 
Nation to 31st. He launched one of the country's earliest and most 
comprehensive basic skills computer initiatives, as well as invested 
more than $800 million into building, modernizing, and improving school 
facilities throughout the State. He also conducted an aggressive 
program of international trade missions to promote the export of West 
Virginia products. Gaston's focus on investing in the future paid off, 
adding almost 90,000 jobs between 1989 and 1997, lowering the 
unemployment rate to its lowest level in 17 years, and increasing total 
investment by new and expanded businesses by more than $3.9 billion.
  Throughout the years, we bonded over our passion for public service, 
for inspiring the next generation of leaders, and we share the common 
goal of helping the rest of the country discover all that West Virginia 
has to offer. Gaston left office in 1997 and spent 2 years teaching at 
Harvard and Columbia Universities before becoming the eighth president 
of the College Board in 1999. As president, he helped transform the 
century-old institution into a mission-driven, student-first operation 
promoting college success and opportunity for all Americans. During his 
13 years of leadership, the College Board touched the lives of students 
in nearly 27,000 high schools and colleges, promoted the importance of 
writing by adding a writing section to the SAT. and doubled the number 
of students succeeding in Advanced Placement. Gaston's leadership also 
renewed the organization's focus on education in a globalized 
marketplace by initiating a new series of AP world language and culture 
course, as well as embarking on a historic education exchange program 
with China.
  During his more than 20 years in government and education, Gaston 
chaired the Democratic Governor's Association and the Southern Regional 
Education Board, participated in the executive committee of the 
National Governors Association, received 10 honorary doctoral degrees, 
and has been presented with numerous awards, including the 1996 
Computerworld Smithsonian Award for his tireless efforts to introduce 
technology into the classroom, the 2007 James Bryant Conant Award for 
his significant contributions to the quality of education in the United 
States and the 2012 Policy Maker of the Year by the National 
Association of School Boards of Education.
  After retiring from the College Board in 2012, Gaston moved back to 
his hometown and served on the board of directors of a variety of U.S. 
corporations. He has two sons, Gat and John, and is the proud 
grandfather of Eliza, Katie, Evie, Ella, and Genavieve.
  I can't speak enough to what a good-hearted, wonderful person he 
truly is. I always think of Gaston as true renaissance man; no matter 
the circumstances, he kept a cool head and a warm demeanor, always able 
to discern the most honorable path forward. He has always been one of 
West Virginia's most proud representatives, no matter where life has 
taken him. Again, it is a privilege to join the people of the Mountain 
State in celebrating Gaston Caperton's life and legacy and to wish him 
a very happy 80th birthday.

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