[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 2]
[Senate]
[Pages 2618-2619]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          RAYMOND SCOTT BATES

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, today I speak in memory of Raymond Scott 
Bates, one of the dear members of our own Senate family who recently 
departed this life.

     Let Fate do her worst, there are relics of joy,
     Bright dreams of the past, which she cannot destroy;
     Which come, in the night-time of sorrow and care,
     And bring back the features that joy used to wear.
     Long, long be my heart with such memories filled,
     Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled,
     You may break, you may shatter the vase, if you will,
     But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.

  These words, written by Thomas Moore, are so fitting this afternoon, 
as I, in my limited and feeble way, attempt to pay honor and tribute to 
the life of Scott Bates, a man whom we all admired and respected, and 
who was taken from our midst, virtually in the twinkle of an eye, and 
without warning.
  It was on the evening of February 5 that the pallid messenger 
beckoned Scott to depart this life. We can believe that he awakened to 
see a more glorious sunrise with unimaginable splendor above a 
celestial horizon, and that he yet remembers us as we remember him, for 
we have the consolation that has come down to us from the lips of that 
ancient man of Uz, whose name was Job, ``Oh that my words were written 
in a book and engraved with an iron pen, and lead in the rock forever, 
for I know that my Redeemer liveth and that in the latter day He shall 
stand upon the earth.''
  When Erma and I lost our dear grandson, Michael, now almost 17 years 
ago, I felt that Michael was resting and at peace in the arms of God, 
and deep within my soul I was aware that Michael knew of my grief. He, 
too, was taken from us suddenly and without warning, and he left us 
without a wave of a hand or without saying goodbye, and so Erma and I 
know what this family is going through. We, too, have walked through 
the valley of the shadow of death. And Erma and I join in saying to 
Scott's family today, Scott knows of your grief.
  I have known Scott Bates since the very first day that he became a 
member of the Senate family. I watched him grow. I watched him as he 
increased in knowledge and in his love for the Senate. Often, when I 
was the Democratic Leader in the Senate, and many times since, I had 
the occasion to call upon Scott for help. He was always ready, always 
courteous, always accommodating. From time to time, we talked about the 
Senate and how it was different from what it used to be. He was a 
Senate employee whose time in the Senate extended beyond the tenure of 
many of the Members of this body, and, like many of the men and women 
who have toiled here in the Senate over the years, Scott appreciated 
the Senate, loved it, and understood it, better even than many of its 
own Members loved and understood it. His contributions to the Senate 
have been many and notable.
  Although public service in general and careers in Washington have, in 
some quarters, fallen out of favor, I believe that Scott Bates' life 
and work experience present a compelling case against the current 
cynicism about the many fine people who serve in the Senate in various 
capacities. Their names are never in the newspapers, they experience 
few public kudos, and yet they work as long hours, probably longer, 
than we do. They are dedicated, they are capable, they are patriotic 
individuals who represent the best that America has to offer from all 
over this Nation.
  Scott was one of those rare individuals about whom no unkind and 
ungenerous word was ever, ever spoken by anyone who knew him.
  He personified what we politicians like to refer to as ``family 
values.'' He lived them. He was active in his church, and he loved his 
wife, Ricki, and their three lovely children--Lisa, Lori, and Paul.
  As all of us know, one of Scott's official duties as legislative 
clerk was to call the roll of the Senate during votes and during quorum 
calls. Thousands of times--thousands of times, I have heard him call my 
name: ``Mr. Byrd''. Now the thread of life is cut; the immortal is 
separated from the mortal; and that rich voice which was wont to fill 
the walls of the Senate Chamber, is hushed in eternal silence. But 
while the portals of the tomb have closed upon the remains of a gifted 
member of the Senate family, the grave is powerless to hold in its 
bosom the spirit of man.
  In the words of William Jennings Bryan, ``if the Father stoops to 
give to the rose bush, whose withered blossoms float upon the autumn 
breeze, the sweet assurance of another springtime, will he refuse the 
words of hope to the sons of men when the frosts of winter come? If 
matter, mute and inanimate, though changed into a multitude of forms 
can never be destroyed, will the imperial spirit of man suffer 
annihilation when it has paid a brief visit like a royal guest to this 
tenement of clay? No, I am sure that He who, notwithstanding His 
apparent prodigality, created nothing without a purpose, and wasted not 
a single atom in all His creation, has made provision for a future life 
in which man's universal longing for immortality will find its 
realization. I am sure that we shall live again,'' as sure as I am that 
we live today, and I am also sure that someday I shall hear the voice 
of a new angel, calling my name again, this time on the heavenly rolls: 
``Mr. Byrd.''
  To Lisa, to Lori and to Paul, I think your father would have wanted 
me to say, live as he taught you to live and strive always to make him 
proud, because he knows.
  On Saturday afternoon, we gathered in a church in Vienna. It was a 
large church, a Presbyterian Church. Our Senate Chaplain was there. He 
had arranged the program, and he did a marvelous job. The Vice 
President came, the President of the Senate, the head of our Senate 
family. Senator Byron Dorgan was there. Senator Chuck Robb was there. 
Senator Gregg was there. Former Senator Robert Dole was there. And 
there was a host of friends. The church was filled. The balcony was 
filled. It was a great outpouring of generous tribute and love for 
Scott Bates.
  Although I had known Scott for 30 years, I had never known him as I 
came to know him last Saturday afternoon when I heard Lisa and Lori and 
Paul speak of their father. Then and only then did I realize what a 
truly great family this was. Only then did I realize what a father's 
love could be for his two daughters and his son. And only then did I 
realize what a deep and abiding and living love Scott's children had 
for him. His wife Ricki was there. She had been brought in, and she lay 
there on a cot, she having not yet recovered from the injuries she 
sustained when the accident occurred.
  It was evident that this was a family in which there was real love 
and in which the presence of God made itself manifest, because this was 
not something that just came about overnight. I will never forget the 
sight of those children speaking about their father and their mother 
and then seeing them, after they had spoken to the audience, go to 
their mother and kiss her on the cheek. Scott must have been pleased 
with it all.
  I count it as a great honor to have been invited by Scott's family to 
speak during that hour. To Lisa and Lori and Paul, I think your father 
would want me to say to you, live as he taught you to live and strive 
always to make him proud. He knows.
  To his legion of friends, I say that Scott's life was a blessing, a 
blessing to each of us who knew him. May we strive to be like him that 
we may be more worthy for, indeed, here was a man. When comes such 
another?

[[Page 2619]]

  To his wife Ricki, Erma and I say, the love of your children and your 
friends and the mercies of an omnipotent God can, over the passage of 
time, be an anodyne to your grief. Be assured, Ricki, love is timeless, 
love is endless and Scott will be with you always.
  And sometimes in the quietness of an evening or in the clear silence, 
as you gaze upon the lustre of the Morning Star, you may hear someone 
whisper:

     If I should ever leave you whom I love
     To go along the silent way, grieve not
     Nor speak of me with tears,
     But laugh and talk of me
     As if I were beside you, for who knows
     But that I shall be, oftentime?

     I'd come, I'd come, could I but find a way,
     But would not tears and grief be barriers?

     And when you hear a song I used to sing
     Or see a bird I love,
     Let not the thought of me be sad,
     For I am loving you, just as I always have.

     You were so good to me,
     So many things I wanted still to do,
     So many, many things to say to you.

     Remember that I did not fear,
     It was just leaving you, I could not bear to face;
     We cannot see Beyond . . . But this I know:
     I loved you so.
     `Twas Heaven here with you.

  Mr. DORGAN addressed the Chair.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, let me, on behalf of the entire Senate, 
thank the distinguished Senator, Mr. Byrd, for those wonderful words. I 
attended the memorial service for Scott Bates on Saturday and heard 
Senator Byrd deliver those reflections. And I guess there is no one in 
the Senate who could have done what Senator Byrd regularly does in 
expressing the collective will of the Senate.
  With the passing of Scott, we lost a wonderful member of the Senate 
family. And Senator Byrd, not just on this occasion but on virtually 
all occasions like this, reaches out and touches others in a very 
special way.
  I recall when my daughter died that Senator Byrd reached out to me 
and offered me a piece of prose that still sits in my top desk drawer. 
Senator Hatch sent me a white leather-bound Bible that still rests 
behind my desk for reference. That is what the Senate is like. It is 
not so much about Republicans and Democrats; it is about people who 
work together, who have a passionate interest in serving this country.
  And it is not just those who are elected who have that passionate 
interest. There are a myriad of wonderful, qualified, committed, 
dedicated staff persons who work in this building who make this 
democracy of ours work. And losing Scott Bates was a tragic loss for 
all of us.
  Frankly, I did not know Scott particularly well. I knew him as a fun 
person to banter and visit and joke with from time to time and knew his 
sonorous voice as he called the roll. And I knew him as a very special 
member of the Senate family. But I believe on Saturday I got to know 
him well through his family.
  Senator Byrd described the memorial service. I would say, as just one 
visitor to that memorial service, how wonderful it would be if all of 
us could leave such a family behind, as Scott did. His two daughters 
and the son who spoke at that memorial service are remarkable young 
people who will contribute much to our country. That is the lasting 
tribute to Scott.
  So let me again, on behalf of the entire Senate, thank Senator Byrd 
for his presentation on Saturday. And, coincidentally, I had asked him 
this morning if I could have a copy of his presentation. He said he 
would be putting it in the Senate Record. Now all of the Senators will 
be able to share, with him, the words that he offered on our behalf on 
Saturday.
  Mr. President, I would like, by consent, to be able to be recognized 
to speak on a different subject.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator is advised there are 35 minutes 
remaining on the Senator's side.

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