[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 21255-21256]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



          THE SENATE SAYS GOODBYE TO SENATOR J. ROBERT KERREY

  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, in this season of fall, the view from our 
window on the world transforms. As the stoic Greek philosopher 
Heraclitus has been quoted as saying, ``Nothing endures but change.''
  Since I became a Senator in 1959, I have observed that every 2 years 
the picture of the United States Senate also changes. This year will be 
no exception. Before we adjourn, we will wish a fond farewell to the 
men who have chosen to leave the hallowed halls of the Capitol to 
travel down new roads that will bring different vistas into view.
  Five of our fellow Senators know, even before the election results 
are tallied in November, that come January

[[Page 21256]]

2001--the beginning of the 21st century and the beginning of the third 
millennium--they will be starting out on a new journey. One of these 
five has announced that he will take a position that will allow him to 
continue his advocacy for a fine and noble pursuit, the pursuit of 
education. In January, Senator Bob Kerrey, the Senior Senator from 
Nebraska, but the youngest Senator who has announced his retirement 
from the Senate this session, will begin a new life, far from his 
native Omaha, as president of the New School University of New York 
City. There he certainly will have a different view from his window on 
the world, a much different view than the one we see from Capitol Hill.
  While many of us were surprised by Senator Kerrey's decision not to 
seek reelection at the youthful age of 57 years, setting off on new 
adventures is nothing new to Senator Kerrey, who has already followed 
many different paths during his lifetime. While serving in the Senate, 
Bob Kerrey has never feared to take the path less trodden, to follow 
his convictions and his principles no matter how rocky or lonely the 
road. His independence of thought and action is legendary.
  After earning a Master of Science degree in pharmacy in 1966 from the 
University of Nebraska, he volunteered for military service in Vietnam. 
Not only did he volunteer to bear arms for our Nation, he distinguished 
himself during service. He earned a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and as 
a U.S. Navy SEAL. In doing so, Bob Kerrey displayed such courage, 
dedication, and heroism that he was awarded the Medal of Honor by 
President Nixon.
  In March 1999, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the events 
giving rise to his receiving the Medal of Honor, I joined with my 
colleagues in the Senate to salute him for his courage, his 
determination, and his heroism. His heroic story is inspiring.
  After Senator Kerrey's return from service as a U.S. Navy SEAL, he 
started a chain of restaurants and health clubs in his home State of 
Nebraska. Then, in 1982, he ran for Governor of Nebraska and won. He 
served as Governor of Nebraska until 1986, when he announced, to the 
surprise of many, that despite a 70-percent approval rating, he would 
not seek another term as Governor. He was prepared to take a turn down 
a different road, and 2 years later, he won a seat in the United States 
Senate.
  When his face was added to the Senate picture in 1989, he became a 
member of the Senate Committee on Appropriations. It was my pleasure to 
welcome him, as I was chairman of that committee at that time. I 
appreciated the clear vision and the unflappable demeanor that Senator 
Kerrey brought to the committee. In 1997, he chose to leave the 
Appropriations Committee for the Senate Committee on Finance. The 
countenance of that important committee will drastically change when we 
return, God willing, in January, after Senators Moynihan, Bryan, 
Kerrey, and Mack depart from the Senate, of their own volition and on 
their own choice.
  I commend Senator Kerrey for his willingness to work hard on issues 
of interest to him and to his constituents.
  During his 57 years of life, he has thus far been a scholar, a U.S. 
Navy SEAL, a Medal of Honor recipient, a scholar, a restauranteur, a 
fitness club founder, Governor of Nebraska, and a United States 
Senator. He has made his life unique. I wish the Senator from Nebraska 
well as he sets off down the path for his next adventure. Knowing 
Senator Kerrey's propensity for taking his own road, I shall close with 
the following lines of verse written by Robert Frost. We are all 
familiar with that great poem, ``The Road Not Taken.''

                           The Road Not Taken

     Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
     And sorry I could not travel both
     And be one traveler, long I stood
     And looked down one as far as I could
     To where it bent in the undergrowth;
     Then took the other, as just as fair,
     And having perhaps the better claim,
     Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
     Though as for that the passing there
     Had worn them really about the same,
     And both that morning equally lay
     In leaves no step had trodden black.
     Oh, I kept the first for another day!
     Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
     I doubted if I should ever come back.
     I shall be telling this with a sigh
     Somewhere ages and ages hence:
     Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
     I took the one less traveled by,
     And that has made all the difference.

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