[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 25818]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     TRIBUTE TO SENATOR CONNIE MACK

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, it is with particular and personal regret 
that I deliver these remarks today about the Senator from Florida. In a 
number of areas and on a range of issues, I, like many of us, have come 
to rely on Connie Mack's knowledge and good judgment--and his good 
humor. He has been an outstanding Senator. More importantly, I have 
come to cherish his friendship and the friendship of his wonderful wife 
and partner for four decades, Priscilla.
  Connie Mack is concluding his 12th year of service in the Senate. In 
that period of time, he has accomplished a great deal for his State and 
for our country. He has worked diligently and effectively to protect 
the environment of his State. He stood against drilling off Florida's 
vast and majestic shoreline. He has promoted the restoration of the 
Florida Everglades, one of our Nation's premier national treasures. 
Time and time again, in ways large and small, Connie Mack has acted to 
safeguard his State's rare and fragile natural beauty. For this 
generation, and for generations to come, the name of Connie Mack will 
mean a great deal--to the citizens of Florida and people throughout the 
country--if for no other reason than for that contribution.
  Perhaps the most profound contribution, however, of this very warm 
and gracious colleague of ours is the contribution he has made to our 
Nation in the area of cancer awareness and medical research. In these 
areas, it can be said, I believe without any hesitation, that no one 
has done a greater service to his fellow Americans in these last number 
of years than Connie and Priscilla Mack.
  Connie and Priscilla know through hard personal experience the 
terrible toll that cancer and disease can take on individuals and 
families. They know as well as anyone that early detection of cancer is 
the first and best weapon in the battle to save lives. That is why they 
have made early detection of cancer not just a concern, but a cause.
  By educating others about the importance of early detection, by 
spreading awareness that it is an easy, fast, and safe way to save 
lives, they have played a very critical role in helping countless 
Americans avoid the full devastation of this disease. I daresay, among 
those tens of thousands of American men and women who every year 
conquer cancer because they detected it early, a great many of them owe 
a debt of thanks to Connie and Priscilla Mack.
  Together, they have received numerous honors and awards, including: 
the National Coalition for Cancer Research Lifetime Achievement Award; 
the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship Ribbon of Hope Award; 
the American Cancer Society's Courage Award; and Susan Komen Breast 
Cancer Foundation's Betty Ford Award.
  But Senator Mack has not been satisfied just with promoting early 
detection. He has worked for a day when early detection of cancer and 
other diseases will no longer be necessary because they will no longer 
exist. He has worked diligently and successfully to increase our 
Nation's investment in medical research. He understands that research 
can provide answers and ultimately cures for many of the ailments that 
continue to plague humankind. Maybe not today, but one day.
  And years from now, when--we hope--cures will be found, America and 
the world will reflect with gratitude on those who dared to envision a 
better future by supporting the basic research from which those cures 
derived. And among those whom future generations will thank, I believe 
that few will be thanked more than the Senator from Florida, Connie 
Mack.
  In addition to witnessing his work on the environment and health, I 
have had the pleasure to serve with Senator Mack on the Committee on 
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. There he brought his vast 
experience as a community banker to bear on the critical financial 
services issues of the day. And today our Nation's policies in the area 
of financial services bear the imprint of his experience and judgment.
  Connie and I also served together for a time on the Foreign Relations 
Committee. There, too, he distinguished himself by his thoughtful, 
courteous manner. And while we did not always agree--in fact, we used 
to have some good, healthy arguments on American-Cuban policies--I 
never faced a more diligent or worthy opponent than Connie Mack. I 
always respected his positions and the people he represented in those 
debates. He is a worthy ally and opponent. I shall miss him.
  For me, Connie Mack has been not only a colleague. He has been a 
gifted, accomplished leader. He has been a gentleman. And he has been a 
friend. He has graced this institution with civility and reason. He and 
Priscilla will be sorely missed. I look forward to many years of 
continued friendship.

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