[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 19157-19158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           SENATOR STROM THURMOND: STATESMAN, PATRIOT, LEADER

  Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, last week, several Senators spoke during 
morning business one day about our distinguished colleague from South 
Carolina, Senator Thurmond. Long before I came to the Senate, I myself 
spoke many times on television editorials commending Senator Thurmond.
  He was then, and is today, even more of a genuine American patriot 
than when I was in Raleigh never dreaming that I would one day be a 
colleague to Senator Thurmond in the Senate.
  Trying to capture the essence of Strom Thurmond in a relatively few 
words of tribute is impossible. Who can adequately describe his firm 
handshake, his unmistakable South Carolina cadence, or his almost 
superhuman capacity for work? How to convey the explosive energy Strom 
Thurmond has carried anytime he walks into a room?
  The sheer breadth of experience Strom Thurmond brings to the Senate 
boggles the mind: Born in 1902, he served South Carolina as State 
Senator, as a Circuit Judge, as Governor and as U.S. Senator.
  He voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, and more than fifty 
years later, voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984. He ran for President 
against Harry Truman in 1948 and actively participated in Bill 
Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999.
  When the Army told him he was too old to fight in World War II, he 
managed to obtain an age waiver, an age waiver, to participate in the 
fighting. Then, in typical Strom Thurmond fashion, he landed with the 
82nd Airborne Division in Normandy on D-Day. Small wonder that Fort 
Bragg recently honored him by christening its newest building the Major 
General Strom Thurmond Strategic Deployment Facility.
  My simple references to Strom Thurmond's accomplishments fail to 
convey the historic legacy he will leave in the Senate. In 1997, Strom 
became the longest serving Senator in the history of the institution, 
but he was the quintessential Senator long before he officially assumed 
that honor.
  Senator Thurmond had great influence on my decision in 1972 to become 
a candidate for the Senate from North Carolina. He came to Raleigh many 
times urging me to run, and countless others to support me.
  Every time he came, he told me again that if I would just run for the 
Senate, he would come to North Carolina frequently to campaign for me.
  I decided to run because thanks to Senator Thurmond, there were many 
urging me to do it. And, sure enough, there he came, down from 
Washington to Raleigh, to help me. Again and again he came.
  He was a fellow Southerner, and like me, he was a Democrat who had 
converted to the Republican Party. In those days, there were not a lot 
of Republicans in North and South Carolina, but Strom was determined to 
change that. And I might add, parenthetically, that no single 
individual, with the possible exception of Ronald Reagan, has done more 
to build the Republican Party in the South than Strom Thurmond.
  Senator Thurmond knows how much I admire and respect him. He knows

[[Page 19158]]

how grateful I am for his enormously helpful trips to North Carolina 
where we stood together, day after day, night after night, urging the 
people of North Carolina to send Helms to Washington to help Strom 
Thurmond.
  I am proud to say, that Strom Thurmond became one of the best friends 
I have ever had, and one of the finest men I have ever known. He 
tutored me in the intricacies of the Senate and its traditions, the 
personal dedication the job requires, and the genuine commitment 
Senators owe to their constituents.
  Some years ago, Strom paid me the ultimate honor of asking me to 
serve as godfather to his newborn daughter. Today, Julie Thurmond 
Whitmer is a beautiful young woman, and the pride I take in her is 
exceeded only by her father.
  One final note, I owe Senator Thurmond my eternal gratitude for a 
favor he did for me.
  When I arrived in the Senate, I was searching for young people to 
help me with my Senate responsibilities. Senator Thurmond referred a 
wonderfully smart, principled, and competent young lady for my staff.
  After 30 years of working with, and for, the irreplaceable Mrs. Pat 
Devine, I can genuinely say that her presence among the ``Helms Senate 
Family'' is the finest helping hand Strom Thurmond could possibly 
extend to me.
  Senator Thurmond watched over her protectively, and he often jokingly 
needled me about how I had ``stolen away his red-head''.
  The Senate simply will never be the same without Senator Thurmond 
sitting tall and straight at his desk, serving the people of South 
Carolina and the country he loves.
  He is a true friend, a great statesman, and a blessing to all who 
cherish the strength of statesmen like J. Strom Thurmond. He is a great 
patriot. He is my friend and I am his. This is a stronger and greater 
country because of his service and his dedication to the principles 
that made America great from the beginning.

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