[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 25642]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF SENATOR MIKE MANSFIELD

  Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, on October 15, we honored the late Senator 
Mike Mansfield with the unveiling of the new book, ``Senator Mansfield: 
The Extraordinary Life of a Great American Statesman and Diplomat,'' by 
author Don Oberdorfer.
  To many, he was Senator Mansfield, Majority Leader Mansfield, or 
Ambassador Mansfield. To us in Montana, he was just Mike. He was our 
Mike. He was humble, self effacing, and didn't want people making a big 
fuss about him.
  Although he wouldn't have wanted one, I'd like to thank the 
University of Montana and their alumni for hosting an event here in the 
Capitol to commemorate the life and times of Mike through this new 
book.
  Mike had three great loves in his life: his wife Maureen, his State 
of Montana and serving in the United States Senate. Maureen was the 
love of his life. He always said that his successes were because of 
her. The last time I visited Mike in the hospital his face lit up when 
he talked about her. ``What a gal,'' he said. ``What a gal she was.''
  Mike was a good friend and a great inspiration to many people, 
including myself. Mike encouraged me to get into public service, he was 
my mentor when I was first elected to Congress, and he provided me sage 
counsel until his death.
  Mike would think that tonight's event was too much. That is just the 
kind of man he was. But it's our job to keep his memory alive and 
educate others on what a great impact he had on Montana, the Nation, 
and the world. It's our responsibility to ensure others can learn from 
his example of working together to do what's right.
  The University of Montana Alumni Association, the Maureen and Mike 
Mansfield Library, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center, and the 
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation here in Washington, D.C. all put 
forth a great effort to make this event possible. I greatly appreciate 
their hard work and dedication to the legacy of Maureen and Mike 
Mansfield.
  And finally, I wish to recognize Don Oberdorfer for his persistence 
and dedication in writing about Mike's life. I thank Don for honoring a 
great man, our Mike. Montana's Mike Mansfield. He had the hands of a 
miner, the mind of a scholar, and the heart of a hero. We pay tribute 
to him and his beloved Maureen.

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