[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 14838-14840]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SENATOR CRAIG THOMAS

  Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, today I rise to honor Senator Craig Thomas, 
who, very sadly, passed away Monday evening. As all of us in the Senate 
know, Craig was a respected Member of this body. A number of my 
colleagues have made very kind remarks on the floor about their 
relationship with Craig. While I have not served as long in the Senate 
as have many of my colleagues who knew and worked with Craig over the 
years, I did have an opportunity to get to know him since being elected 
to the Senate in 2004.
  I think one of the most important things we have all witnessed with 
Craig's passing is the outpouring of support and stories about the 
people he impacted in the Senate, in Wyoming, and across the country.
  Without question, the Senate is a lesser place today without Craig's 
presence. One of the clearest indications of any politician's 
popularity is his or her support back home. Craig's leadership as the 
senior member of the Wyoming delegation was overwhelming--primarily due 
to the confidence he earned from his constituents back in Wyoming. That 
confidence was something he fought to keep since first being elected to 
Congress back in 1989.
  Craig's battle with leukemia was very indicative of the way he led 
his life and how he worked on behalf of his State and our Nation. I 
also believe if his diagnosis hadn't been made public following his 
reelection last November, I doubt anybody would have known of the 
battle he waged as he underwent his chemotherapy treatments.
  Craig did timeless work on behalf of the citizens of Wyoming and our 
Nation. His absence from the Senate will be greatly felt. Kimberley and 
I are deeply saddened by Craig's passing and extend our prayers to 
Susan and her family. Craig's hard work over the years on behalf of 
Wyoming and our Nation is a testament to his character and gives all of 
us something to strive for.
  Craig Thomas was a man of the people. He was a Wyoming original. He 
represented the very heart and soul of the people of his State and of 
our Nation. He personified hard work and integrity. He was a ``what you 
see is what you get'' kind of a guy. Wyoming and America are a better 
place because of his service.
  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I join the many Senators who have paid 
tribute to our colleague Craig Thomas. Many of my colleagues have come 
to the floor since Senator Thomas's passing, and it is clear how many 
friends he had in this Chamber and how well everyone thought of him and 
the work he did.
  We all knew him as a hard-working Member of the Senate who quickly 
earned his colleagues' respect. That respect was grounded in the way 
Craig Thomas served his country throughout his life. He spent 4 years 
in the U.S. Marine Corps and served in the Wyoming State Legislature, 
the U.S. House of Representatives, and since 1995, the U.S. Senate.
  During his years in the Senate, Senator Thomas served Wyoming with 
great dedication. Raised on a ranch, Senator Thomas understood the 
concerns of rural Americans, and I appreciated his efforts in the 
Senate to stand up for the people who keep our rural communities 
strong. That is an important concern in my State, and I know it is in 
Wyoming as well.
  I was very pleased to work with him to improve competition and fair 
treatment for farmers and ranchers. I know that he was committed to 
giving farmers and ranchers a fair shake in the marketplace, and his 
constituents appreciated that dedication.
  Senator Thomas also worked on a range of health care issues important 
to rural Americans. He well understood the challenges that people in 
rural areas face as they seek access to health care services and helped 
to address those concerns. The Senate benefited from his leadership as 
cochair of the Senate's Rural Health Caucus, where he showed tremendous 
commitment to these issues. He led the push to maintain full funding 
for several rural

[[Page 14839]]

health discretionary programs, and I am grateful for his efforts. That 
was just one of the many ways he contributed to the work of the Senate 
and served the people of Wyoming.
  As we remember Senator Thomas, we can all be grateful for the life he 
led and his outstanding service to the Senate and to our country. To 
his wife, his family, his staff, and his many friends, I offer my 
condolences and my deepest sympathies.
  Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, I rise to join others in paying tribute 
to a wonderful colleague, Senator Craig Thomas. Tragically, last night, 
he lost his battle with leukemia. I want to send my heartfelt 
condolences to his wife Susan, his children, Patrick, Greg, Peter, and 
Lexie, and to his staff.
  Since January, I had the pleasure to serve with Senator Thomas on the 
Finance Committee. I found him to be a hard-working Senator and very 
concerned about his constituents' struggling to get health care in 
rural areas.
  I also had a chance to work with him last year on the Michigan 
Lighthouse and Maritime Heritage Act. This legislation sets up a 
process whereby the National Park Service would work with the State of 
Michigan to create a lighthouse tourist trail.
  As my colleagues know, he was chairman of the National Parks 
Subcommittee, which had jurisdiction over this legislation. During 
consideration of this bill, he was helpful to me and the people of 
Michigan even though these lighthouses are thousands of miles away from 
his home. He held a hearing on this legislation, worked with me to get 
it to the floor and ultimately to the President's desk.
  On behalf of the people of Michigan, we appreciate his support of 
this legislation.
  Senator Thomas was a wonderful man--kind and decent to everyone. We 
will all miss him.
  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, with a combination of great sadness and 
admiration, I join my colleagues in honoring the life of Craig Thomas, 
a person of strength, passion, and integrity.
  Those who have had the blessing of traveling to the State of Wyoming 
appreciate its amazing beauty and variety. Craig Thomas reflected the 
geography of his State. He could be as peaceful and serene as Wyoming's 
rolling prairie grass lands, and he could be as striking and powerful 
as its majestic mountains.
  Growing up, he learned the creative dynamic of frontier life: rugged 
individualism joined with an ethic of neighbor-helping-neighbor when 
the need was great.
  In this sometimes stuffy and frustrating Washington world, he was a 
fresh breeze of unconventionality. He maintained his Wyoming vision of 
life throughout many years in this city, and the people of Wyoming 
deeply appreciated his strong immunity to the political disease called 
Potomac Fever.
  Craig Thomas lived a very meaningful life and made the State and 
country he loved a better place to live in. From his young days as a 
marine to his last days as a Senator, his heart was service and he put 
everything he had into making a difference for generations to come.
  Because of his service here, our national parks are a legacy that 
will be passed to future generations in better shape than he found 
them. Because of his fiscal conservatism, fewer dollars of debt will be 
passed on to our children. Because of his vision and integrity, a model 
of public service will be available to those who come after.
  Laurie and I send our prayers to the Thomas family. We thank them and 
the people of Wyoming for sharing Senator Thomas with the Nation.
  Every one of us on this floor can learn a lesson from his life and 
remember Craig Thomas by living the values and commitments he taught 
us.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, when Craig Thomas passed away on 
Monday evening, the U.S. Senate lost more than a Member; our 
institution has lost a good man and I a good friend--someone who was 
proud to be called an American cowboy. Sharon and I extend our deepest 
sympathy to his wife Susan, his family, his friends, his staff, and the 
people of Wyoming whom he served with such complete dedication.
  Over the last few years, I worked closely with Senator Thomas. I came 
to know him well and came to respect him enormously. We both 
represented small, rural States with critical constituencies--his most 
emblematic being the farmer, mine the miner. We both maintained a deep 
commitment to our home States. Perhaps most importantly, we both had a 
history of public service.
  Throughout our careers, I would say that we had a very good 
partnership. We served together on the Senate Finance Committee and 
fought to make this country more independent of foreign energy, to 
promote the development of clean coal technologies, and to preserve the 
rural American lifestyle.
  Through it all, I greatly liked and admired Senator Thomas and 
appreciated him for the fine human being he was. He was a man of strong 
principle, one who knew the bottom line and didn't hesitate to consult 
his colleagues on the other side of the aisle. What I will remember 
most about him, however, wasn't his ability to work with his so-called 
foes or our tough fights in the Senate, but for his deep affinity for 
the beauty of this country.
  In fact, over the years, when I have traveled to Wyoming and looked 
up at that towering, earthly skyline of the Grand Tetons, I have often 
thought of Craig.
  Craig, after all, was perhaps one of the people who shared my deep 
love of the Grand Tetons. It was in those mountains and the Gros Ventre 
that we found a common bond. Together, we exchanged our marvels about 
the alpine lakes, the cutting glaciers, wind-swept glaciers and 
sparkling rivers.
  I will never forget his advice on enjoying the beauty of Jackson Hole 
or his stories about long horseback rides or camping in the cool 
shadows of the mountains. I will never forget his interest in the 
wildlife and his appreciation for the foliage. Nor will I forget how 
passionately he protected the autonomy of the park, and how much he 
cherished the culture and beauty of his home.
  Senator Craig Thomas held my deepest respect; and, to his family and 
the people of Wyoming, I offer my deepest sympathies. He was a valuable 
public servant, a true fighter and a friend--and, more than anything, a 
true American.
  Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to our 
colleague, our friend, and a great statesman, Senator Craig Thomas.
  It is a somber day in the Senate Chamber as we mourn this loss.
  His passing leaves a significant mark on the many lives he touched 
throughout his life. On behalf of myself and my wife Annette, I send my 
deepest sympathies to his wife Susan, his four children, and the entire 
Thomas family.
  Craig was an influential force in the Senate for the people of 
Wyoming, as well as a thoughtful leader on national issues.
  Craig served the people of Wyoming with distinction and honor.
  His roots in the State ran deep, and Wyoming had no greater advocate. 
He has built his reputation as a fiscal conservative while focusing on 
the unique issues affecting the American west.
  He was honest, humble, good natured, and loyal. It was these 
characteristics that he brought to the Senate and to his work. He was 
an effective leader because he believed you could get a lot 
accomplished when you did not care who took the credit.
  Craig was committed to the values and principles he believed in 
deeply. He loved his State, and it showed. He was committed to 
protecting our Nation's natural resources, improving the lives of those 
in rural America, and a leader in advocating a sound national energy 
policy.
  It was my true privilege to have served with Craig over the past 13 
years in the Senate. While we continue to mourn his passing, we should 
try to carry on with the same determination and energy he brought every 
day to the challenges he faced.
  He will be remembered as a dedicated American, a marine, a public 
servant, and the quintessential American cowboy who gave so much of his 
life in service to the Nation.

[[Page 14840]]

  I offer my thoughts and prayers to those close to Craig in this 
difficult time, especially to his family.

                          ____________________