[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Page 31864]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO SENATOR BYRD

  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, might I be recognized for a moment to 
comment, as the Senator from West Virginia did, on the birthday of 
Senator Byrd?
  I will be very brief. Certainly, Senator Rockefeller, being Senator 
Byrd's colleague, with great emotion, I noted, commented on his 
colleague's birthday.
  I hope perhaps coming from someone on the other side of the aisle it 
will be equally meaningful to recognize Senator Byrd's birthday, but 
also recognizing his long service here, not just his birthday.
  We all hope we can continue to achieve those birthdays, but more 
important is the ability to represent the people of our State, the 
people of the United States, and do so over a long and distinguished 
career.
  There are few who have matched Senator Byrd in that regard. I join 
Senator Rockefeller in extending my best wishes to Senator Byrd, 
someone who, like me, loves bluegrass music. The only difference is he 
can play it; I cannot. Happy birthday, Senator.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio has the 
floor.
  Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, I join in wishing Senator Byrd a happy 90th 
birthday. I first heard Senator Byrd speak, and for that matter play 
his fiddle, in 1974 in Shelby, OH, a city in north central Ohio.
  I was a candidate, right out of school, for the State legislature. I 
knew of Senator Byrd's reputation, but I never heard him play the 
fiddle, and I was honored by his coming to this small town and playing 
the fiddle for the assembled 200 or 300 people.
  I also had the pleasure of listening to Senator Byrd earlier this 
year as a freshman member of this body as he spoke to the Democratic 
caucus lunch. He talked about his background. He was born during the 
flu epidemic. It took members of his and so many families' lives, and 
his struggles, as Senator Rockefeller said, made him into the scholar 
and the fighter for economic justice that he has been.
  Then I had the pleasure of visiting Senator Byrd in his office my 
first month on the job. He then came out during my maiden speech on the 
Senate floor and made a comment that my daughter talks about to this 
day. He said: Senator Brown's words will be in the Congressional Record 
not for 100 years but 1,000 years. And my daughter called me up right 
afterward and said Senator Byrd said the words will be in the 
Congressional Record in 1,000 years.
  But more important than that, he gave me his collection of speeches 
on the history of the Roman Senate, something we all, as newer Members 
of the body, should have the opportunity, and should take advantage of 
the opportunity to learn from his writings about the Roman Senate, how 
we can make this Senate work better than sometimes it does.
  I would finally say, as the Senator from the State on the other side 
of the Ohio River, we share Parkersburg and Marietta and Belpre. We 
share Wheeling and Belmont County, Saint Clairsville, Bellaire, 
Flushing, across the river, and all up and down the river. People on my 
side of the river have such great admiration--of course, they do in 
West Virginia, but they have such great admiration on my side of the 
river for the terrific work Senator Byrd has done.
  I only have 4 or 5 minutes I would like to say about Thanksgiving and 
the farm bill. But if Senator Byrd would like to take time before that, 
I am certainly willing to yield or I can proceed.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from West Virginia.
  Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I have some comments. They will be short, 
but I will save them for next Tuesday, which the Lord willing, at that 
time I will say a few things. I thank the Chair. I thank the Senator. I 
thank all of the Senators. I thank all the Members and the staff who 
make it possible for us to do our work. Thank you. Thank you. Thank 
you. Have a good Thanksgiving.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Ohio.

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