[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 24567]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 REMEMBERING SENATOR EDWARD M. KENNEDY

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. President, with the passing of Senator 
Teddy Kennedy, Americans lost a champion, the Senate lost a living 
legend, and those of us who were fortunate to know him personally lost 
a friend and mentor.
  My memories of Teddy Kennedy reach beyond our short time together in 
the Senate all the way back to my days as a kid when his brother Jack 
was running for President of the United States. My father was an early 
supporter of Jack's campaign and Teddy stayed at our house in Arizona 
while he was campaigning for his brother in the west. In those days, 
the west was not considered a plum campaign assignment so, naturally, 
as the youngest of his clan it fell to him. We had a full house at the 
time, with all of my brothers and sisters at home, so there wasn't even 
a bed for him to sleep on. So he slept on the floor and never uttered a 
word of complaint. My memories of him from that time reflect the same 
Teddy Kennedy everyone describes today. He was a kind man, dedicated to 
his brother and his family, and always patient with all of us kids and 
our questions.
  In later years, Teddy continued to be a frequent visitor to New 
Mexico. When our family was in the midst of a campaign and needed that 
extra bit of star power, Teddy was there the one person who could 
ignite a crowd like no other. As Democrats, we loved having him in our 
State because he could always get a turnout. He had rallies with 
10,000-12,000 people--huge crowds for New Mexico.
  Teddy Kennedy loved New Mexico and New Mexicans. And New Mexicans 
loved Teddy right back. In most family living rooms, you can find two 
prominently displayed photographs. They include at least one of the 
Kennedys be it Jack, Bobby, or Teddy and at least one of the Pope. New 
Mexicans just have a very deep affection for the entire Kennedy family.
  My father eventually served in Jack Kennedy's Cabinet as Interior 
Secretary. These days, he talks a lot about his time in JFK's 
administration. He says he is now the last of the generation. The last 
leaf on the tree from the Kennedy Cabinet. My father was greatly 
saddened by Senator Kennedy's passing.
  Just about every piece of monumental legislation that has come out of 
this Senate over the past 50 years has had Teddy Kennedy's stamp on it 
somehow. Whether it was voting rights or education improvements or 
health care reform--the cause of Teddy's life--America owes a debt of 
gratitude to the senior senator from Massachusetts for his leadership 
and unwavering dedication to making our country a better place for all 
who call it home.
  But the last chapter in Teddy's legacy remains incomplete. That 
chapter is health care reform, and it is our job as Teddy's colleagues 
and friends to pick up where he left off and pass legislation that 
helps all Americans obtain affordable, quality health coverage. Teddy 
Kennedy dreamed of a day when decent, quality health care is a 
fundamental right and not just a privilege. We are once again at the 
edge of transformative change in our country. We have Teddy Kennedy to 
thank for getting us to this point. I look forward to joining my 
colleagues as we make Teddy's final dream a reality.
  Mr. BEGICH. Mr. President, I rise to speak of the enormous 
contributions to this body and to our nation of our former colleague, 
the late senior Senator from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy.
  When I took the oath as a U.S. Senator on January 3, 2009, I have to 
confess to a fair amount of trepidation. Many great statesmen have 
served before me in this esteemed body. For a former mayor from a State 
so distant from Washington, DC, taking a seat among these American 
leaders was a little intimidating.
  No sitting Senator was a larger giant than Ted Kennedy and he 
impacted my life long before I arrived here. As a boy born and raised 
in Anchorage, my parents spoke of the great pride in public service the 
Kennedy family inspired in our family and in our Nation. My father, the 
late Nick Begich, served for 2 years in the Congress with Senator 
Kennedy, before my dad's death in 1972.
  In many ways, Alaska and Massachusetts can't be further apart. Alaska 
is just celebrating its 50th year of admission to the United States and 
is a vast land rich in natural resources and of conservative, 
independent-minded people. The Bay State was the site of one of 
America's first settlements more than four centuries ago, is well 
developed, and its residents decidedly more liberal.
  Yet in the first week of April 1968, those differences faded when 
Senator Kennedy traveled to Sitka to deliver a speech to the Alaska 
Democratic State Convention. The days-old assassination of Dr. Martin 
Luther King Jr. still ached in the hearts of Americans. In a scratchy 
tape recording of his speech, Senator Kennedy calls on Americans to 
rise above the frustration and fury they felt and to rededicate 
ourselves to ``wipe away cynicism and to introduce the understanding 
that we wish to see future generations exercise so they will not suffer 
as their mothers and fathers have suffered.''
  The transcript of that speech shows that Alaska U.S. Senator Ernest 
Gruening and the gathered Alaskans rose to a standing ovation as 
Senator Kennedy concluded his inspirational remarks. Today, 41 years 
later, those words continue to serve as an inspiration to me.
  Mr. President, I had the opportunity to meet Senator Kennedy only 
once, when he welcomed me as a Member of this body just a few months 
ago. The intimidation I felt as a new Senator melted in his warmth and 
graciousness. It will be a moment I will remember for the rest of my 
life.

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