[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Page 8261]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    REMEMBERING SENATOR JAMES ABDNOR

  Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota. Mr. President, I rise today to mark the 
passing of a great public servant from South Dakota, Senator James 
Abdnor.
  Senator Abdnor is remembered across South Dakota as a man that never 
lost touch with the people who elected him. Throughout his life, no 
matter what office he achieved, he was in his heart the same small town 
South Dakotan he had always been. He traveled the world, but wherever 
he went, he always took his hometown, Kennebec, SD, with him.
  Before he was a U.S. Senator, Jim Abdnor served in the South Dakota 
State Senate in Pierre, and spent 3 years as Lieutenant Governor. In 
1972, he was elected to Congress, where he served three terms in the 
U.S. House. In 1980, he defeated Senator George McGovern to serve in 
the Senate, and later headed the Small Business Administration for 2 
years under President Reagan.
  Beyond his official titles, Senator Abdnor was also the son of a 
Lebanese immigrant, an Army veteran, a farmer and rancher, an avid 
follower of small town baseball, and a father-figure to many of his 
staff members, who continue to carry out his legacy to this day.
  Senator Abdnor was regarded as a decent and humble man, by both 
political supporters and opponents. He would be the first to admit that 
he was not a flashy speaker, but, one-on-one, he had a way of 
connecting with people. Plain spoken, straightforward, friendly, and 
accessible--there are few politicians like Senator Abdnor, and our 
Nation is poorer for it.
  As one South Dakotan recently wrote,

       I may have voted for someone else, but I never voted 
     against Jim.

  His service inspired countless South Dakotans on both sides of the 
aisle, and we all mourn his passing.

                          ____________________