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TRIBUTES TO HON. TED STEVENS 

TRIBUTES TO HON. TED STEVENS 

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Ted Stevens 

U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA 

TRIBUTES 

IN THE CONGRESS OF 

THE UNITED STATES 

UNUM

E PLURIBUS


congress.#15
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Ted Stevens 


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U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

WASHINGTON : 2007

S. DOC. 110–4 

Tributes 

Delivered in Congress 

Ted Stevens 

United States Senator 

1968– 

÷ 

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Compiled under the direction 

of the 

Joint Committee on Printing 

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CONTENTS 

Page 

Biography .................................................................................................. v 

Proceedings in the Senate: 

Tributes by Senators: 

Alexander, Lamar, of Tennessee ............................................... 42 

Bond, Christopher S., of Missouri ............................................. 40 

Bunning, Jim, of Kentucky ....................................................... 44 

Byrd, Robert C., of West Virginia ........................................ 22, 27, 30 

Cochran, Thad, of Mississippi ................................................... 28 

Coleman, Norm, of Minnesota .................................................. 57 

Collins, Susan M., of Maine ...................................................... 45 

Crapo, Mike, of Idaho ................................................................ 45 

Domenici, Pete V., of New Mexico ............................................ 34 

Ensign, John, of Nevada ............................................................ 46 

Enzi, Michael B., of Wyoming ................................................... 48 

Graham, Lindsey, of South Carolina ........................................ 50 

Grassley, Chuck, of Iowa ........................................................... 35 

Gregg, Judd, of New Hampshire ............................................... 8 

Hatch, Orrin G., of Utah ........................................................... 10 

Hutchison, Kay Bailey, of Texas ............................................... 50 

Inouye, Daniel K., of Hawaii ..................................................... 7 

Isakson, Johnny, of Georgia ...................................................... 29 

Kennedy, Edward M., of Massachusetts .................................. 30 

Lugar, Richard G., of Indiana ................................................... 53 

Martinez, Mel, of Florida ........................................................... 41 

McConnell, Mitch, of Kentucky ................................................. 3, 15 

Murkowski, Lisa, of Alaska ....................................................... 16 

Reid, Harry, of Nevada .............................................................. 13, 33 

Salazar, Ken, of Colorado .......................................................... 37 

Shelby, Richard C., of Alabama ................................................ 54 

Snowe, Olympia J., of Maine .................................................... 37 

Specter, Arlen, of Pennsylvania ................................................ 36 

Stevens, Ted, of Alaska ............................................. 12, 17, 26, 28, 33 

Vitter, David, of Louisiana ........................................................ 54 

Warner, John, of Virginia .......................................................... 55 

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[ v ] 

BIOGRAPHY 

TED STEVENS’ career in public service spans more than six 

decades. During World War II, he joined the Army Air Corps 

and flew support missions for the Flying Tigers of the 14th 

Air Force. For his service, STEVENS was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals and the Republic of 

China’s Yuan Hai Medal. 

After returning home from the war, Senator STEVENS completed degrees at UCLA and Harvard Law School. In the 

early 1950s, he practiced law in Alaska before moving to 

Washington, DC, to work in President Eisenhower’s administration. 

Senator STEVENS subsequently returned to Alaska and 

was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1964. 

In his second term, Senator STEVENS became the House majority leader. 

Mr. STEVENS was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1968. 

Two years later, Alaskans chose Senator STEVENS to finish 

his term in a special election mandated by State law. He has 

since been re-elected six times. 

Today, Senator STEVENS is the senior member of Alaska’s 

congressional delegation, the senior Republican in the U.S. 

Senate, and the longest serving Senator in the history of the 

Republican Party. He serves as the Senate’s President pro 

tempore emeritus; vice chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; cochairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee; and ranking member of 

the Disaster Recovery Homeland Security and Governmental 

Affairs Subcommittee. 

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TRIBUTES 

TO 

TED STEVENS 

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Proceedings in the Senate 

THURSDAY, April 12, 2007 

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I rise to honor a colleague and a friend, Senator TED STEVENS, who this week 

becomes history’s longest serving Republican Member of the 

Senate. This is an outsized accomplishment for a man whose 

name is virtually synonymous with the Nation’s largest 

State. Yet no one who ever crossed paths with Senator STEVENS is surprised that he has achieved it. 

The long list of things he has done for the people of Alaska 

in the course of a remarkable 38 years in the Senate traces 

an arc as vast as the State itself. His love for that State and 

this country is legendary. This milestone is merely an occasion to recall and retell that legend. As the Republican leader, an admirer, and a friend, I welcome it. 

It is a story that takes us back to a day when transistor 

radios were new to the White House and construction workers had just cleared a space in the Bronx for Yankee Stadium. America was changing quickly, and THEODORE FULTON STEVENS would take as much of it as he could. 

Born in Indianapolis, he moved to Redondo, CA, as a boy 

and learned to surf along the beaches of the South Bay. His 

pioneering spirit took him to Oregon and Montana for college 

and then to even more exotic places as an Army Air Corps 

pilot in World War II. At 19 years old, he was flying C–46 

transport planes over the Himalayas and into China supporting the legendary Flying Tigers. He left the Army after 

achieving the rank of lieutenant and in recognition of his 

bravery received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and two 

Air Medals. 

A decorated war veteran in his early twenties, TED returned to California to resume his studies and later enrolled 

at Harvard Law School. A consummate tough guy, the man 

who would one day prepare for tough legislative fights by 

donning ties that featured the Incredible Hulk helped pay 

his way through law school by tending bar and selling his 

own blood. 

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After law school, TED showed up in Washington to practice 

his trade. He married a girl named Ann, and together they 

set out on yet another adventure. With an appetite for risk 

and a passion for service, TED would carve a life for himself 

and his young family out of the vast expanse of the Alaska 

territory. He would devote the rest of his life to helping people there achieve the same rights and privileges that those 

in the lower 48 took for granted. As a result of decades of 

work in the service of that goal, the name ‘‘Ted Stevens’’

would one day be synonymous with an area one-sixth the 

size of the entire United States. 

He was there at the creation. As a young lawyer at the Department of the Interior, TED STEVENS stood over a map 

with President Eisenhower and traced out the borders of the 

49th State. He returned there in 1961, started a law firm of 

his own, and soon won a seat for himself in the Alaska 

House of Representatives. Four years after that, Democratic 

Senator Bob Bartlett passed away, and on Christmas Eve, 

the State’s Republican Governor chose TED to replace him. 

Now, TED STEVENS wasn’t well known outside his home 

State, but curious folks in Washington could have found this 

brief description of him in Newsweek. Here is how they 

summed him up: 

STEVENS is a 5′6′′ cigar smoker who hunts moose and earned a reputation 

as a scrapper in the Alaska House of Representatives. 

It was brief, but it wasn’t far off. TED didn’t leave his 

scrappiness in Juneau. He would bring it to Washington. 

A story about the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 

illustrates the point. TED was a first term minority Senator 

at the time, but he was determined to find a way to get this 

piece of legislation enacted into law. 

The story goes that TED was carpooling into work one 

morning with the Democratic chairman who could make it 

happen, and he got him to agree to a vote on his amendment 

that day. 

Well, the day passed without any action. They called the 

bill up on the floor, and the thing went through second reading, third reading, and then onto a final vote. No amendment. 

TED ran right up to the chairman and yelled at him right 

to his face: ‘‘You SOB, you promised me a vote!’’ Hearing the 

commotion, the Democratic leader, Mike Mansfield, came 

over to chastise TED. ‘‘Nobody swears in this Chamber,’’ he 

said. 

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But then TED told Mansfield what had happened, and how 

important the bill was to his State. Mansfield turned to the 

chairman and asked whether the story was true. When he 

found out it was, he took the bill back to a second reading, 

offered the Stevens amendment in his own name, and the 

amendment passed. 

This was just one of the major pieces of critical legislation 

TED has fought for on behalf of Alaskans. There have been 

many others. TED never tires of fighting for the people of 

Alaska. But if you ask his staff, they’ll say he just never 

tires. 

His chief of staff, George Lowe, remembers his first trip to 

Alaska with the boss. A staff assistant at the time, George 

was a little taken back when he picked TED up at 6 a.m. and 

the Senator had already gone through the briefing book he’d 

been given the night before, already read the papers, and already been on the phone to Washington for a couple hours. 

‘‘I needed a vacation after doing for 2 weeks what he’d 

been doing for 38 years,’’ he said. 

After Ann’s tragic death, TED met his beloved Catherine. 

They would add a sixth child to TED’s brood, Lily, who many 

of us remember running around the Senate as a little girl. 

Catherine had to get used to TED’s tenacity early on. The 

day after their wedding, he agreed to fill in for a colleague 

on a trip to tout Reaganomics in China. She had never let 

him live down that ‘‘honeymoon.’’

As chief of staff, George says nothing’s changed. He’s 

learned to put his Blackberry in the basement when he goes 

to bed at night, or the boss would keep him up with e-mails. 

TED will tell you he works so hard because there’s so much 

work to do. Alaskans don’t have the benefit of centuries of 

infrastructure and planning that much of the rest of the 

country does. Of the giant State’s more than 200 villages, 

only a handful had running water when TED came to the 

Senate. But largely thanks to him, roughly half of them do 

now. 

He’s tried to make sure that people on the outside understand the challenges. And turning down an invitation to 

Alaska from TED STEVENS isn’t recommended if you ever expect to appear before him at a committee hearing. An entire 

generation of Federal officials has trekked up there at TED’s 

invitation. 

Elaine and I have spent six of the last seven July recesses 

at the Kenai River King Salmon Classic and, like everybody 

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pressed by two things: the magnificence of the scenery, and 

just how much of Alaska’s progress is a direct result of TED

STEVENS. 

It starts at the airport: Ted Stevens Anchorage International. It runs through the pipeline; the land settlement 

claims; the double-hulled tankers that move along the shore; 

and through all the homes in the remotest reaches of Alaska 

that have radio and television because of TED. And it continues with his epic battle to open up the Arctic National 

Wildlife Refuge. 

‘‘They sent me here to stand up for the State of Alaska,’’

TED once said. That’s just what he’s done. And Alaskans love 

him for it: on March 22, 2000, the Alaska State Legislature 

named TED STEVENS Alaskan of the Century. 

But he’s done a lot more for the rest of us besides. Thanks 

to a remarkable 35-year tenure on the Appropriations Committee, no one has done more for the U.S. military than TED

STEVENS. Never one to deny or delay materials or supplies 

to troops at home or in the field, he’s secured funds to continue funding the F–117, to replace Air Force One, for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles like the Predator and Global Hawk, 

and for a replacement Coast Guard Icebreaker and the F–16 

Program. 

He was instrumental in ensuring funds for early military 

research on everything from breast cancer to AIDS. 

I remember asking myself when I first arrived in the Senate whether STEVENS was ever in a good mood. 

But I learned, as everyone else who knows him does, that, 

like Hamlet, TED STEVENS ‘‘speaks daggers but uses none.’’

And in this, ‘‘his tongue and his soul be hypocrites.’’

Those who weren’t convinced of this changed their minds 

during that sad week in September 2003, when we learned 

about the death of Senator Gordon Smith’s son, Garrett. Senator Smith opposed TED on ANWR, the biggest issue of his 

life. And a lesser man might have held a grudge. Yet it was 

TED who arranged to fly himself and his colleagues in the 

Senate to the funeral. 

They say the only way to have a friend is to be one. And 

TED’s friendship with Senator Inouye is one of the great 

models of bipartisanship this building has ever known. We 

all know the two men call each other brothers. But some 

might not recall that TED has actually donated money from 

his own political action committee to Senator Inouye’s reelection campaign. 

How does TED do all this? 

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He’s always looking forward. Thirty-nine years in the Senate, and he doesn’t reminisce. He hasn’t slowed down a bit. 

He plays tennis and enjoys fishing. He tries to get in an hour 

at the Senate gym every day. And when he says he’s a fighter, he means it: his staff assures me he still trains on a 

speed bag. 

When TED got to the Senate, he had a motto: ‘‘To hell with 

the politics, do what’s right for Alaska.’’ Over the years, he 

changed that motto, just slightly. Now it’s: ‘‘To hell with the 

politics, do what’s right for the Nation.’’ But in one of the 

most distinguished careers in the history of this body, he’s 

done both. 

The people of Alaska and this Nation are better for having 

TED STEVENS around. We’d hardly know what to do without 

him. And in appreciation of his friendship and his noble 

service to State and country, I honor him today for his historic achievement and wish him many more years of good 

health and service. 

(Applause.) 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii is 

recognized. 

Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, I am a proud Democrat. TED

STEVENS is a proud Republican. People have said, how can 

you two ever get together? Well, as the leader has indicated, 

we call each other brothers. 

I know this is a violation of our party rules, but I have 

contributed to TED’s campaign, and he has contributed to my 

campaign. Last election was one of the most negative and 

partisan ones that I have ever experienced. The issue was 

Iraq, as it is today. TED STEVENS came up to me and said: 

‘‘You know, this election is sending a bad message to the fellows and the women in Iraq. We should send another message.’’ So he proposed that we do our very best to pass the 

defense appropriations bill in a timely fashion unanimously. 

The record will show that the subcommittee came out and 

voted unanimously for the defense appropriations bill. The 

full committee responded by unanimously voting for it, and 

the Senate, for the first time in history, voted 100 to 0. 

That is bipartisanship, Mr. President. We have demonstrated that it can be done, and it has been done many 

times. We have many things in common, but I think more 

things uncommon. He represents glaciers; I represent coconut trees. But we do have many things in common. We 

fought in World War II—he in China with the Flying Tigers, 

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and I was in Europe fighting the Germans. We represented 

territories. So we came in as new Members of the Senate, 

and he and I have received the crown of being ‘‘pork men of 

the year.’’ We are No. 1 in add-ons in the U.S. Senate. 

Mr. President, I am proud to call TED STEVENS my brother. I hope we can continue this brothership for as long as we 

are here. We have just given him a new title: the Strom 

Thurmond of the Arctic Circle. 

(Applause.) 

Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, I want to join my colleagues 

in recognizing Senator TED STEVENS upon this milestone of 

his serving longer in this body than any other Republican 

Senator. This is a significant moment and our former President pro tempore of the Senate has set an impressive, historic accomplishment. 

I think this is most significant not because we are recognizing TED STEVENS for his length of service in this body, but 

rather because we are recognizing what TED STEVENS has 

accomplished in this institution as a U.S. Senator. There are 

few individuals who can equal his service and accomplishments as a true leader. 

As Alaska’s senior Senator, his steadfast and tenacious advocacy of his State and constituents is widely known. His career transcends Alaska’s transition from a frontier and U.S. 

territory to an important and vibrant State. 

After earning his law degree at Harvard University, TED

STEVENS moved to the heart of Alaska, the Chena River and 

Fairbanks, where he became a prosecutor and a U.S. attorney in the early 1950s. 

TED quickly became a leader in the statehood movement 

and in 1956 he served his first assignment in Washington as 

the Department of Interior’s legislative counsel and later Solicitor General. He later returned to Alaska and was elected 

to the Alaska House of Representatives where he became the 

majority leader and speaker pro tempore. In 1968 he was appointed to fill Senator Bartlett’s seat in the U.S. Senate. He 

was elected to retain that seat in 1970 and has been a part 

of this institution ever since. 

TED is a forceful and dedicated advocate for the people of 

Alaska. He has brought about significant economic development, be it clearing the way for North Slope petroleum development and the construction of the Alaska pipeline, the 

upcoming natural gas pipeline, countless small airports and 

aviation improvements, or overall basic infrastructure. He 

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try, including creation of the Exclusive Economic Zone to 

allow the sustainable harvest of the largest and most valuable fishery in the United States. It is not by chance that the 

basic law governing fisheries in this Nation is called the 

Magnuson-Stevens Act. 

Like most Alaskans, TED is a true sportsman with a rich 

appreciation for the unique and special environmental resources of his State. Men and women fishing on the Kenai 

River or trolling off Cape Chacon or other waters need just 

look next to them, through sunshine or inclement weather, 

to see the senior Senator from Alaska fishing for kings, or 

reds or silvers or halibut. 

TED STEVENS is an American Senator who has made tremendous contributions to U.S. security policy and defense 

posture since the 1960s. 

TED STEVENS left college to fight in the Second World War. 

He served in the Army Air Corps and flew support missions 

over the Himalayas to General Stillwell and our forces in the 

China/Burma theater. 

Since 1981, Senator STEVENS has served as either chairman or ranking member of the Senate’s Department of Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. The aircraft, the ships, 

the missiles, the tanks and combat vehicles, and the weapons systems that are manned by our dedicated men and 

women in the U.S. Armed Forces have been developed, procured and supported under TED STEVENS’ steady and pragmatic leadership. The training, pay and support of our personnel have been carried out by programs that he championed and shepherded through the Congress. The ‘‘operating tempos’’ and readiness levels are items of personal interest for him. He is a champion of research and development to ensure our Nation’s leadership is not diminished, 

and that America remains prepared to take on threats to its 

national security. 

As an appropriator, TED STEVENS has often focused on the 

business of national defense. Like others, he has been a 

champion of the ‘‘top line’’ for the defense budget, seeking to 

ensure that national security remains a priority and receives 

appropriate funding. He has also dedicated long hours to ensuring that funds are not wasted and that priorities are addressed. 

Finally, TED STEVENS should be recognized for his work as 

a legislator in this body. TED STEVENS has authored and 

championed legislation far too numerous to list. He has left 

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efit Americans across this Nation. For example, TED STEVENS has played a leadership role in our national space programs, and it was his personal effort that allowed NASA to 

recover from the Challenger disaster in 1986. He helped create the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 

and has been the sponsor or cosponsor of countless significant pieces of environmental legislation. He has championed 

remote sensing satellites that protect our Nation from severe 

weather and is the author and foremost supporter of our Nation’s ocean exploration program. 

TED STEVENS has also left his mark on every piece of telecommunications legislation over the past 20 years. He has 

put forward legislation that provides for our airports and air 

transportation systems, and terrorism countermeasures. He 

is a strong advocate for the Coast Guard and has overseen 

fleet, aircraft, and system modernization during the 1980s 

and 1990s. 

TED STEVENS has been a leader on issues as diverse as reform of U.S. civil service retirement programs, to the rules 

governing the operation of the U.S. Senate. So often it is 

Senator STEVENS’ style to be the workhorse and moving force 

behind legislation, but to let others receive the credit. He is 

a Senator who pulls up his sleeves and works, and he is a 

man of his word. 

TED is a dedicated family man—to his wife Catherine and 

his daughter Lily, and his children from his first marriage 

to Ann Stevens. TED STEVENS is a Senator who lives every 

day to the fullest. He is tireless. 

So Mr. President, it is very appropriate that the Senate 

convene here today to recognize and congratulate our Republican President pro tempore, the vice chairman of the Commerce Committee and the former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. We are here today to recognize the 

length of his service and the accomplishments of his Senate 

service. 

Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, I rise today to pay tribute to 

my friend and colleague, Senator TED STEVENS of Alaska. 

Today, Senator STEVENS has the distinct honor of becoming 

the longest serving Republican Senator in this Chamber. 

I know of no greater patriot and lover of freedom than TED

STEVENS. Whether flying his C–47 with the Flying Tigers in 

World War II, or serving in the Alaska House of Representatives, Senator STEVENS’ life is a model of heroism and personal integrity. 

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TED’s tenure in the Senate has been equally impressive. 

He chaired the Senate Appropriations Committee for 6 years, 

the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for 2 

years, and served as the Senate President pro tempore for 4 

years. In each and every one of these high offices, TED

served with dignity and distinction. 

As one who has had a stewardship over our Nation’s military for many years, there is no greater friend to our men 

and women in the military than Senator STEVENS. No one in 

Congress has done more to make our Nation’s military the 

great institution it is today. We all rely heavily on TED’s expertise on so many defense-related matters, as I believe 

many in this body and throughout the Federal Government 

do. He is the Senate’s greatest asset with regard to the needs 

of the military, and his knowledge about defense issues has 

proven invaluable every time this Nation has faced a crisis 

in the last four decades. 

Although TED is not the tallest man in the Senate, my colleagues and I all look up to the senior Senator from Alaska. 

When he comes to work in his Incredible Hulk tie, you know 

he means business and is ready to do whatever it takes to 

ensure legislation which improves the lives of Americans 

gets safely shepherded through the Senate. 

It has been my privilege to know and work with TED for 

many years here in the Senate, and even though he has been 

described by some as gruff and grouchy, I have always found 

him to be very helpful and patient. Take for example a few 

months ago when I was meeting with several constituents 

from Utah in my DC office. During our conversations, we 

found that we needed some expertise that only TED could 

provide. I hurriedly called him at home in Alaska without 

pausing to calculate the time difference. Although it was 

midmorning where I was sitting in DC, it was quite early in 

the morning in Alaska where a groggy TED STEVENS courteously took my call, helped me with the information I needed, and—I hope—promptly went back to bed to finish his 

night’s sleep. TED has shown similar types of courtesy and 

kindness to several Members of this body and he has always 

proven able to balance the delicate, yet competing, needs to 

maintain good friendships and still move the work of the 

country forward even when all sides are not in agreement. 

TED’s wisdom and his character have served as an example to everyone he meets, and I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to serve the people of the United States 

alongside my dear, dear friend, Senator TED STEVENS. 

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So, from one old bull to another old bull, I would like to 

thank my good friend TED for his friendship and leadership. 

Also, I would like to thank his wife Catherine for her selflessness and willingness to share her husband. The hours 

kept by a hard-working Senator are long and can be very demanding on families, but Catherine has been extremely patient and our Nation is grateful. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is 

recognized. 

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I am embarrassed but very 

grateful to my friends, our leader, Mr. McConnell, and my 

great friend and brother, Dan Inouye. Dan and I have been 

here a long time. I was downtown with the Eisenhower administration when he arrived in the House of Representatives. I went home to Alaska after that Presidency ended and 

never expected to come back. But I did, and I am grateful 

for the outline of my service that our Republican leader has 

presented in the Senate. 

I can only say two or three things. One is that I would not 

be here now if it wasn’t for a really understanding family. 

My first wife was, and my current wife, Catherine, has been 

supportive beyond anyone’s understanding. It is a long way 

to go home. I remember 1 year I flew home 35 times—1 day 

up and 1 day back, almost. But I have been away from my 

family a great deal. I have 6 children and 11 grandchildren 

and they have understood my commitment to the Senate. I 

do believe that it would be impossible to be here without 

that type of support. 

I also have been privileged and ask that after my remarks, 

I be permitted later to have printed in the Record a list of 

the dedicated young Alaskans who have come down and 

worked with me in various positions; also, those who have 

worked with me at home. I have had a series of distinguished chiefs of staff who have gone on to other functions 

and have shown what training in the Senate can do for a 

young person. I think over a dozen of my chiefs of staff have 

gone through law school working full time in my office and 

going to school full time. We sort of run a separate adjunct 

of the Senate, and that is a law school on the side, I think. 

I do believe I have had the honor of serving with many 

great people. I served with the people who were here when 

I came here—Senator Baker, Senator Mansfield, Senator 

Scott, Senator Magnuson, Senator Dole, Senator Jackson, 

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Senator Cook, Senator Bible, Senator Bell, Senator Hollings—there are so many. 

I remember the time when Senator McClellan, who was 

chairman of the Appropriations Committee, took the whole 

committee up to Alaska because he was tired of asking me 

why I was seeking so much money. He decided to take the 

whole committee up there. We traveled through the State for 

2 weeks. That doesn’t happen now. 

I am surrounded by friends here on both sides of the aisle, 

and I am still very honored to be here. 

Let me close by saying I really think I am here because 

of the mentors I had in Alaska. Two publishers—Bill 

Snedden, publisher of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and 

Bob Atwood, publisher of the Anchorage Times—urged me to 

come to Washington to participate in the Eisenhower administration during our fight for statehood. I was lucky enough 

to tie into former Senator Fred Seaton who was Secretary of 

the Interior. I worked with him for a period of almost 4 years 

and left Washington as the Solicitor of the Department of 

the Interior, his reward to me for our working together. 

I was also honored to follow a good friend, a friend I got 

to know during the territorial days as we fought for statehood, and that was Bob Bartlett. He was my predecessor. He 

was, during the time we were fighting for statehood, the delegate from the territory of Alaska as a Democrat. 

I think our relationship was almost as close as the relationship I have with Senator Inouye. He was a fine man, a 

great and distinguished public servant for Alaska. I am honored to hold what Alaskans call the Bartlett seat. 

I thank my colleagues again for the courtesy all have 

shown me. I passed a milestone only because Strom made 

the mistake of being a Democrat for two terms. I am honored 

to have this recognition today. 

(Applause, Senators rising.) 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Brown). The majority 

leader is recognized. 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, when I came to Washington, 

Senator Inouye—I am sorry, Senator STEVENS. They are like 

brothers, and it is easy to get them mixed up—Senator STEVENS had already been here 12 or 13 years. He has a distinguished service: 38 years in this Chamber, going on 15,000 

votes, decorated pilot in World War II. But there are a number of instances that I want to spread on this record regarding Senator STEVENS. 

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First of all, he has a relationship that has already been 

mentioned with one of America’s great people, Senator Dan 

Inouye. Dan Inouye, of course, is a Medal of Honor winner. 

A gentleman describes who he is. But the relationship between Senator Inouye and Senator STEVENS, when the history books are written, will be legendary. They are friends, 

a Republican and a Democrat, who are like a couple of brothers. 

They have traveled the world over many times, and the relationship is something we should all recognize as being possible in this Chamber. People of different parties from different parts of our United States can become friends. Party 

affiliation is secondary to their relationship. 

For me, the example they have set has paved the way for 

the relationship Senator Ensign and I have. We are from the 

same State, with totally different political philosophies, but 

our friendship is, in our own minds, comparable to that of 

Senator STEVENS and Senator Inouye. Thank you very much, 

I say to Senator STEVENS and Senator Inouye, for the example you have set for us. 

I also want to relate to everyone something that is remarkable to me. I was serving in the House of Representatives 

when Senator Alan Bible died. Senator Bible served in the 

Senate for 20 years. He was a great public servant from the 

State of Nevada and a dignified Senator who, because of illness, left the Senate after 20 years. 

When he died, there was a plane available to take anyone 

who wanted to go to the State of Nevada to his funeral. I 

went, and the only other Member of Congress who traveled 

to Nevada was TED STEVENS. It was a long way to Reno, NV, 

where Senator Bible was buried, but TED STEVENS went. 

Why did he go? Because on a very important vote to Senator 

STEVENS that made the difference between Senator STEVENS

carrying the day or losing the day, Senator Bible stepped forward, as Senator STEVENS said, courageously, and voted with 

this Republican Senator. 

Think about that: Senator Bible was long gone, hadn’t 

been in the Senate for many years. He died. But Senator 

STEVENS remembered Senator Bible doing something that he 

thought was beyond the call of his democratic duty. And so 

Senator STEVENS and I took this lonely flight to Reno, NV, 

to attend the funeral of my friend and Senator STEVENS’

friend, Senator Bible. That speaks volumes about the kind of 

person Senator STEVENS is. 

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[ 15 ] 

One of the highlights of my congressional service has been 

the ability to travel all over the world. It is part of our obligation as Members of Congress to go see what American interests are doing around the world. On one of those trips, I 

signed up to go as a young Senator and was led by the great 

John Glenn and TED STEVENS. It was a memorable trip. I 

can remember—the Iron Curtain was down—leaving Austria 

and going into Czechoslovakia. They stopped the train. In 

came the KGB and other Iron Curtain soldiers. They looked 

under the train, in the train, and looked at all of us. We 

went into Prague, and in a little diner-bar, that evening a 

man came in wearing a flight jacket, a World War II flight 

jacket. Of course, Senator Glenn and Senator STEVENS had 

worn those flight jackets representing the United States as 

they flew airplanes: one a Marine, one a member of the 

Army Air Corps. 

The conversation that night with that man, who probably 

was a KGB plant, as we talked later, developed into a great 

conversation. We were able to be regaled with conversations 

about Senator Glenn in World War II and Senator STEVENS

in World War II flying airplanes for America’s interests 

around the world. I always will remember that. 

Finally, I say to Senator STEVENS, at this desk right here, 

you watched me manage a few bills. We were able to finish 

an appropriations bill. You thought I helped a lot. So you 

gave me the distinct honor of giving me one of your Hulk 

ties, which I still have. 

(Laughter.) 

We laugh and joke about that, but it meant a lot to me 

that Senator STEVENS thought enough of me to give me one 

of his ties. 

So I say to Senator STEVENS, at this important occasion for 

you, of course, and our country, recognizing you, your service 

in this body, the longest serving Republican in the history of 

the Republic, I extend to you my appreciation and my friendship. 

(Applause, Senators rising.) 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Republican leader is recognized. 

Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, the junior Senator from 

Alaska is on her feet. I wanted to make sure you saw her. 

She will be seeking recognition. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The junior Senator from Alaska is recognized. 

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[ 16 ] 

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, it gives me enormous 

pride to pay tribute to our senior Senator, to my senior Senator, Mr. STEVENS, and to listen to the comments, to listen 

to the stories from so many of you as colleagues and friends. 

For so many years—I think my whole life—I have grown 

up hearing the stories about Senator STEVENS, and to understand how today—tomorrow, actually—he makes history as 

the longest serving Republican Senator. 

What you all need to appreciate is that so much of the history of TED STEVENS is also the history of the State of Alaska. They are inextricably tied, and we know that. So to be 

able to share that with his friends and colleagues for so 

many years is so important. 

I truly appreciate the words of the Republican leader outlining the history, the very storied military career that Senator STEVENS had, understanding how he went on to be the 

U.S. attorney for the territory at the time, his schooling 

through UCLA, through Harvard. Coming back to the State 

of Alaska is where we all kind of pick up with the history 

that is now legendary and is seen in so many places. 

Someone mentioned the Ted Stevens International Airport. 

We look around to so many of the monuments in the State, 

whether it is the Trans-Alaska Pipeline that has been delivering oil to the lower 48 for the past 25-some-odd years—we 

look at those and we think: TED STEVENS. 

I don’t know how many of you are aware of the history of 

our State as it relates to our lands and knowing and understanding that it was TED STEVENS who moved these forward, 

whether it was ANILCA, our land conservation act, the Native Claims Settlement Act, the effort to build the TransAlaska Pipeline, the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Act, the 

Denali Commission—these are living legends, if you will, 

through legislation that came about through the dedication, 

through the persistence, through the urging of Senator STEVENS. 

We all want to believe, certainly, that we work on behalf 

of the people we represent, but as we look to these legislative 

victories, these legislative successes that Senator STEVENS

has put in place over the years, I believe that truly demonstrates his commitment to the people of Alaska. When we 

think about providing the Native peoples with title to their 

lands, when we think about the educational challenges that 

face us in this enormous State with geographic and rural 

challenges that we can only imagine, when we think about 

how we provide health care in a State such as Alaska, all we 

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[ 17 ] 

need to do is look to the initiatives that have been put in 

place. 

Senator STEVENS has always—always—kept Alaska first 

and has been very selfless in his efforts to put his State, to 

put the people of Alaska first. 

We lovingly call him throughout the State ‘‘Uncle TED.’’

And you chuckle, but I think it is fair to say. They might 

not say it to your face, TED, but behind your back they are 

always calling you Uncle TED, because I hear it. They love 

it. The people of Alaska love it when you put on your 

superhero tie, when you wear the Hulk tie, because that is 

your signal that you mean business on behalf of the people 

of the State of Alaska. 

You know, talk about people who have minds as sharp as 

a tack, TED will come up to me and we will be talking about 

something and he will say, ‘‘You remember back in 1973 

when so-and-so said something to so-and-so?’’ And I am 

thinking, I was still in high school back then; no, I don’t remember that. But he has such a grasp of the history and the 

facts. I appreciated his comment that he doesn’t reminisce, 

but he is not going to let go of the factual background that 

has gotten us to where we are today. 

Senator STEVENS mentioned those who have worked for 

him, and he and I have a unique relationship in that I was 

an intern for him. I credit him as my first political mentor 

here. Whether that means your staff will go on to succeed 

both you and me, who knows, but I look to what you have 

provided me as I have joined the family of the Senate here. 

I could not have asked for a better mentor, a better colleague 

to work side by side with as we move forward to advance the 

interests of the State of Alaska. 

I know I will have you to work together with for years to 

come, and I join my colleagues again in acknowledging you 

on this truly historic occasion. I think it is fair to say, as an 

Alaskan, I feel personally blessed to have you and your leadership for our State and our Nation, and for that I thank you 

very much. 

(Applause, Senators rising.) 

Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the list of family and Senate staff to which I previously 

referred, be printed in the Record. 

There being no objection, the material was ordered to be 

printed in the Record, as follows: 

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[ 18 ] 

FAMILY

My wife, Catherine Ann Stevens, my deceased wife, Ann Cherrington Stevens, who left us due to our 1978 accident. We have six children, Susan, 

Beth, Walter, Ted, Ben, and Lily; and our eleven grandchildren, Susan, Ben, 

Augustus, Theodore II (Ben and Elizabeth Stevens’ family); Sally Masako 

(Ted and Junko Stevens’ family); Ann, Rachel and Elizabeth (Walter and 

Debbie Stevens’ family); Laura Beth, John Peter, and Sara Ann (Susan and 

David Covich family). 

SENATE STAFF

CHIEFS OF STAFF

Ron Birch; George Nethercutt; Tim McKeever; Rebecca Cox; Bill Phillips; 

Greg Chapados; Lisa Sutherland; Mitch Rose; Carol White; Dave Russell; 

George Lowe. 

FORMER STAFF IN THE WHIP OFFICE

Susan Alvarado—one of the first professional female staff assistants to 

leadership. 

Larry Burton—whip office. 

DeLynn Henry—long term scheduler. 

STAFF DIRECTORS

Appropriations—Steve Cortese, Jim Morhard; Commerce—Lisa Sutherland, Christine Kurth; Government Affairs—Wayne Schley, Al McDermott; 

Rules—Al McDermott; Ethics—Bill Canfield; Whip—Rebecca Cox; President 

Pro Tempore Office—Jennifer Lowe; President Pro Tempore Emeritus Office—George Lowe. 

ALASKA STAFF

Barb Andrews Mee; Marie Nash; Edie Opinsky; Jim Egan; Gloria 

McCutcheon; Ruth Burnett; Mike Dalton; Diane Hutchison; Connie 

McKenzie. 

CURRENT AND FORMER STEVENS’ PERSONAL OFFICE STAFFERS

FROM 1969 TO APRIL 12, 2007 

(*CURRENT STAFF MEMBER) 

A 

Albrittain, Nancy A.; Alexander, David M.; Allen, Dorothy M.; Alowa, 

Allen D.; Alvarado, Susan E.; Alvord, Melanie A.; Andrews, Barbara A. (now 

Andrews-Mee); Andrews, Christina; Angerman, Lillie; Arai, T. Juliette; 

Aravosis, John G.; Arness, Peggy M.; Arnold, Susan L.; *Arthur, Will. 

B 

Bahmer, Barbara A.; Bahmer, Gale O.; Bailey, Helen S.; Baker, Bridget 

L.; Baker, Elizabeth Anna-Marie; Baker, Laurie; Ballash, Heather L.; 

Banks, Gary S.; Barbagallo, Nelly E.; Barnes, Mark; Bartosik, Curtis J.; 

Bass, Sandra R.; Bates, Gwendolyn J.; Behm, Yvonne D.; Beighle, Jon J.; 

Belcher, Janet B.; Belon, Valerie L.; *Bennett, Doris C.; Bennett, Patricia 

A.; Bergstrom, Minta C.; Bertoson, Todd; *Bertrand, Joel; Binns, Mahalia 

J.; Birch, Ronald G.; Blackwell, Michelle; Blanchard, Virginia; Boatman, 

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[ 19 ] 

Robert W.; Bolton, Jerry K.; Bookout, Cynthia R.; Bombeck, Tui; Boone, 

Courtney; Bourassa, Phillippe H.; Boyer, Robert L.; Brandman, Sonja; 

Brandt-Erichsen, Svend A.; Braniff, Mimi; Brewer, Martha J.; Bridenbaugh, 

Kathleen A.; Briggs, Michael G.; Britt, Gloria; Britt, Sharon M.; Brown, 

Benjamin E.; Brown, Charlie L.; Brown, Lauren E.; Brown, Sylvia H.; Bryant, Julie; Bullock, George D.; Bundy, Elliot; Burnett, John S.; Burnett, 

Ruth E.; Burnett, Suzanne; Burnett, Wally; Burton, Larry D.; Butzlaff, Nathan B. 

C 

Cabaniss, Virginia Dale; Call, Kay L.; *Campbell, Nikki; Carlisle, Margo 

D.B.; Carlson, Thomas L.; Castillo, Florence A.; Causey, Janel (Anderson); 

Chaffins, Katherine E.; Chapados, Greg; Chapek, Rebekah A.; Christian, 

Diana F.; Christie, Monica A.; Chomski, Kathleen (Brown); Ciccone, Christine M.; Cipra, Fredesvinda K.; Clancy, Lynda E.; Clark, Jane B.; Clements, 

Barbara; Clements, Charles; Cole, Brent; Collins, William L., III; Colver, 

Jane D.; Comstock, Earl W.; *Connell, Elizabeth J.; Covington, G. Dianne; 

Constantine, Janet A.; Cook, Caroline W.; Cook, Cora J.; Corbin, Lelani; 

Corthell, Lisa L.; Costello, Earle E.; Covington, G. Dianne; Cowen, James 

S.; Cowen, Joseph D.; Cox, Rebecca (Gernhardt); Craddick, Elaine L.; 

Craddick, Jan O.; Crawford, James M.; Crews, Darcy L.; Crittenden, Benjamin R.; Crittenden, Evelyn M.; Crittenden, Harriet C.; Crosley, Margy M.; 

Crossman, Sally J.; Crow, Michelle (now Maher); Cullen, Ann P. 

D 

Dalton, Kathleen F.; Dames, Edna M.; Dames, John C.; Daniels, Lorna; 

Darnell, Joseph; Davidge, Ric; *Davis, Mark; Dearring, Barbara G.; 

*Demopoulos, Nicolia; Derr, H.J.; Devore, Jon M.; Devore, Michelle (Butler); 

Dewhirst, Mary K.; Dickey, H. Gen; Dietz, Suzanne; Dinneen, Mark K.; 

Dittman, David; Dittman, Terry; Dixon, Karen G.; Donahue, Helen S.; 

Doogan, Laura; Dow, Wendi; Drager, Philip J.; Droege, Phillip; Dunbar, 

Henry T. 

E 

*Eames, Seth; Egan, James B.; Eklund, Nancy A.; Elerding, Mary Jane; 

Elliott, Norman H., IV; Elwell, Dan; *Engibous, Robyn; Evans, Ernest H. 

F 

Farr, Meghan; Farrell, Alycia; Fate, Julie Y.; Faunce, Mary L.; Feind, 

Gena M.; Ferguson, John D.; Ferguson, Pamela G.; Fessenden, Lori Ann; 

Fink, Joshua; Fitch, Karen M.; Flanders, Barbara; Flannigan, Michael J.; 

Fradley, Dennis C.; Franz, Joan L.; Fraser, Robert C.; Frazier, Ernest M.; 

Freitag, Renee; Friehlke, Ann; Fromuth, Peter J.; Fuller, Douglas S.; Fuller, 

Kimberly A. 

G 

Gallagher, Hugh G.; Gayman, Carol (Steiner); German, Penelope S.; Gibson, Duane R.; Gilman, Bradley D.; Gilman, Lisa C.K.; Gilman, Margaret; 

Gimm, Viola M.; Glasmann, Michael J.; Godwin, Agnes C.; Goodman, Stuart 

A.; Gore, Mary; Grane, Kimberly; Grant, Ian; Graves, Roger K.; Gray, Louise A.; Green, Isaac A.; Greisen, David; Gregg, Samantha C.; Griffiths, Leslie O.; Groseclose, Robert B.; Gruenberg, Max F., Jr.; Gustufson, Carol. 

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H 

Haggart, Richard G.; Halcomb, Patricia M.; Henry, Diana L. (now Diana 

H. West then Diana H. Barnhart); Hall, Lisa C.; Halvarson, Janet M.; Hansen, Paul G.; Hanson, Ingrid C.; Harrison, Ardine; Haugen, Leif; Hayes, 

James; Hayes, Lindsay; Hays, Dorothy A.; Hefke, Nancy L.; Hegg, Ruth E.; 

Hegyi, Karen R.; Henry, Diana; *Henry, Martha DeLynn; Henthorn, Deborah T.; Herman, Margaret G.; Hess, Carol (Logan); Hess, Kelly A.; Hett, 

Susan Elaine; Hickling, Elizabeth M.; Highbaugh, Rita K.; Hill, Cynthia L.; 

Hilscher, Hilary J.; Hinkley, Jeanette (Nichols); Hobbs, Mary Jo; Hodson, 

Lona M.; Hogan, John J.; Hozey, John; *Hughes, Brian; Hultberg, Rebecca 

L.; Hutchison, Diane. 

I 

Iani, Frances S.; Irrigoo, Connie; Ivko, Terri L. 

J 

Jaehning, Leslie; Jeffress, R.D.; Jennings, Malin T.; Jessup, Carolyn R,; 

Johansen, Gary L.; Johnsen, Krag A.; Johnson, Louise L.; Johnson, Myrtle 

F.; Johnson, Rhonda; Johnson, Robert W.; Johnston, Martha R.; Jolly, Claire 

Anne; Jones, G. Kevin. 

K 

Kaplan, Gregory D.; Katongan, Adeline R.; Katz, John W.; Keller, Kristen 

L.; Kelly, Ernest B., III; Kemppel, Denali A.; Kerezy, John D.; *Kerley, Patrick J.; Kerttula, Anna M.; Kidd, Margaret L.; King, Sara L.; Kirchoff, 

Scharine; Kloster, Kendra; Konigsberg, Charles S.; Kozie, Michelle; Kron, 

Stephanie A.; Kurth, Christine. 

L 

Lack, Jonathon H.; Ladd, Priscilla D.; Lahmeyer, Lillian A.; Lahmeyer, 

Michelle E.; Landry, Jeffrey; Lang, Cheri A.; Lang, Deborah S.; Langton, 

Michal; Lappi, Karen D.; Larson, Dean M.; Larson, Michelle R.; 

*Laudenberger, Theresa A.; Layton, Mark; Lawrie, Heather A.; *Leathard, 

Scott; Lee, Claire K.P.; Leonard, Lindsay; Lewis, Irene C.; Lock, Kathleen 

M.; Loewen, Reuben M.; Logan, Douglas M.; Longnecker, Barbara A.; Louis, 

Claudia J.; Lounsbury, Joel; *Lowe, George H., IV; Lowe, Jennifer (Mies); 

Lund, Thomas R.; Lundquist, Andrew. 

M 

Macauly, Margie M.; Maculay, Gail C.; Magnusson, Lori M.; Mai, Audra 

M.; *Maitlen, Brandon; Maloney, Wayne; Martin, Bernadette V.; Martin, 

Guy R.; Mason, Paisley; Matsuno-Nash, Marie; May, Terence; McAlpin, Jay 

A.; McCabe, John T.; McClees, Charles J., Jr.; McCuthheon, Gloria; 

McGuire, Lesil L.; McInerney, Anne E.; McInturff, Janell A.; McKeever, 

Timothy A. McKenzie, Connie; McLeod, Phillip W.; Menduno, F.M.; 

Messina, Gary S.; *Michalski, Nathan; Miller, Alexis R.; Miller, Terrence B.; 

Mock, Lisa C.; Moore, Elizabeth M.; Moran, Margaret A.; Moran, Michael 

P.; Morgheim, Jeffrey S. Motley, Allison H.; Motznik, Lavonne L.; Murdey, 

Phyllis M.; Murphy, Ann Marie; Murphy, Lynne F. (now Hill); *Musgrove, 

John; Musko, Tonja J.; Myers, Joanne. 

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N 

Nelson, James B.; Nethercutt, George R., Jr.; Newman, Kathryn C.; Nichols, Steven; Nicolet, Katherine L.; Niemi, Celia B.; Nikzad, Cheri A.; Norton, 

Katherine H.; Nosek, Peter C. 

O 

O’Hara, Kristina D.; O’Leary, Michael S.; Odom, Jane H.; Odom, Milton 

W., III; Oliver, Lori Ann; Olson, Lori A.; O’Keefe, Sean; O’Keefe, Shannon 

B.; Opinsky, Celine; Opinsky, Edith M.; Osborne, Jason M.; Otierney, Daniel 

P.; Oursler, Susan J.; Owletuck, George N. 

P 

*Palmer, Suzanne; Parker, Carole A.; Parsons, James; Patton, Penny E.; 

Paxton, Matthew; Pence, Randall G.; Perdue, Karen R.; Perles, Steven R.; 

Peterson, Darwin; Peyton, Leonard James; Phillips, William D.; Pierce, 

Rosemary D.; Pignalberi, Marco A.; Pillifant, Thomas H.; Pinnolis, Barry R.; 

Plunk, Karen S.; Powers, Penny S.; Pugh, Kristen; Pusich, Shannon M. 

Q 

Quam, Dana C.; Quinlan, Clarissa M.; Quisenberry, Jack B.; Quist, Linda 

A. 

R 

*Raabe, Aprille; Radakovich, Keith K.; Raffeto, John C.; Randall, William 

T.; Range, Kimberly D.; Rawson, Debra; Raymond, Patricia A.; Reeve, Mary; 

Reeves, Katharine E.; Rice, Eugenie A.; Richard, Ryan R.; Richards, Bonnie 

E.; Richardson, Linda L.; Richmond, Kristen K.; Rickett, Robert R.; Rideout, 

Anita; Rigos, Chris J.; Robbins, Jane A.; *Robbins, Mark; Roberts, Laury; 

Rogers Candice; Rogozinski, Janet L.; Roots, John; Rose, Mitchell F.; 

Rosenquist, Jane S.; Rosenquist, Matthew; Rosenwald, Cynthia M.; Rubinstein, Pamela A.; Ruff, Richard; Rugg, William J.; Rushton, A. Lyell, III; 

Russell, David C. 

S 

Sandahl, Virginia; *Saunders, Aaron; Schabacker, Chris; Schaefermeyer, 

Darryl J.; Schafer, Jennifer A.; Schemmel, Cheryl A.; Schley, Wayne A.; 

Schneider, Mark; Schroer, Jo Anne W.; Schultheis, Bruce E.; Schwartz, Judith A.; Scott, Shirley A.; Seekins, Kerri L.; Seelbaugh, Patricia A.; Shaftel, 

Douglas; Sharp, Amy R.; Shaver, Victoria L.; Shaw, Douglas B.; Shepherd, 

Leslie C.; Sherbert, Eva M.; Shore, Mary E.; Shoup, Sharon; Silver, Steven 

W.; Simpson, Maryann; Slick, Sherrie A.; Slovikosky, Beverly A.; Smith, 

Robert B.; *Sorensen, Ray; Southall, A. Doris; Spaan, Michael R.; Sparck, 

Amy; Sparck, Michelle; Spencer, Mark E.; Spils, Carol A.; *Spinelli, Lindsey; 

Springer, Mark A.; St. Sauver, Beverly K.; Staser, Jeffrey B.; Stealey, Katherine; Stealey, Mary L.; Stenehjem, Connie M.; Stengl, Susan P.; Stepovich, 

Antonia M.; Stepovich, Laura M.; Stepovich, Melissa M.; Stevens, Elizabeth 

(Engelken); Steverson, Judith (Garnett); Stiefel, Justin; Stokes, Robert C., 

III; Stone, Michelle A.; Stone, Sandra; Sullivan, H. Paul, Jr.; Sumpter, 

Gerri; Sunne, Anne C.; Sutherland, Lisa; Sutherland, Scott A.; Swan, Lulu; 

Sykes, Gwendolyn; 

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T 

Taft, Margo L.; Tanner, Patrick; Terlesky, Juanita S.; Tess, Terry L.; 

Todd, James M.; Todd, Karen G.; Tony, Paul D.; Trimble, Mary H.; Thompson, Pamela S.; Trump, Marsha V.; Teeley, Sandra E.; Turner, Lewis N.; 

Tyser, Sue E. 

U 

Utter, Brian. 

V 

Vallet, Paul P.; Vaughn, Philip; Vanderjack, Andrew; Verble, Saga O.; Von 

Gemmingen, Brett; Vrem, Lisa S. 

W 

*Wackowski, Steve; Wagoner, Norman B.; Wallace, John Foster; *Waller, 

Karina; Weaver, Karen; Weaver, Robert C., Jr.; Weddle, Aaron; Wahto, 

Heidi A.; Weddle, Justin; Weidlein, Patricia M.; Weiss, Kelly S.; Webster, 

Patricia S.; West, Jade C.; Wheeler, Ruth B.; White, Carol M.; Wilken, Alan 

W.; Williams, Cynthia G.; *Williams, Kate N.; Winn, Robert L.; Wold, Joanne; Wolek, Gail A.; Williams, Anne M.; Wonder, E. Paul; Wesley, David 

H.; Wood, Sarah A.; Woodrow, Shirley A.; Woodworth, Glen E. 

Y 

Yarmon, Joel; Yauney, James A. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Klobuchar). The Senator 

from West Virginia is recognized. 

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the order for the quorum call be rescinded. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, Senator TED STEVENS is not 

on the floor at the moment. I am going to wait, if I may. I 

have the floor, do I not, Madam President? 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator does. 

Mr. BYRD. I am going to wait. I understand that Senator 

STEVENS is on his way. He will be here in a couple of minutes. I will await the arrival, if the Chair will allow me, of 

Senator TED STEVENS. I understand he is on his way, and I 

want him to be present to hear what I am going to say. 

Madam President, tomorrow, April 13, the very distinguished senior Senator from Alaska, my dear friend, Senator 

TED STEVENS, will become, if it is the good Lord’s will, the 

longest serving Republican Senator in the history of these 

United States. It will mark his, Senator TED STEVENS’, 

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[ 23 ] 

13,990th day as a Senator. Senator STEVENS, on tomorrow, 

if the Lord lets him live, will surpass the late Senator Strom 

Thurmond of South Carolina, who served 13,989 days as a 

Republican Senator. Tomorrow, Senator STEVENS will serve, 

the good Lord willing, 13,990 days. 

This is a great honor and an important milestone in the 

Senate career of our esteemed colleague, my friend, TED STEVENS. I congratulate Senator TED STEVENS for this monumental, historic achievement. As the longest serving Democratic Senator in the history of the Senate, I, Robert C. Byrd, 

welcome my friend, Senator TED STEVENS of Alaska, into 

this most exclusive club. In fact, it is probably the most exclusive club I know. There are only two of us, one Democrat 

and one Republican, in it. 

I have served in this Chamber with Senator TED STEVENS

for nearly four decades. He came here in 1968. Senator STEVENS and I have served together on the Senate Appropriations Committee since 1972. I was on the committee a long 

time before that, but we, Senator STEVENS and I, have 

served together on the Senate Appropriations Committee 

since 1972. During these years of service together, we have 

developed a profound respect and admiration for each other. 

We now share many memories, both on and off the Senate 

floor. 

One of my favorite memories is a very special personal 

one. I recall how Senator STEVENS would bring his baby 

daughter Lily with him to the Senate and carry her around 

the Capitol in a basket. Over the years, I have become very 

close to Lily as well as her father. Lily is all grown up now. 

As a matter of fact, she will finish law school this year. But 

Senator STEVENS remains the proud, loving father he always 

has been. 

A couple of years ago, when the Senate was working into 

the late hours of the night and tensions were running high, 

as they occasionally do around here, Senator TED STEVENS

took me by the arm and pulled me aside because he had 

something he wanted to show me. It was an article that Lily 

had written about the U.S. Capitol that had just been published by the U.S. Historical Society, and he, Senator STEVENS, wanted to share it with me. I remarked at the time 

how touched I was by this. It was a father’s pride in his 

child’s accomplishment. I recall it now as a loving reminder 

that the Senate is a family—the Senate is a family. 

Senator TED STEVENS is a Republican. I am a Democrat. 

Of course, we have had a few differences in our lives. We 

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[ 24 ] 

have been here for a long time on this floor—right here on 

this floor. But, actually, some of them became quite heated. 

Senator STEVENS, as you know, says what he thinks. He is 

a man. He is a gentleman. He is a Senator. He says what 

he thinks. Oh, here he is, right here on the floor. I had to 

look around now to remind me he was there. 

Now, some of these things have become quite heated. We 

both tend—Senator STEVENS and I—to be strong-willed persons, U.S. Senators, with different political philosophies. And 

each of us is determined to represent the best interests of his 

and my home State and the people—the people—who send 

us here. So, naturally, at times, we are going to disagree. 

But I feel I can say before God and man and Senators—

I feel I can say without fear of contradiction—that not once—

not once—have we allowed our political differences to become 

personal ones. 

I have come to admire Senator TED STEVENS as a man of 

immense integrity, high personal principles, and unqualified 

honesty. 

I admire Senator TED STEVENS as a great American. He is 

a patriot. He is a patriot whose devotion for our country—

this country, yours and mine—led him to join the Army Air 

Corps during World War II, where he, Senator STEVENS, flew 

support missions for the Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force. 

For his service, Senator STEVENS—he was not a Senator 

then—but Senator STEVENS, for his service at that time, was 

awarded numerous medals, including two Distinguished Flying Crosses. Let me say that again. For his service, he was 

awarded numerous medals, including—including—two Distinguished Flying Crosses. 

In the 1950s, after graduating from Harvard Law School, 

Senator STEVENS began his long and remarkable career in 

public service by serving in various positions in the Eisenhower administration. 

Senator STEVENS is also a great legislator. In our nearly 

four decades in the Senate, Senator STEVENS and I have also 

worked together on numerous bills. We have even cosponsored some together. This includes S. 880, the Senate Family 

Leave Act, which is currently under consideration in the 

Senate. 

I especially admire Senator STEVENS for his work on the 

Senate Appropriations Committee. During his years as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, he was bipartisan, cooperative, and respectful of everyone, just the way 

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[ 25 ] 

the chairman of the Appropriations Committee, or any Senate committee, ought to be. 

While noting that Senator STEVENS has served as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, allow me to 

point out that I have always been impressed by the similarity of our careers. 

As I have already mentioned, I am the longest serving 

Democratic Senator ever. Tomorrow, Senator TED STEVENS

will become the longest serving Republican Senator. 

Both of us have served as President pro tempore of the 

Senate and President pro tempore emeritus. 

Both of us—Senator STEVENS and I—have served as our 

party’s whip in the Senate. The ‘‘whip’’ is an old term. When 

the fox hunters went out, and they brought the hounds in, 

they used whips, and they knew how to use them. So both 

of us—Senator STEVENS and I—have served as our individual party’s—his is the Republican Party; mine is the 

Democratic Party—each of us has served as his party’s whip 

in the Senate. The term ‘‘whip’’ goes back a long way. It goes 

back to England and the House of Commons. 

Both of us—Senator STEVENS and I—have chaired the 

Senate Appropriations Committee, and each has served as 

ranking member on the committee. 

Both of us have been honored with recognition as the 

‘‘King of Pork’’—the ‘‘King of Pork’’—while I am sure the organization that gave us that title intended it to be something 

less than a compliment. 

Madam President, I again congratulate this great Senator, 

this fine legislator, this outstanding American for his historic 

achievement. Senator STEVENS is truly the kind of man 

whom our country and this Chamber need. 

I close with a poem. I know it by memory. I am going to 

read it into the Record: 

Not gold, but only men can make a Nation great and strong; men who for 

truth and honor’s sake, stand fast and labor long. 

Real men who work while others sleep, who dare while others fly. They 

build a Nation’s pillars deep and lift them to the sky. 

Madam President, for the record, I will yield the floor 

soon, but for right now, I see on the other side of the aisle 

three very distinguished Senators. I see Senator TED STEVENS, I see Senator Cochran, Thad Cochran of Mississippi. 

Now, we are not supposed to say these things such as this—

and I see the great Senator from Georgia, Senator Isakson. 

By the way, let me tell my colleagues, Senator Isakson comes 

over to my desk here every day I am here and he takes the 

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time to shake my hand. He does. He takes the time to speak 

with me and to talk with me. One day I may make a little 

speech on the Senate floor, God willing, and I am going to 

talk about Senator Isakson. But today, I salute my friend 

Senator TED STEVENS. 

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, does the Senator yield 

the floor at this time? 

Mr. BYRD. I do. 

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, I regret I wasn’t here at 

the commencement of the comments of the distinguished 

Senator from West Virginia, but I am overwhelmed and honored that he would make these comments, and particularly 

that he would reference his relationship to our youngest 

daughter Lily who has great love and affection for Senator 

Byrd. We have come through a lot of travails, each of us, 

during our times in the Senate, and I have always found 

Senator Byrd to be a warm and great friend in times of trouble and very gracious when in times such as this. We could 

stand here and I would tell the Senate some of the times I 

have spent with Senator Byrd, including the time once in 

Britain when we gathered together a group of British and 

United States members of the British-American Parliamentary Conference and we listened to Senator Byrd tell us 

about his life and some of the things he had done as a child, 

and we listened to him recite many of the great poems he 

knows. He has one of the most prodigious memories I have 

ever known, and he is the most gracious Member of the Senate. He always has been very kind and helpful. 

I came here as an appointed Senator and took the position 

of—we called it the Bartlett seat, Senator Bob Bartlett’s 

seat. Senator Byrd was very gracious to Senator Bartlett as 

Alaska’s first senior Senator, and he extended greetings to 

me as Senator Bartlett’s replacement, and throughout these 

nearly 40 years he has been a great friend. We have had differences of opinion, but we have never had a disagreeable 

word between us. God willing, that will never happen. 

So I thank my friend. He honors me, he honors my family, 

and he honors the Senate by the remarks he made about the 

Senate itself. We are a family. This aisle ought not to be a 

canyon; it ought to be very easy to step across that aisle and 

shake hands with a friend as I have just done. I thank the 

Senator for what he has said and for giving me the opportunity to be here when he said it. 

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The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized. 

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, will the very able and distinguished Senator from Alaska yield so I might say a few 

words? 

Mr. STEVENS. I am happy to do so. 

Mr. BYRD. I thank the Senator, my friend, for what he 

has said. I salute him, my friend. I wish Erma, my darling 

wife, were here, sitting up in the gallery. We have rules that 

we don’t speak to the gallery, but I wish she were here. She 

knew Senator STEVENS. She knew Mrs. STEVENS. She knew 

us, my wife, and Mrs. STEVENS, who is not here today, but 

my wife knew us, Senator STEVENS and me, her childhood 

sweetheart, Robert C. Byrd, she knew we were friends, Senator STEVENS and I, the closest of friends. Now, when I say 

the closest of friends, Senators know what that means. That 

doesn’t mean Senator STEVENS and I go out together at night 

and drink booze together or anything such as that. We are 

the closest of friends. I don’t have anything against Senators 

or anybody else who wants to go out and drink booze. I don’t. 

I won’t say what I have done in my lifetime, but I know a 

little bit about what booze is. I know what we are talking 

about. 

Senator STEVENS and I are the dearest of friends. I happen 

to be, through the Good Lord’s will, in my 90th year. I will 

be 90 in November, if it is the Good Lord’s will and I live 

to see the 20th day of November. I don’t mind talking out 

loud, because as Popeye the Sailor Man used to say: ‘‘I yam 

what I yam, and that is all I yam.’’

Now, Senator STEVENS—I am not supposed to address 

him, a colleague, like this, but I am going to do that with 

the Senate’s permission. This is not in accordance with the 

rules. Senator STEVENS, I want to say to you—I want to say 

to you in the presence of Senator Cochran, who is a Senator 

on the Appropriations Committee, along with Senator STEVENS and me—I know the right grammar, you see—along 

with the Senator from Mississippi, and me. Some might 

think I should say the Senator from Mississippi and I. 

I am supposed to say it, because I am talking in a different 

vein, but Senator Cochran serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee with me. And he and I—in other words, he, 

Senator Thad Cochran and I—serve on the Senate Appropriations Committee together, and Senator STEVENS has at 

times been the chairman of that Appropriations Committee. 

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I was the ranking member. What I am going to say, Senator 

STEVENS and I—I am not supposed to talk in the first person. We usually in the Senate talk to the distinguished Senator from Alaska. I want to say to Senator STEVENS, though, 

in the Senate, he is my friend. He knows that. Senator STEVENS, I admire you. I respect you. You are a great Senator 

from a great State. Under the Constitution, he and I, as Senators, belong to the greatest deliberative body in the world. 

I respect the history of England and the House of Commons. 

That is a great body. The House of Lords, that is a great 

body. But the U.S. Senate is the upper House, the so-called 

upper House, and it is the upper House. There are two 

Houses, and the Senate is the upper House, because it used 

to be up there in the old days, and so the Members referred 

to the Senate as the upper House. 

Senator STEVENS—I am going to speak to him as I 

shouldn’t—I know what the rules are, but I am going to say 

to Senator STEVENS directly this may be the last time—who 

knows; it may not be—that I will ever speak to him on the 

floor like this. Senator STEVENS, I love you, I respect you, 

and I admire you. I hope God will always bless you and hold 

you in the hollow of his hand. In the name of our Lord Jesus 

Christ, I pray and ask for the forgiveness of my own shortcomings. Senator STEVENS, you are my friend, and we will 

let it go at that. 

Madam President, I am going to yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Alaska is 

recognized. 

Mr. STEVENS. Madam President, all I can say to my 

friend is that I am already blessed by God to be your friend, 

and I thank you very much. 

Mr. BYRD. Madam President, I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Whitehouse). The Senator from Mississippi is recognized. 

Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, I am pleased to be here to 

hear the remarks of the distinguished Senator from West 

Virginia, my good friend, and to join with others who have 

honored and paid tribute to Senator STEVENS on the occasion 

of his reaching a milestone where he has served in the Senate longer than any other Republican Member in history. 

I had the privilege, when I was a new Member of the 

House of Representatives after my election in 1972, to observe Senator STEVENS as he worked with Howard Baker as 

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the Republican leaders of the Senate and to come to respect 

him and know him and then to join the Senate body after 

the election of 1978. He has been a mentor and a dear friend 

throughout my career in the Senate, and I can say one could 

have no greater fortune than to serve in the presence of Senator Byrd and Senator STEVENS and others who were the 

true leaders of the Senate when I was a new Member. 

I have come to appreciate and respect them more as time 

has gone on. I recall Senator STEVENS becoming chairman, 

after Senator Byrd had served as chairman, of the Appropriations Committee. It was my good fortune to become a 

member of that committee after only 2 years in the Senate. 

I have appreciated the opportunity to work closely with him 

ever since. 

Senator STEVENS, of course, was our President pro tempore. I don’t recall a more diligent and hard-working President pro tempore than Senator STEVENS. He had some big 

shoes to fill: Strom Thurmond, Jim Eastland from my State 

of Mississippi, and Senator Byrd; and all were dutiful. I recall Senator STEVENS personally being there every morning 

to open the Senate, usually a duty delegated to others; and 

he probably presided personally over the Senate as much as 

any person who has occupied that position of responsibility. 

To be here today and to hear Dan Inouye talk about his 

early recollections of their service together in the Senate, 

and other Senators who have spoken on this special occasion 

in the life of our Senate, has made me happy to be here and 

to be able to observe and appreciate this day in the history 

of the Senate. 

I yield the floor. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Georgia is 

recognized. 

Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, I wish to tell a quick story. 

I was in my office working and watching the beginning of 

Senator Byrd’s speech about Senator STEVENS. I was reminded that I had a picture of two fellows who came up from 

Georgia to cook for the Senate at a barbecue. It is a picture 

of Senator STEVENS, myself, and those two gentlemen. The 

reason I ran over here is to say this: When I asked who the 

two gentlemen wanted to have their picture taken with, they 

said Senator TED STEVENS. I think that is a testimony to his 

reach, which is far beyond Alaska and to my home in Georgia. 

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Also, when I saw Senator Byrd speak, I knew he was 

speaking about Senator STEVENS, and I realized the embodiment of history in the Senate that these two gentlemen represent. To come and sit down as Senator Thad Cochran came 

into the Chamber, I realized this 2-year rookie of the Senate 

was sitting among greatness. 

My favorite book of all time is ‘‘The Greatest Generation’’

because it tells true stories of those great men and women 

who, in the most critical test in the history of our country, 

defeated the Axis powers in Germany and in the Pacific and 

saw to it that this democracy continued. Senator STEVENS

fought bravely for this country in the Pacific. As I was born 

in 1944, his generation was seeing to it that I would have 

the opportunity to live the life I have and one day actually 

come to the Senate. 

Senator STEVENS, I wanted to say, as a youngster in the 

Senate, thank you for what you have done. You sacrificed, 

and you have allowed me to be able to take advantage and 

eventually come to the Senate. I pass those same compliments on to Mr. Cochran and Mr. Byrd. These are three 

great Americans with whom I am honored to share a moment today. Congratulations. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from West Virginia is recognized. 

Mr. BYRD. Mr. President, I thank Senator Cochran, I 

thank Senator STEVENS, and I thank the great Senator from 

Georgia, Senator Isakson, for their kind words. 

I thank the Chair and I thank God we were here today. 

I thank our Heavenly Father, especially, for this man, this 

Senator, TED STEVENS, and for his service to our country and 

to the Senate. I salute him as one of the great Senators of 

my time—and I have been here a long time. 

I yield the floor. 

Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, tomorrow our colleague 

and friend TED STEVENS will mark his 13,990th day as a 

Senator. It is an auspicious occasion because he will pass 

Strom Thurmond as the Senator who served longest as a 

member of the Republican Party. 

I remember well when TED STEVENS came to the Senate 

in 1968. It seems like only yesterday. It is a great honor to 

say we have served together here for more than 38 years. 

TED was appointed to fill the seat of a true giant of public 

service, Bob Bartlett, the architect of Alaska statehood, who 

had passed away just before Christmas in 1968. I can’t help 

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but think all these years later that Bob Bartlett would be 

the first to pay tribute to what his friend TED STEVENS has 

accomplished as his successor in the Senate. 

I admire many things about my colleague from Alaska, the 

first and foremost being that he knows why he is here. He 

came to the Senate 9 years after Alaska was admitted to the 

Union, a State nearly a quarter the size of the continental 

United States and encompassing some of the most unforgiving geography and weather in the world. It is a State of 

tremendous natural beauty and indomitable spirit, but also 

enormous challenges brought about by its immense size, its 

distance from the lower 48, and its close proximity to the 

North Pole. 

TED STEVENS came to the Senate to fight for the State of 

Alaska and the wonderful people who call it home. More 

than 38 years later, his purpose continues just as clearly and 

his determination just as strong. His skill and passion in 

championing the people of his State are a remarkable tribute 

to the bond he has formed with the people of Alaska and his 

colleagues in Congress. 

In fact, TED STEVENS has given his entire career in service 

to others and to his country. He is a true public servant, a 

servant in the finest sense of the word. As a member of the 

Army Air Corps, he flew with the Flying Tigers of the 14th 

Air Force and earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses. The 

slogan of the Army Air Corps in those days was: We do the 

impossible immediately, but miracles take slightly longer. 

That has certainly been true of his service in the Senate, 

too. He has been a respected leader on military issues and 

a strong defender of some of the bravest workers in the 

world, our Nation’s fishermen. We share that love for fishermen and for the sea, as our two States are defined by their 

relationship with the sea, its bounty, its beauty, and its mystery. 

He has answered the call of public service in countless 

ways time and time again. I saw his passion and determination to improve the lives of Native Alaskans when I traveled 

with him in his first year as a Senator to visit remote villages in Alaska back in April 1969, and it is the same passion and determination I see today. 

TED, Walter Mondale, and I traveled over 3,600 miles 

throughout the State visiting Anchorage, Pilot Station, Arctic 

Village, and other villages. We traveled at times by ski plane 

and even by dogsled. 

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We were traveling with the Senate Subcommittee on Indian Education, and I will never forget what we saw. There 

were no Native Alaskan teachers and few spoke native languages, making it nearly impossible for the schoolchildren to 

learn, many of whom had never even heard English. We saw 

villages where people had to walk 2 miles through frozen 

tundra to find drinking water and other villages where only 

8 out of 100 Native Alaskans were graduating from high 

school. 

I remember our subcommittee hearing in Fairbanks and 

the Pilot Station teacher who told us that the warmest she 

could ever get her classroom was zero degrees Fahrenheit. 

Imagine children trying to learn when it is that cold in the 

classroom. 

More than anything else, I remember TED STEVENS’ determination to improve the lives of the people and give them 

the opportunity to build a better future. We were able to 

pass legislation to improve water treatment facilities in Native Alaskan villages and improve education for the children 

as a result of that trip—and none of it would have happened 

without TED STEVENS. 

I also feel a special closeness with TED because in addition 

to the many years we have served side by side, we both 

share the same soft-spoken and gentle approach for advancing our priorities and the many causes we care about so 

deeply. I only wish he were a Democrat. 

I also pay tribute to TED’s wonderful wife Catherine. She 

is an extraordinary woman, a person of enormous kindness 

and compassion who has been so understanding over the 

years of the demanding and often bizarre schedules we keep 

in this Chamber. 

I have come to know her through her impressive service to 

the Kennedy Center, where she has made such a great impact on the Board of Trustees. This milestone is very much 

hers as well. We know the innumerable sacrifices a Senator’s 

spouse has to make—especially those who make their home 

on the farthest side of the continent. 

So I congratulate both TED STEVENS and Catherine Stevens on this extraordinary milestone. Well done, my friends, 

and best wishes for many more record-breaking days among 

us. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Nelson of Florida). The 

Senator from Alaska is recognized. 

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Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, again, I am indebted to my 

friend from Massachusetts. We have spent many times together and, as he says, shared a great many goals. I am very 

pleased that he would make these remarks. I think that it 

sort of reminds me of a little bit of a little too much ado 

about nothing, but I do appreciate him being here. Thank 

you very much. 

As Senator Kennedy leaves, I should repeat something I 

have told often, and that is, back in 1969, as a brandnew appointed Senator, I joined Senator Kennedy and others in 

going to the villages of Alaska. We found mold on the hospital walls in Bethel. When we came back, we started the 

process of replacing it, and it is a beautiful hospital today. 

But we also went to the small villages. We went down to 

Pilot Station, and we were walking through this little village. All of a sudden, a little boy, baby boy, came running 

out, had a top on, but he obviously had lost his diaper. 

My friend scooped him up, unzipped his parka, and put 

him inside. We walked around to find out where his home 

was. We came to this nice, small, well-kept native cabin. It 

was obvious that the mother was looking for her son. 

We went in and Senator Kennedy gave her the boy, and 

there on the wall of that little cabin was his brother, President Kennedy’s photograph. It is a small world. I will never 

forget it. Thank you. 

Mr. President, I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence 

of a quorum. 

TUESDAY, May 15, 2007 

STATEMENTS IN TRIBUTE TO SENATOR STEVENS 

Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that 

the tribute to Senator STEVENS in the Congressional Record 

be printed as a Senate document and that Senators be permitted to submit statements for inclusion in the Record until 

June 1 of this year. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

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WEDNESDAY, May 16, 2007 

Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, on April 13, 2007, my dear 

friend and colleague Senator TED STEVENS became the longest serving Republican Senator in the history of this body. 

Today, I would like to pay tribute to my friend and his more 

than 38 years of service to our Nation and the people of 

Alaska. 

I have known and worked with TED for over 34 years. We 

have served together on the Appropriations, Budget, and 

Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committees and 

many others. TED and I have been in the Senate together for 

so long some of the committees on which we served no longer 

exist. We have collaborated on more pieces of legislation 

than I can remember and worked to resolve many issues. 

Most recently, I was thankful for his hard work in the effort 

to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and increase the 

strategic security of the country. 

I am happy to say TED has made the trip to New Mexico 

and I to Alaska so we could appreciate the needs of each other’s home States. I have also had the pleasure of taking several trips with TED abroad, some more enjoyable than others. 

One that stands out in my mind is the fact-finding trip we 

took to North Korea several years ago to better understand 

the threat that nation poses to the world. I don’t believe 

many people can say they have traveled there, even fewer 

can say they did it with TED STEVENS. I am very thankful 

I can. 

I think it is safe to say TED has had a remarkable life and 

career. Born in Indianapolis, he has lived in California, Oregon, and Montana—finally settling in his beloved Alaska. 

During the Second World War, TED left college to join the 

Army Air Corps and became a decorated pilot. After the war 

TED attended Harvard Law School, became a U.S. attorney, 

worked in the Department of the Interior, started his own 

law firm, and was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives. For most individuals these accomplishments, all before he came to the Senate, would have marked a full and 

successful life. However, for TED it was just the beginning 

and I believe this Nation is lucky it was. 

After serving with TED for so many years I know of no one 

who cares more about the people of Alaska and this Nation 

or serves either with more dedication and distinction. I 

would like to personally thank TED for his friendship and 

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hope to have the honor of serving alongside him for many 

years to come. 

MONDAY, May 21, 2007 

Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, look up Senator STEVENS’

name in media reports and you will find a long list of adjectives: tenacious, temperamental, scrappy, gruff, hot-tempered, tireless. And you will come across a long list of nicknames: one of the Senate’s ‘‘old bulls’’ for his institutional 

knowledge; ‘‘Uncle TED’’ to the people of Alaska who are 

grateful for his aggressive advocacy for their interests; pioneer for flying Army Air Corps missions during World War 

II and migrating to our rugged 49th State after law school; 

a mentor to up-and-coming elected officials; reportedly by his 

wife, a nutrition enthusiast for his devoted consumption of 

greens and whole grains; and in the case of his longtime 

friend, Senator Inouye of Hawaii, ‘‘my brother.’’

I would like to add a few adjectives of my own. 

First, TED STEVENS is an Alaskan. It is impossible to think 

of Alaska without thinking of its senior Senator. Alaska and 

TED STEVENS are inseparable. Anyone who knows Senator 

STEVENS knows he wakes up every morning fighting for the 

people of Alaska and doesn’t stop until he sleeps, which apparently isn’t much. Their commercial industry, health care, 

electricity, water, transportation—even the cost of rural mail 

delivery—all earn his scrutiny. He has delivered again and 

again on policy to improve Alaskans’ quality of life. 

Second, and just as important, TED STEVENS is loyal. He 

is loyal to the institution of the U.S. Senate. Bipartisanship 

is natural for him. He understands that the art of compromise is critical to getting things done. For example, he is 

known to have helped reach a bipartisan deal on how to conduct the impeachment trial of President Clinton to minimize 

the partisan bickering that would have sullied the Senate 

and made a tense time even more tense. 

He is more than willing to look across the aisle and find 

kinship with people of like interests. His friendship with 

Senator Inouye, a Democrat, is steadfast and legendary. 

They have found plenty of common ground in delivering good 

policy to the people of their uniquely situated States. Despite 

what seems like a gruff exterior sometimes, Senator STEVENS has a reputation for extending generous kindness to his 

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colleagues, such as flying across country to attend the funeral of a former Senator whose vote had once been helpful. 

Senator STEVENS’ approach to policymaking is guided by 

Rotary International’s ‘‘Four-Way Test,’’ a copy of which is 

framed on his desk in the Senate Chamber. The test reads: 

‘‘Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?’’

That four-way test was written in 1932, but like Senator 

STEVENS—and here are more adjectives—it is common sense, 

inspirational, and timeless. 

WEDNESDAY, May 23, 2007 

Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, I seek recognition to congratulate my friend Senator TED STEVENS on becoming the 

longest serving U.S. Republican Senator in the history of the 

Senate. He has had a long and distinguished career in public 

service representing the State of Alaska in the Senate for 

over 38 years, casting over 14,000 votes, and never receiving 

less than 67 percent of the vote in any election. 

My recollections of TED STEVENS, during the 27 years we 

have served together in the Senate, focus on his chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, where he 

has done so much to promote our national security. For example, his management of the $87 billion supplemental appropriations bill for fiscal year 2003 earned him high praise 

by President Bush during the signing ceremony. 

TED’s temper is generally misunderstood except by those 

who know him well. He doesn’t lose it, but he does use it—

and very effectively. However, it is true that on occasion he 

makes Vesuvius look mild. I recollect one all-night session 

during Senator Howard Baker’s tenure as majority leader 

when TED expressed himself in an unusually emphatic way. 

As I recall it, the debate arose over Senator Proxmire’s comments about submitting vouchers for travel expenses in Wisconsin on his contention that Washington, DC, was his home 

base. That prompted a reaction from TED, who was aghast 

at the thought of Washington, DC, being any Senator’s home 

when he had the majestic Alaska to claim as his home. 

Some thought that the middle-of-the-night incident might 

have cost him a couple votes, which could have been decisive, 

on his election for majority leader in November 1984, when 

the count was 28 to 25 in favor of Senator Dole, but it was 

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reliably reported that his loss occurred because of the significant slippage in votes caused by the tobacco interests. 

In any event, Senator STEVENS has had a profound effect 

on the Senate and the Nation in his roles as chairman of the 

Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, chairman of the full 

Appropriations Committee, and as President pro tempore. 

It is also important to note that Senator STEVENS’ career 

in public service began even before he arrived in the U.S. 

Senate. He is a distinguished veteran of the U.S. Army Air 

Corps, having flown support missions for the Flying Tigers 

of the 14th Air Force during World War II, for which he was 

awarded numerous medals, including two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He had a strong academic career, graduating 

from UCLA and Harvard Law School. In the 1950s, he practiced law in Alaska before moving to Washington, DC, to 

work in President Eisenhower’s administration. He subsequently returned to Alaska and was elected to the Alaska 

House of Representatives in 1964 and soon became majority 

leader. Finally, in 1968, he was appointed U.S. Senator from 

Alaska and has represented his State ever since with pride 

and devotion. 

His recognition as ‘‘Alaskan of the Century’’ is a real tribute, and I have no doubt that when the passage of time calls 

for the designation of ‘‘Alaskan of the Millennium,’’ it will be 

Senator TED STEVENS. 

TRIBUTES TO SENATOR STEVENS 

Mr. SALAZAR. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent 

that the deadline for Senators to submit tributes on Senator 

STEVENS for the Congressional Record be extended until 

close of business on Monday, June 4, 2007. 

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. 

THURSDAY, May 24, 2007 

Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to honor one of 

the true stalwarts of this institution—an indefatigable legislator, a tireless advocate for his home State of Alaska, a public servant with a lifetime of contribution, and a treasured 

leader of this venerable Chamber, Senator TED STEVENS

who, this past April 13, 2007, became the longest serving Republican Member of the U.S. Senate. Our good friend and 

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colleague has received countless well-deserved accolades for 

a tremendous milestone indeed. 

It is fitting that we pay tribute to an esteemed lawmaker 

whose ongoing legacy and longstanding record of accomplishment over a remarkable span of nearly 39 years of service 

in the U.S. Senate stand as a testament to the courage, 

vigor, and sense of duty he feels toward this country and the 

issues and policies shaping it. TED is a force of nature, steadfast and resolute, in this time-honored body and in our Nation’s Capital. His constituents wouldn’t have him any other 

way, and we wouldn’t either. 

His legacy of achievement on behalf of Alaskans is as large 

as the State they call home, and began even before he entered politics when he first moved to Washington, DC, to join 

the Eisenhower administration. While working for the Secretary of the Interior, he was not only present at Alaska’s 

creation as a State in 1959, but was also instrumental in 

helping advocate for statehood. As a U.S. Senator, he was essential in championing the development of the Alaskan pipeline which was critical to his State and to the energy future 

of the country. He successfully advanced Alaska’s infrastructure and transportation capabilities, especially vital to the 

State that is one-sixth the size of the entire lower 48. Alaska 

rightfully commemorated Senator STEVENS’ indelible impact 

in these areas with the dedication of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in 2000. With a far-reaching 

litany of accomplishments too numerous to mention, it comes 

as little surprise that the Alaska State Legislature—where 

he served as House majority leader in only his second term 

in the mid-1960s would name him at the millennium, the 

‘‘Alaskan of the Century.’’

The people of my State of Maine are especially grateful to 

Senator STEVENS for his landmark legislation that bears his 

name—the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 

Management Act—our Nation’s indispensable fisheries act, 

which was reauthorized this past January and signed into 

law. First as the chair, and now the ranking member on the 

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation subcommittee handling fisheries issues, I had the 

pleasure of working with full committee Chairman and now 

Ranking Member STEVENS throughout the process to help 

bring this bill to fruition. From the 300-year-old fishing villages in downeast Maine to remote Aleutian Island outposts, 

Senator STEVENS has always been bound by a commitment 

to sustain both fish and fishermen. 

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Through many Congresses, as both a chairman and ranking member, Senator STEVENS has spearheaded and done 

much to shepherd improvements in the largely uncharted 

world of telecommunications policy that have been historic 

and consequential, and which will reverberate for generations. On a personal note, I want to express my debt of enormous thanks to Senator STEVENS for his pivotal support in 

his universal service fund reform bill of the e-rate program 

which provides discounted telecommunications services to 

schools and libraries. Senator STEVENS has been a bulwark 

catalyst on this initiative, and, as we recently commemorated the 10th anniversary since its inception, I couldn’t help 

but recall with gratitude his crucial role in the wiring of 

schools in my State and across the country. 

It must also be noted that in an era of increasing partisanship, Senator STEVENS shares an unassailable bond with the 

senior Senator from Hawaii, a Democrat, Daniel Inouye, a 

friendship profoundly steeped in their mutual, heroic tours of 

duty in World War II, which continues to this day as a model 

example of collegiality, bipartisanship, and comity that transcends politics. 

This decorated Army Air Force pilot in the storied ‘‘Flying 

Tigers,’’ whose immense devotion to this land and its people 

extends across six decades, is not one to move to the side or 

step away when he is fighting for what he believes in or on 

behalf of his State or in defense of his country. That speaks 

volumes in explaining Senator STEVENS’ well-known trademark as he prepares to debate on the Senate floor and he 

dons his infamous tie emblazoned with the Marvel comic 

book character, the Incredible Hulk! 

With hallmark humor, strength, and aplomb, how could he 

approach his robust role any differently—a man whose larger-than-life tenure in the public arena reflects the enormity 

of his stunning and beloved Alaska, a State with a name 

that means literally ‘‘the object toward which the action of 

the sea is directed.’’ For more than a half century, the action 

of the sea of public policy has always found its way to this 

great American and still does because he welcomes it, 

thrives on it, and seizes upon it in the name of the Last 

Frontier State and to the benefit of our Nation. 

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FRIDAY, May 25, 2007 

Mr. BOND. Madam President, in April, TED STEVENS became the longest serving Republican Member of the U.S. 

Senate in our country’s 230-year history. I join my colleagues 

in congratulating the Senator and thanking him for his 

many years of service and our friendship. 

Much has already been said about Senator STEVENS’ sometimes grouchy and intimidating demeanor. But if we look 

past the Hulk ties, the scowling countenance, the vigorous 

defense of any and all attacks on Alaskan priorities, and the 

cowed staff who fear that they have fallen on the wrong side 

of our esteemed senior Senator, we see another, more compassionate side. 

When I first arrived in Washington, DC, in 1987, my son 

was entering first grade at the same time as TED’s beloved 

daughter. Sam and Lily became fast friends, and so did their 

parents. 

TED and Catherine were very close friends of ours and like 

godparents to Sam. Anyone who knows TED well knows how 

important his family is and the high value he places on his 

children and their friends. He is truly a most kind, gentle, 

and readily approachable father, uncle, and godfather. 

His concern about others’ children and family members is 

equally heartfelt. As he exercises his many leadership roles, 

Senator STEVENS is always willing to take our family obligations into account. He realizes how important it is to schedule time for our families in the chaotic, hectic life we lead 

in the U.S. Senate. 

In addition to the close personal friendship we have enjoyed with the STEVENS family, I have had the opportunity 

to work closely with Chairman STEVENS as a member of the 

Senate Appropriations Committee. 

As chairman, TED is solicitous of the concerns of even his 

most junior members. He is also a devoted friend of his partner—sometimes ranking member and sometimes chairman—

Senator Dan Inouye. 

While there is never any doubt that he and Senator Inouye 

control the Defense Appropriations call, Senator STEVENS is 

sensitive and receptive to the needs of other Members to the 

greatest extent possible. 

He is a very passionate defender of the Appropriations 

Committee, its prerogatives, and its responsibilities. Woe 

unto the person who attacks the appropriations process or 

the work that he does. One soon learns that such a position 

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is not one to be taken lightly. One had better be prepared 

for a bruising fight. 

As President pro tempore, he was a faithful and dedicated 

leader of the Senate. Now that he is—temporarily—out of 

that position, he continues a close working relationship with 

his good friend and colleague Senator Robert C. Byrd, the 

current President pro tempore. 

It is, indeed, an honor to have him as our leading senior 

Republican in the Senate. 

The Senator’s influence extends far beyond the Senate to 

Alaska, the Nation, and the world. 

Many of the accomplishments of the Senate over the last 

four decades bear the mark of TED STEVENS. He has been 

tireless in his leadership to secure a strong military—and 

has funded a strong personnel system, the most needed, upto-date equipment and the most promising research. The current strength and superiority of the U.S. Armed Forces is 

due in no small part to Senator STEVENS. 

He has also been a leader in the natural resources, transportation issues, and climate change issues important to all 

of America but that particularly affect his home State. 

TED is passionate about Alaska—its natural beauty, its 

people, its needs and its fishing. Many of us have enjoyed 

traveling to Alaska with Senator STEVENS and discovering 

first-hand the treasures it has to offer. 

The many roads, parks and buildings named for him are 

but a hint of all he has done for the State. His contributions 

are extensive and lasting, from improving the infrastructure 

to safeguarding the wildlife and natural resources Alaska 

has in abundance. 

Alaskans rightly dubbed the Senator the ‘‘Alaskan of the 

20th Century.’’ I am sure Senator STEVENS would remind us 

that he is not done yet. Odds are he is a favorite to be ‘‘Alaskan of the 21st Century’’ as well. 

It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to serve with 

TED STEVENS. I look forward to many more years of working 

together. 

Mr. MARTINEZ. Madam President, I wish to acknowledge 

an esteemed colleague and his long and storied service to the 

U.S. Senate. Senator TED STEVENS has given much to this 

great country of ours. Born in Indiana, he spent his college 

years in the West, his law school years in the East, and 

made significant contributions in a place far north of here. 

Yet he achieved much of this by heading south, to our Nation’s Capital. His career reflects his dedication not only to 

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Alaska but to all of America. He has touched every corner 

of this country—and beyond. Fighting in China during World 

War II, he served our Nation valiantly as a member of the 

Army Air Corps where he flew support missions for the Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force. Now, more than six decades 

later, he is still serving our country. 

Following work as an attorney in Alaska in the 1950s, TED

STEVENS headed for Washington to work for the Department 

of Interior under the administration of President Dwight D. 

Eisenhower. It is worth noting that it was President Eisenhower who signed Alaska into statehood in July 1958. Not 

too long after Alaska found statehood, he decided to return 

to the home he had made in the Last Frontier. Soon, he was 

serving in the State house of representatives—a body of 

which he became the majority leader in 1964. While he may 

have initially found his way to the U.S. Senate by virtue of 

appointment in 1968, he soon had the weight of his State’s 

voters behind him. 

Now serving his seventh term in office, Senator STEVENS

has been a reliable supporter of his home State’s interests 

and has supported our country in many of its most trying 

times. The institutional knowledge and wisdom which Senator STEVENS brings to the Senate benefits this body greatly. 

All of us appreciate his work and contributions to America. 

Be it as the former chairman of the Commerce Committee, 

the former chairman of the Appropriations Committee, a 

strong voice and dedicated member of the Homeland Security Committee or for his work on the Rules Committee—we 

thank him for his leadership, past and present. 

Congratulations to Senator STEVENS on becoming the longest serving Republican in Senate history. His more than 

14,000 days in this body are a remarkable testament to his 

hard work, staying power, and skills as a Senator. I know 

the people of Alaska appreciate all that he has done for them 

over these numerous decades. On behalf of my fellow Floridians, I thank Senator STEVENS for his service to America and 

to the Senate. 

MONDAY, June 4, 2007 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, last August, TED STEVENS and Dan Inouye led a bipartisan group of Senators to 

China for a parliamentary visit. Dan, of course, was accorded 

great respect because of his winning the Congressional 

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Medal of Honor during World War II. But it was TED STEVENS for whom the Chinese rolled out the red carpet. TED

had flown with the Flying Tigers. He flew the first plane to 

land in Beijing after World War II ended, and the top Chinese leaders had not forgotten. They made more time for our 

delegation than they had for any other recent group of American visitors. 

No one in our group, of course, was surprised to learn that 

TED STEVENS had flown risky missions and, for that bravery, 

earned two Distinguished Flying Crosses. TED still has the 

cockiness, adventuresome spirit and attitude that distinguish 

most pilots. And he has the love of country that permeates 

those who fought in World War II. We see both qualities 

every day in the Senate. 

For example, 2 years ago, when we were considering how 

to maneuver through five Senate committees legislation 

based on a National Academies report that would help America keep its brainpower advantage, TED was both unconcerned about committee prerogatives and impatient about 

getting the job done. ‘‘Let’s form a select committee,’’ he said 

many times. ‘‘You be the chairman of it.’’ He said this even 

though he was then the most senior Republican in the Senate and I was nearly the most junior. The Senate never 

formed that select committee, but TED made sure the legislation passed because he thought it was important for our 

country. 

I was Legislative Assistant to Senator Howard Baker in 

1968 when TED was appointed to the Senate. He hasn’t 

changed much in all that time, even though he is now the 

longest serving Republican Senator. In his first year, he was 

pushing amendments that would help Alaska Natives maintain their fishing rights. This year, he is still busy working 

on legislation creating additional rights for Alaska Natives. 

And in the 38 years between, he has snagged every dollar 

that comes within 50 feet for his Alaskan constituents—and 

some dollars that were farther away than that. 

TED STEVENS is, I would say, above all, an institutionalist 

in the U.S. Senate. In other words, he sees a unique role in 

our democracy for the Senate, and he is one of a handful 

here who is determined to respect that role and make it 

work. 

I suppose TED will have opposition when he runs for reelection in 2008. But, if he does, I wouldn’t want to be that 

person. Last week, walking side by side with him to vote, I 

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took the escalator when we got to the Capitol and TED literally ran up the stairs, two at a time. 

It would be hard to identify a ‘‘More Valuable Player’’ in 

the U.S. Senate than TED STEVENS. 

Mr. BUNNING. Mr. President, I would like to honor a colleague and a good friend, Senator TED STEVENS, for becoming the longest serving Republican Member of the Senate. I 

am honored to serve in the Senate with this great Republican. 

TED STEVENS’ career in public service began long before he 

became a U.S. Senator. He served in the U.S. Army Air 

Corps during World War II, practiced law in Alaska, worked 

in the Eisenhower administration, and served in the Alaska 

House of Representatives where he eventually became majority leader. He became U.S. Senator in 1968 and has served 

the State of Alaska in the Senate for over 38 years. His longstanding public service career truly demonstrates his devotion to this country. 

Just like his famous Hulk tie, TED has a bullish tenacity 

that has made him one of the most effective Members in the 

Senate. He is a stalwart representative for his State of Alaska. Representing a State over 4,000 miles from the Nation’s 

Capital, Senator STEVENS has sacrificed time with his six 

children and wife to serve in the Senate. Coming from a 

large family myself, I appreciate the strength and commitment his family has displayed over the years. 

During my trips to Alaska, I always leave impressed by 

the spectacular landscape and TED STEVENS’ hard work in 

his State. His work has helped many Alaskan towns receive 

clean running water and has enabled many children to receive a quality education. His persistence in the Senate also 

has provided Alaska with oil pipelines, which have brought 

tremendous revenue to Alaska and provided our Nation with 

a safe, domestic energy source. 

TED STEVENS’ work as a Senator has gone beyond the borders of Alaska. During his 35-year tenure on the Appropriations Committee, he has tirelessly persevered to keep America ready and prepared. He has ensured our troops have the 

good equipment, training, and pay they deserve. His efforts 

have also ensured funds for military research on some of our 

Nation’s most pressing diseases. 

I thank Senator TED STEVENS for his leadership and contributions to public service for the people of Alaska and all 

Americans. I honor him not only for his length of service but 

more important, his quality of service. I wish him and his 

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loved ones the best of health for many years to come, and I 

congratulate him on his outstanding achievement. 

Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, it is a great pleasure to offer 

my heartfelt congratulations to Senator TED STEVENS on becoming the longest serving Republican in Senate history. 

While this is a milestone to celebrate, the true cause for celebration is not TED STEVENS’ decades of service to his party 

or to this Chamber but his lifetime of service to our Nation. 

It is a record of service that began long before TED STEVENS came to the Senate nearly four decades ago, long before 

his contributions in the Alaska Legislature in the earliest 

days of statehood, long before he helped establish our 49th 

State at the Department of the Interior during President Eisenhower’s administration. At just 19 years of age, with his 

country under attack and freedom in jeopardy around the 

world, TED STEVENS joined the Army Air Corps in 1943, flying support missions for the legendary Flying Tigers. That 

courage to take the risks and that willingness to step forward to meet the challenges are the foundation of his character and of his service. 

I have been privileged to work alongside this Senator on 

the Homeland Security Committee. On every issue we confront, TED STEVENS demonstrates great knowledge and a 

total commitment to protecting our Nation and our people. 

Alaska and Maine are separated by a great many miles, 

but our two States have much in common, including spectacular scenery, and rugged, self-reliant people. Our States also 

share a connection to the sea that is central to our history 

and our future. From the Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act of 1976 to his work to better 

protect marine mammals, TED STEVENS demonstrates again 

and again a deep commitment to the hard-working people 

who sustain countless coastal communities and an abiding 

respect for the natural resources that bless us all. 

Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I would like to honor an esteemed colleague with whom I have had the privilege of serving in this body for the past 9 years. 

As many others have already observed, Senator STEVENS

is an institution in Alaska, the Senate, and in the United 

States. Our President pro tempore, already the longest serving Republican in the Senate, served our Nation heroically 

in World War II and worked previously in the Justice and 

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VENS was an instrumental part of bringing statehood to 

Alaska—the State of Alaska literally is partly his creation. 

Senator STEVENS and I share concerns about issues important to America but particular to the Pacific Northwest. Our 

States, with vast Federal land holdings, play a key role in 

energy resource exploration and development crucial to 

building viable and plentiful domestic energy supplies. We 

share views on ensuring local and State governments and 

communities have primacy in handling matters of direct impact on them. Both Idaho and Alaska are home to thriving 

indigenous populations, and we both work to ensure that 

they have their voices heard in Congress. 

Idaho and Alaska have other similar Pacific Northwest resource and environmental issues. Senator STEVENS shares 

my care for and attention to these issues. He is an advocate 

for work to restore salmon fisheries and rural community development. I have had the pleasure to work with him on promoting the Pacific Northwest Salmon Recovery Fund and 

drinking water infrastructure needs for rural Alaska. He is 

a tireless defender of the interests of Alaskans and one of 

the greatest tourism promotion resources for the State. 

I have always appreciated Senator STEVENS’ strong voice 

and steady leadership in the Senate. He has demonstrated 

an unwavering commitment to our military and against terrorism. He understands the enemies we face here and abroad 

and has spent many decades standing strong for his convictions, relentlessly pursuing funding for a strong military to 

defend our country and our heritage of liberty and freedom. 

I admire Senator STEVENS’ strong history of bipartisanship 

highlighted by his long friendship with the senior Senator 

from Hawaii, Mr. Inouye. Their working and interpersonal 

relationship stands as a testament to what can be accomplished when we set party bickering aside and focus on our 

jobs to which we were elected—helping America remain the 

envy of the world. 

We share an alma mater, and I am pleased to call him a 

colleague in the Senate. I am proud to honor the Senior Senator from Alaska, in his 39th year of public service as a Senator. Congratulations, and thank you for your service. 

Mr. ENSIGN. Mr. President, I wish to honor Senator TED

STEVENS of Alaska for becoming the longest serving Republican Member in the history of the U.S. Senate. Senator STEVENS is a true leader in the Senate. Whether he is making 

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tion’s communications laws, Senator STEVENS has always 

been a man of action. 

Service to the United States and to his home State of Alaska has been Senator STEVENS’ lifelong mission. To put his 

dedication to our country in perspective, Senator STEVENS

has been a public servant for longer than I have been alive. 

At no stage of his career has he ever shied away from confronting the challenging issues of the day. In 1943, at the 

age of 19, he left college to answer the call of his country. 

Flying transport planes over the Himalayas in support of the 

Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force, First Lieutenant STEVENS proved himself as a leader. In recognition for his service and bravery, he was awarded several medals, including 

two Distinguished Flying Crosses. 

Following the war, TED STEVENS returned to college where 

he received degrees from UCLA and Harvard Law School. In 

1953, he was appointed U.S. attorney for Fairbanks. Three 

years later, he moved to Washington, DC, to serve in the Department of the Interior for President Eisenhower. In 1964, 

TED STEVENS was elected to the Alaska House of Representatives, and during his second term in office, he became the 

majority leader. In 1968, he was appointed to fill Senator 

Bartlett’s seat in the U.S. Senate. In 1972, he was elected to 

serve a full term in that seat, and, as we know, the rest is 

history. 

During the last 38 years, Senator STEVENS has done more 

for the people of Alaska and the United States than most 

could fathom. Always willing to address challenging issues in 

a bipartisan fashion, Senator STEVENS stands by his principles and does what he thinks is right regardless of which 

side of the aisle agrees with him. He led the charge for Alaska’s statehood and has made remarkable contributions to the 

health and safety of the United States. As a testament to 

their belief in TED STEVENS’ leadership, the people of Alaska 

have elected, and reelected, Senator STEVENS—never by less 

than 67 percent of the vote in any election. 

When I came to Washington in 1994, it did not take me 

long to learn who TED STEVENS was and to admire him as 

a leader. When I joined the Senate 7 years ago, my admiration for Senator STEVENS grew. Who couldn’t admire a man 

who dons a Hulk tie when he prepares for large legislative 

battles? On a serious note, since 2001, Senator STEVENS and 

I have worked closely on a number of important issues. For 

example, in 2005 when Senator STEVENS became chairman 

of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 

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he recognized the need to address how to maintain U.S. competitiveness in today’s global economy. I was honored that he 

selected me to chair the Subcommittee on Technology, Innovation, and Competitiveness. Through the work of this subcommittee, Senator STEVENS, myself, and others developed 

bipartisan legislation to maintain and improve our country’s 

innovation in the 21st century. This legislation, the America 

COMPETES Act, recently passed the Senate by an overwhelming vote of 88 to 8. Senator STEVENS’ leadership on 

competitiveness legislation serves as a good reminder of how 

he has addressed important issues in a forward-thinking 

manner throughout his six decades of public service. 

Addressing the Nation’s competitiveness is just one example of Senator STEVENS’ innovative thinking. When he became chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

Transportation, Senator STEVENS recognized that our communications laws were grossly outdated. Through a series of 

hearings, listening sessions, and a desire for bipartisan cooperation, Senator STEVENS developed a bill that would have 

encouraged competition in the communications market and 

fostered an environment conducive to future innovation. Although this bill did not become law, I am proud to have 

worked with Senator STEVENS on this important piece of legislation. 

I greatly admire Senator STEVENS. He sets an example, for 

both Republicans and Democrats, of a successful Senator. He 

is a leader, a man of his word, and someone whom you know 

you can count on with nothing more than a handshake. I 

look forward to working with Senator STEVENS for many 

years to come and would like to congratulate him for a lifetime of accomplishments. 

Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, it is a pleasure to be a part of 

this celebration of Senator TED STEVENS’ service in the Senate. For those of us who know him, it is more than taking 

a moment to congratulate him as he becomes the longest 

serving Republican Senator in the history of the Senate. It 

is an opportunity to acknowledge all he has done to stand up 

for the State of Alaska. It is also a chance to take note of 

the example he provides of leadership and the way he has 

always put the needs of the people of Alaska at the very top 

of his work agenda in the Senate. That is why, in 2000, TED

was named the ‘‘Alaskan of the Century.’’

TED is a remarkable guy, and I don’t think any Senator is 

more tied to the day-to-day life of the States we represent 

and the hearts of the people back home than he is. There are 

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a lot of reasons for that, not the least of which is the certainty Alaskans have that the needs of their State are in 

good hands because TED STEVENS is championing their 

cause. 

TED is one of our great environmentalists and it is a philosophy he puts into practice every day in thought, word, and 

deed. Whenever I think of him, I think of all he has done 

and continues to do to protect and preserve the natural 

beauty of Alaska. It is a wonderful State that I have been 

privileged to visit at TED’s invitation. I have always said that 

God saved some of his best handiwork for Wyoming. Having 

seen Alaska, I think he did a good job there too. 

If you ask me and those who have come to know him 

through the years, we will tell you that TED is a man of action. He says what he means and he means what he says. 

He works hard for the things he believes in, and in the end, 

I don’t think anyone is better at getting results. That is because TED knows it is a lot more important to get things 

done than to get them said. You won’t find him content to 

just give speeches. After all is said, and said with great 

force, TED puts his time and effort where his mouth is as he 

rolls up his sleeves and gets to work. 

TED not only knows and loves the terrain of Alaska, he 

loves showing it off too. That is why he puts so much of himself into promoting the Kenai Tournament. This great Alaskan tournament gives all who take part a chance to enjoy 

the fantastic fishing of Alaska, but it is also a great fundraiser that helps provide the funds that are needed to restore 

and improve the habitat of the salmon in Alaska. 

Here in the Senate, TED has also worked quietly on many 

bills that were drafted to preserve wild salmon. Whether it 

is protecting his home State on the floor or promoting it here 

and back home, TED STEVENS is the voice of Alaska. 

Another thing Wyoming and Alaska share is our rural environment. TED understands the unique needs of rural life 

better than any Senator I know, and he has been a tireless 

worker on transportation and communication issues. He 

worked hard to preserve universal service so people in both 

our States would have phone service at a reasonable rate. 

That effort meant a great deal not only to the people of our 

States but to those who live in other rural areas across the 

United States as well. 

As I have come to know TED, I have developed a great appreciation for his ability to pick up on the nuances and details of the issues we take up on the Senate floor. He is a 

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fast study, and he is not afraid of any issue, no matter how 

complicated and complex it is. 

Another thing we all think of whenever we think of TED

is that distinctive voice of his. His voice has the same power 

that his words bring to the debate, and it is that unique way 

of speaking of his that gets everyone’s attention and usually 

their agreement too. 

Through his years in the Senate, TED has compiled an incredible record for the people of his State. He has won the 

hearts of Alaskans, and on election day, people from all over 

the State make it a point to vote for him. He is not just their 

Senator, he is also a bit of a superhero, too. 

Speaking of superheroes, which are near and dear to TED’s 

heart, in the comics, whenever Dr. Banner faces a difficult 

challenge that requires superpowers, he turns into the Incredible Hulk. On the Senate floor, if the Incredible Hulk 

faced a challenge that required superpowers of persuasion 

and reason, he would probably turn into TED STEVENS. 

Congratulations, TED. We are proud of the record you have 

established in the Senate. Thank you for your leadership, the 

unique strengths and abilities you bring to our work, and 

most of all, thank you for the gift of your friendship. 

Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President. I am very pleased to help 

recognize Senator TED STEVENS as the longest serving Republican in the history of the U.S. Senate. Senator STEVENS

has represented the Last Frontier for nearly 40 years, during 

which he has become one of the most respected lawmakers 

and gentlemen in Congress. For a large majority of his time 

in Congress, Senator STEVENS served with my predecessor, 

the late Senator Strom Thurmond, the Senate’s previous 

longest serving Republican. Now that the record is broken, 

I am certain Senator Thurmond would be pleased to know 

his good friend, TED STEVENS, will carry on the great tradition of service to our Nation. I am honored to serve alongside 

Senator STEVENS and congratulate him on this momentous 

occasion. 

Mrs. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I wish today to congratulate Senator TED STEVENS on becoming the longest 

serving Republican Senator in U.S. history. Senator STEVENS

has served in the Senate for over 38 years, and this milestone is a lasting tribute to his outstanding record for the 

people of Alaska and for the people of America. On a personal note, I have always enjoyed working with Senator STEVENS, and it has been a true privilege to collaborate with 

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him on some of the most important issues facing our great 

Nation—including energy, health care, and national defense. 

Senator STEVENS’ service to the United States didn’t begin 

when he stepped inside this Chamber; rather, his service 

began decades earlier—during some of the most harrowing 

days of World War II. 

Senator STEVENS was part of the ‘‘greatest generation’’

who fought and won that global struggle for freedom—flying 

a C–47 in the China/Burma/India theater. Incredibly, over 

1,000 of Senator STEVENS’ fellow airmen died ‘‘flying the 

hump’’ and elsewhere in the Chinese/Burma/India theater—

a sobering reminder of the high price of freedom. For his heroic efforts, Senator STEVENS later received two Distinguished Flying Crosses and two Air Medals, as well as the 

Yuan Hai Medal awarded by the Republic of China. 

After the war, Senator STEVENS completed his education at 

UCLA and Harvard Law School and then moved to Alaska, 

which was then a U.S. territory. In the city of Fairbanks, 

Senator STEVENS practiced law for several years, until he 

came to Washington, DC, to serve in the Eisenhower administration and also to lobby for Alaska’s admittance into the 

Union—a mission that succeeded in 1959. 

When Senator STEVENS returned to Alaska, he ran for—

and won—a seat in the Alaska House of Representatives and 

later became House majority leader. Then, in December 

1968, Governor Walter J. Hickel appointed him to fill a vacancy in the U.S. Senate. In 1970, the voters of Alaska ratified that choice by electing Senator STEVENS to finish that 

term in a special election and then reelecting him six more 

times, always by overwhelming margins. 

Senator STEVENS’ achievements are legendary in this 

Chamber—including, but not limited to, chairman of the 

Senate Rules Committee, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate—putting him third in line for the Presidency from January 2003 to January 2007. For his many decades of service, 

Senator STEVENS has received and accepted numerous honors—including having the Anchorage International Airport 

named after him. Our entire country has been enriched and 

improved by his hard work, dedication, and leadership. 

I say this not as a distant observer but as an up-close witness to his achievements. Back in 1993, when I first arrived 

in the U.S. Senate, I was one of only seven female Senators, 

and if the Senate was a men’s club, then the Appropriations 

Committee was its inner sanctum. There was not a single 

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woman on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, but 

that is where I wanted to serve. 

I explained to Senator STEVENS—who was then the ranking member of the committee—that Texas has more Army 

soldiers than any other State, more Air Force air men and 

women stationed in Texas than any other State, and our defense industry builds everything from fighter aircraft to 

Army trucks to artillery systems to sophisticated electronics 

equipment for the Pentagon. Therefore, it was absolutely essential that a Senator from Texas serve on that committee. 

After some careful thought, Senator STEVENS agreed and 

welcomed me to the committee. Since that time, he has been 

a valuable mentor to me—not to mention a passionate advocate for Alaska and America. 

And when I say passion, I really do mean passion. Senator 

STEVENS has been known to show dramatic performances on 

the Senate floor, keeping wandering eyes focused on the urgent issues that need to be addressed. One day, during a 

markup in the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator 

STEVENS, who chaired the committee at the time, grew very 

animated and laid down the law. When a frustrated senior 

Senator told Senator STEVENS that ‘‘there was no reason to 

lose your temper,’’ Senator STEVENS glared back and responded, ‘‘I never lose my temper. I always know exactly 

where I left it.’’

But if Senator STEVENS has a temper, he also has a compassionate heart. I will never forget when a group of 

protestors gathered outside of the Appropriations Committee 

conference to demand increased funding for breast cancer research. 

One particularly agitated advocate got in Senator STEVENS’ face and said, ‘‘If men were dying of breast cancer, you 

wouldn’t think twice about increasing the funding.’’ Needless 

to say, those words made quite an impact on Senator STEVENS, but probably not what this advocate anticipated. 

When Senator STEVENS walked back into the conference, 

he repeated the charge and then looked around at his mostly 

male colleagues. He knew that at least six of them suffered 

from prostate cancer. He also noticed that the bill they were 

considering didn’t fund prostate cancer research. But thanks 

to the excellent suggestion of the woman in the hallway, he 

was going to advocate breast cancer research and prostate 

cancer research. Senator STEVENS was determined to become 

a leader on these issues, and over time, that is certainly 

what he has become. 

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For all of these reasons, and many more, it has been a 

true honor to serve with Senator STEVENS. I congratulate 

him once again on becoming the longest serving Republican 

Senator in U.S. history. I look forward to serving with him 

for years to come. 

Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, Senate colleagues of Senator 

TED STEVENS are grateful that a remarkable U.S. Senate 

historical landmark provides us an opportunity to honor one 

of the greatest Senators in history as he continues to supply 

vigorous and significant leadership for our country. 

We recognize, today, that TED STEVENS has served longer 

than any other Republican Party Senator, and that record 

for longevity of service will continue to mount with each new 

day of Senate history. 

I would like to believe that the early schooling of TED STEVENS at Public School No. 84 in Indianapolis was a strong 

foundation for his later success. I enjoyed School No. 84 for 

2 years, a few years after TED had progressed. 

Our lives came together again in 1976 when TED chaired 

the National Republican Senatorial Committee and I was the 

Indiana Republican candidate against a three-term incumbent. 

Under TED’s leadership, Jack Danforth, John Heinz, Jack 

Schmitt, Malcolm Wallop, Sam Hayakawa, John Chafee, 

Orrin Hatch, and I were elected: a class of eight freshmen 

Republican Senators. The overall Senate count after the 

1976 election was 61 Democrats, 38 Republicans, and Independent Senator Harry Byrd, thus highlighting TED’s recruitment achievement. 

But times changed, and Howard Baker became majority 

leader after the Republican majority was established in the 

1980 election. When Howard retired 4 years later, five Republicans sought the majority leader position in an election 

procedure requiring the candidate with the lowest vote to retire after each ballot. Senators Jim McClure, Pete Domenici, 

and I retired in that order before Bob Dole, another Senate 

lion, defeated TED STEVENS in a close vote. 

All of us rejoiced when the GOP won a Senate majority 

again and Senator STEVENS became President pro tempore of 

the Senate. In this role, he became even more vigorous in 

boosting the Senate’s institutional role and in underlying the 

responsibilities of each Senator. 

Throughout his unfailing attention to overall Senate duties, TED has been a Senator for Alaska on every day of 

every year. His legislative achievements that have boosted 

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Alaska are legendary and continue during each appropriations cycle. 

Alaskans recognized Senator STEVENS as the most prominent Alaskan of the 20th century in a poll taken in his State. 

He also led Alaskan and U.S. Senate attention to the interests Alaska and the United States have in the Pacific 

Ocean and in prominent Pacific rim countries such as China, 

Japan, and Russia. 

I have been privileged to attend Aspen Institute conferences with TED and to participate in legislative meetings 

with Chinese delegates that he has organized in Washington. 

He has long been an advocate for health and physical fitness. This encourages his friends to observe that he has the 

opportunity to serve with us for many years to come. 

I thank my good friend, Senator TED STEVENS, for his personal thoughtfulness and for so many great experiences, together, during his recordbreaking tenure in the Senate. I 

look forward to many new opportunities to be with him and 

to work with him for the benefit of our country. 

Mr. SHELBY. Mr. President, I rise to honor a distinguished colleague, Senator TED STEVENS, who is celebrating 

a major milestone—today becoming the longest serving Republican in Senate history. 

Appointed to the U.S. Senate in 1968 and elected to finish 

out the term 2 years later, STEVENS has since been reelected 

to the Senate six times, never receiving less than 67 percent 

of the vote in any election. 

During his 38 years in the U.S. Senate, Senator STEVENS

has been chairman of four full committees and two select 

committees, assistant Republican whip, President pro tempore, and President pro tempore emeritus. 

As one of the most effective Senators, Senator STEVENS

has been an ardent supporter of our national defense, serving as either chairman or ranking member of the Defense 

Appropriations Subcommittee since 1980. A champion of our 

Armed Forces, he has ensured that our service members 

have the equipment, training, and pay necessary to be prepared to take on those who threaten our national security. 

Mr. President, I congratulate Senator STEVENS on reaching 

this historic milestone today. I am honored to call Senator 

TED STEVENS my colleague but prouder to call him my 

friend. 

Mr. VITTER. Mr. President, I rise today to acknowledge a 

man who has dedicated almost 40 years of his life to the 

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service of his constituency. Senator TED STEVENS was appointed to represent Alaska in the Senate in 1968 and has 

done so in a way that the citizens of his State have reelected 

him six times since. Senator STEVENS is currently the longest serving Senator in the history of our party and a steadfast representative for Alaskan conservative values. 

As a young man Senator STEVENS served his country honorably during World War II. A member of the 322d Squadron, which flew support missions for the Flying Tigers of the 

Army Air Corps’ 14th Air Force, he is also twice a recipient 

of the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism in aerial 

combat. Senator STEVENS is in excellent company as the first 

recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross was Captain 

Charles A. Lindbergh, who also set a few records in his own 

time. 

I am especially thankful for the work Senator STEVENS has 

done to help aid the people of Louisiana. Through his position as chairman in the last Congress and currently vice 

chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee he has worked tirelessly on important legislation to our State. Especially noteworthy are the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Reauthorization Act, which included provisions dedicated to the 

aid of the fishing industry in Louisiana following Hurricanes 

Katrina and Rita, and his essential support of legislation to 

get Louisiana its fair share of Outer Continental Shelf oil 

and gas revenues. 

It has been an extraordinary experience to work with as 

accomplished a legislator as Senator STEVENS in my time in 

the Senate. I thank him for his service to the citizens of this 

great country. 

Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about 

my long-time great friend, advisor, and colleague, Senator 

TED STEVENS of Alaska, who just became the longest serving 

Republican Senator in the 218-year history of the U.S. Senate. 

I have worked with Senator STEVENS on a wide array of 

matters, but none more closely than national security and 

defense issues. Senator STEVENS and Senator Inouye exemplify that extraordinary group of veterans, largely of World 

War II distinction and experience, who led the Senate I 

joined 28 years ago. They found the time to teach the new 

Senators, inspiring them to gain the experience to someday 

take their places of responsibility in the Senate. I owe a 

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great deal of gratitude to that generation, and particularly to 

TED. 

He has loyally served the men and women of the Armed 

Forces throughout his long Senate career, particularly 

through his leadership positions on the Senate Appropriations Committee. 

My good friend has compiled a remarkable record on national security, ranging from complex issues of global strategy all the way down to the very basic pay and quality of life 

issues for the men and women in uniform and their families. 

His own distinguished record in World War II as an aviator 

provides special insights into military matters. 

Military matters, however, are not the only field in which 

the senior Senator from Alaska has invested his time and 

passion. Senator STEVENS has also fought hard to find ways 

to meet America’s energy needs, offering the extraordinary 

resources of his own State to meet these demands. I think 

back time and time again when Senator STEVENS has taken 

to the Senate floor urging his colleagues to fully address 

America’s demand for energy. Dressed in his trademark 

‘‘Hulk’’ tie, he was a sight to behold and quite a force to reckon with. If only Congress had listened to Mr. STEVENS a decade or two ago, not just limited to Alaska issues, but toward 

a broad world view on energy, America might not be so dependent on foreign oil today. 

Senator STEVENS truly loves Alaska. I remember one codel 

trip in particular. A few years back, Senator STEVENS had 

escorted a small group of Senators, making stops along the 

way, up to Prudhoe Bay, one of the closest points to the Arctic. Senator Symms, our former colleague from Idaho, and I 

decided we had enough learning for the day. So, unwisely, 

we chose to play hooky and dashed from the group for an impromptu plunge in the frigid waters of Prudhoe Bay while 

the other Senators looked on in disbelief. We were quite a 

sight as we crawled ashore frozen to the bone. 

Despite this experience, I am proud to say that Senator 

STEVENS hasn’t held my rowdiness against me, as he has invited me back to Alaska over the years. 

TED STEVENS is not only a great champion for Alaska, 

American energy, and our Nation’s armed forces, but he is 

also a champion of the Senate. One of the most lasting legacies he has had on this special body, and one of the legacies 

he has imparted on me, is his remarkable record of work 

with new Senators from both sides of the aisle. Throughout 

many years, Senator STEVENS has voluntarily stepped forVerDate jan 13 2004 10:11 Nov 30, 2007 Jkt 035395 PO 00000 Frm 00066 Fmt 6688 Sfmt 6688 C:\DOCS\STEVENS\35395.TXT CRS1 PsN: SKAYNE
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ward to counsel new colleagues about the history and intricacies of the legislative process in the Senate. 

I am particularly indebted to him for helping me. Therefore, Mr. President, it is my honor and privilege to today congratulate my good friend, Senator TED STEVENS, on becoming the longest serving Republican in the Senate. Carry on, 

dear friend. 

TUESDAY, June 5, 2007 

Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I rise to join in this body’s 

hearty congratulations to our colleague from Alaska, Mr. 

STEVENS, as the longest serving Republican Senator. The remarkable thing about TED STEVENS is not the number of 

years he has served but the amount of service he has put 

into those years. 

The Founders did a unique thing when they created the 

Senate. They knew that democracy should both let the majority rule most of the time but also protect minority viewpoints from the tyranny of the majority. They created a 

House of Representatives based on proportional representation. Meanwhile, in the Senate, they gave every State, large 

and small, exactly two votes. They then went a step further, 

and created the Senate as a body that operates by consensus. 

The result is a place where one person with a good idea can 

impact the entire body. 

TED STEVENS is a living embodiment of the wisdom of our 

Founding Fathers. He is precisely the kind of Senator they 

hoped for: forceful, persevering, principled and indefatigably 

devoted to his State’s interests. 

Alaska is a unique State and Senator STEVENS reflects its 

style and unlimited potential exceptionally. In every aspect, 

Alaska is a long, long way from Washington, DC, and its unusual bureaucratic culture. We all benefit from the independent, self-reliant spirit of Alaska that the Senator brings, 

reminding us of the pioneer heritage of the West. I am personally appreciative of the Senator’s hospitality when visiting in his home State. I thought we had ‘‘wide open spaces’’

in Minnesota, but Alaska’s are certainly both wider and 

more open. 

When President Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State, 

William Seward, finalized the purchase of Alaska, it was 

thought to be a folly. How blessed we all are as Americans 

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to have its abundant wilderness and natural resources as 

part of our national experience. 

I have found that when people want to learn something 

really important, they prefer an example to an explanation. 

As I have tried to learn my way around this institution, Senator STEVENS has been a role model, an example, and a 

friend. I thank him for his kindness. 

But even more I thank him for his service which has made 

this Nation safer, stronger and freer for all. He makes his 

great State and all his colleagues proud to say they know 

TED STEVENS. 

Æ