Chris Dodd: “I rise to speak of my father, for it was on this day, May 15, 1907, 100 years ago, that my father was born. I have two…”

“I rise to speak of my father, for it was on this day, May 15, 1907, 100 years ago, that my father was born. I have two young daughters, Grace and Christina. They never knew their grandfather. For my girls, he is a painting that hangs in my office, photos in our home, or stories over dinner. I try to explain, as parents and grandparents do, what their grandfather meant to me, who he was, what he did. I must say, it is hard to find the words. Some of my father's 12 grandchildren were lucky enough to know him. Even so, memory fades; but on this day, his 100th birthday, I wish to call up his memory as a gift to you, his grandchildren, and 17 great-grandchildren. Like so many of his generation, born in the early years of the last century, my father, Thomas Dodd, had to overcome hardships--the death of his mother at an early age, the collapse of his father's business, the Depression years. Yet so much like his generation, hard jolts and trying experiences transformed and molded a man who would make a significant contribution to his country and our world.”