Cord Byrd: “as we here in the Senate complete our work in the waning days of the 104th Congress, I would like to take just a few…”

“as we here in the Senate complete our work in the waning days of the 104th Congress, I would like to take just a few minutes now to note the retirement of Senator Paul Simon, one of the finest public servants it has been my privilege to know. Although Senator Simon is leaving us at the conclusion of only his second term, his accomplishments and his work in the Senate are representative of those who have served far more years. Anyone who knew Paul Simon as a young man must have known that this was someone who was going somewhere, was going to go beyond the norm, someone who was going to succeed despite his modest beginnings. Consider, for example, that at the tender age of 19, an age when few young men possess the maturity and the passion necessary for such an undertaking, Senator Simon began his career when he bought the Troy Tribune in Troy, IL, thus becoming the youngest editor-publisher in the Nation. There he made a name for himself by leading a crusade against local crime figures and machine politicians.”