Cord Byrd: “I am delighted to extend, even though belatedly, happy birthday greetings to the senior Senator from Maryland, Mr.…”

“I am delighted to extend, even though belatedly, happy birthday greetings to the senior Senator from Maryland, Mr. Sarbanes. His birthday was on February 3, so he has now reached the grand age of 69. Oh, to be 69 again! Let me say that Senator Sarbanes and I have more differences than just our ages. He is of Greek ancestry, and proud of it. I am of southern and Appalachian ancestry, and beyond that, going back through the years of time and change, of Anglo-Saxon ancestry, and I am proud of that. He is a member of the Greek Orthodox Church. I am a member of the Southern Missionary Baptist Church. He is from the Chesapeake region of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I am from the coalfields of southern West Virginia. His career began by waiting on tables, washing dishes, and mopping floors in the Mayflower Grill in downtown Salisbury, MD. Mine began by working in a gas station in the cold winter of January and February 1935, having to walk 4 miles to work and 4 miles back, and earning $50 a month, $600 a year. But, Mr. President, Senator Sarbanes and I share many common interests. One of these common interests that Senator Sarbanes and I share is our love for the Senate. And I have always appreciated that in Senator Sarbanes' career. I have observed Senator Sarbanes since he was first elected to the Senate in 1976--200 years after that historic year of 1776. I have admired the rational way that this perfectly reasonable man has always gone about his business.”