On the recordApril 17, 2024
Last night the Sunshine State lost a brilliant statesman who loved Florida and all of her people. With the sad passing of our beloved Bob Graham, our entire Nation lost a proud world citizen, a dedicated American patriot, and a devout public servant. A true son of Florida, Graham rose to serve in our Governor's mansion and three terms as a United States Senator. Despite that august resume, Bob Graham was, at heart, a man of the very people he represented. In his first campaign for Governor, Graham pledged to put in 8-hour days working the same tough but rewarding work that Floridians do every day to make our State so strong. He paved roads, delivered luggage in hotels, taught school, and picked tomatoes. True to his word, Graham completed over 400 of these workdays so he could touch, see, and feel the challenges and triumphs of the neighbors he so proudly represented. As Governor, he led our most ambitious program ever to boost education, notably improving our State universities. Like me, he was a proud University of Florida Gator. Today, Bob Graham can look down with pride on his alma mater and the university system that he helped ensure rivals the best in the Nation. His love and dedication to education was passed on to so many in our State and, thankfully, to his own daughter, Gwen. Fittingly, Gwen Graham, our former congressional colleague, now serves in the U.S. Department of Education.…





