Daniel Inouye: “since taking my oath of office in January of 1963, I have had the high privilege of serving with 323 senators. Among…”

“since taking my oath of office in January of 1963, I have had the high privilege of serving with 323 senators. Among them were some of the giants we read about in history books, Richard Russell of Georgia, Everett Dirksen of Illinois, Mike Mansfield of Montana, and John Stennis of Mississippi. I have served with men and women of great moral strength and high intellect, but, of the 323 senators, I shall always look upon one person as my ``best friend''--Senator Wendell Ford. How does one become a best friend of a stranger? I had some knowledge of Wendell before he was elected, because I was then a member of the Senate Campaign Committee and serving as the Secretary of the Democratic Caucus. I knew that he was a former State Senator, Lieutenant Governor, and the 49th Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky before he was elected to the Senate. I also knew that he was one of the most popular Presidents of the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce. When I first met Wendell in early 1974, I immediately liked what I saw. I could see that he was ``truth in packaging'' personified. There were no fancy frills, or bells, or ribbons around him. He was down to earth. He obviously loved his constituents and without question, understood them. Immediately, I concluded that he was a ``man of the people.''”