On the recordSeptember 28, 2010
It is, of course, with sorrow that I rise to offer these words on the tragic passing of Senator Stevens, but it is also with a sense of gratitude and fondness that I remember him and that I celebrate his dedicated service to our Nation, to his beloved State, and to the Senate. My thoughts and prayers remain with the Stevens family and with the families of the others who perished in that heartbreaking accident. In 1999, Senator Stevens was named 'Alaskan of the Century.' It was a fitting tribute to a man who, though not Alaskan by birth, became one with every ounce of his spirit, energy, and determination. In 1953, with his heroic military service behind him and fresh out of law school, he drove from Washington, DC, to Fairbanks, AK, in the middle of the winter to begin his first job in his new profession.
