Haley Stevens: “I join those who honor my great friend, our great friend, the Senator from West Virginia. This has been a tradition.…”

“I join those who honor my great friend, our great friend, the Senator from West Virginia. This has been a tradition. Each time a Senator has reached the position where he has served longer than anyone else before, we have had tributes such as this. It is my honor to be here with my good friend today. Having known Carl Hayden and Strom Thurmond, both of whom have the distinction that Senator Byrd has had in my lifetime and my service in the Senate, I believe he joins a small but distinguished group of dedicated public servants, people who have devoted their lives to serving our country. I had the honor of being the whip for 8 years, 4 years in the minority and 4 years in the majority. I remember so well what I called the Byrd history lessons. Maybe Senator Byrd didn't call them that, but each evening in those days Senator Byrd would come to the floor and give another statement about the history of the Senate. I believe those became the framework for the volumes he has written on the history of the Senate. I didn't need to read them; I listened to them. As a matter of fact, I think I listened to every one the Senator made because the then majority leader, Howard Baker, would say to me: Teddy, it is your turn. I would be in the chair listening to Senator Byrd. Winston Churchill once said: We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give. I don't know anyone in my lifetime that I would say has given so much as Senator Byrd.…”