Frank Lautenberg: “this is not my regular seat in the Senate, but I came here to stand near the place that Senator Robert C. Byrd occupied.…”

“this is not my regular seat in the Senate, but I came here to stand near the place that Senator Robert C. Byrd occupied. His absence is noted by the flowers and the black cloth that covers his desk. There is so much to say about Robert C. Byrd that to have a serious discussion about who and what he was would take far more time than we have available. He was an unusual man, brilliant, genius, credited with encyclopedic knowledge. When I came to the Senate in 1983, I was not a young man. I am now an older man. When I came, I wanted to meet Senator Byrd. I came from the business world. I was chairman and CEO of a significant corporation that carried substantial esteem and respect for the record compiled by the three of us boys from poor working-class families in Paterson, NJ, an industrial city that had its origins as an industrial place at the time of Alexander Hamilton. I was privileged to meet a lot of people who could be described as lofty and holding positions of importance. When I went in to Senator Byrd's office to introduce myself--I had met him a couple of times before I was elected to the Senate seat from New Jersey--it was with great awe and respect that I sat in front of this individual who had given so much to our country, who taxed our wits and made us think more deeply about our responsibilities than sometimes we have. He was a tower of knowledge and strength. I introduced myself to him, and we had a nice chat for a while.…”