William Helms: “Trying to capture the essence of Strom Thurmond in a relatively few words of tribute is impossible. Who can adequately…”

“Trying to capture the essence of Strom Thurmond in a relatively few words of tribute is impossible. Who can adequately describe his firm handshake, his unmistakable South Carolina cadence, or his almost superhuman capacity for work? How to convey the explosive energy Strom Thurmond has carried anytime he walks into a room? The sheer breadth of experience Strom Thurmond brings to the Senate boggles the mind: Born in 1902, he served South Carolina as State Senator, as a Circuit Judge, as Governor and as U.S. Senator. He voted for Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932, and more than fifty years later, voted for Ronald Reagan in 1984. He ran for President against Harry Truman in 1948 and actively participated in Bill Clinton's impeachment trial in 1999. When the Army told him he was too old to fight in World War II, he managed to obtain an age waiver, an age waiver, to participate in the fighting. Then, in typical Strom Thurmond fashion, he landed with the 82nd Airborne Division in Normandy on D-Day.”