Jeff Bingaman: “I rise to speak about a great American who has inspired me and countless others with his leadership and commitment to…”

“I rise to speak about a great American who has inspired me and countless others with his leadership and commitment to public service. That great American is Stewart Udall. At the outset, I extend my condolences to my friend and colleague, Stewart's son, Tom Udall, and his wife Jill; his nephew, my friend and colleague, Mark Udall, and his wife Maggie; and all the Udall family for this enormous loss. In several conversations I had with Stewart in recent years, it was clear that Tom's own exemplary public service and I'm sure Mark's as well, were a source of great pride for him. Stewart Udall is best known for his lifetime of service in preservation of our public lands. His accomplishments as Secretary of the Interior under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson are legendary. Those accomplishments were recounted yesterday in the New York Times. It said: . . . he presided over the acquisition of 3.85 million acres of new holdings, including four national parks Canyonlands in Utah, Redwood in California, North Cascades in Washington, and Guadalupe Mountains in Texas--six national monuments, nine national recreation areas, twenty historic sites, fifty wildlife refuges and eight national seashores.”