Joseph T. Burns: “As I look across this Chamber and I notice the black pall and the flowers that grace the desk of Senator Chafee, my…”

“As I look across this Chamber and I notice the black pall and the flowers that grace the desk of Senator Chafee, my memory is triggered to the first time I ever met him. When I first ran for the Senate back in 1988, he called me up. I was going through this agonizing process of making the decision whether to stand for election to the Senate. I received a call from Senator Chafee inviting me to a gathering of prospective candidates at Williamsburg, VA. I accepted that invitation. I met for the first time this giant of a man from Rhode Island. I do not use the term 'giant' loosely. He has not diminished. This was the impression he made on me at our first meeting, and over the years that has been the lasting impression. In our daily work here in the Senate, did we agree on everything? No. Did I have a true understanding of his constituency in his State? No. Nor did he of mine. So we did not agree on everything, nor should we. Men of substance do not need to agree but be men of honesty, of civility, and of integrity.”