Thomas Daschle: “this morning, several of our colleagues are traveling to Lowell, MA to say goodbye to one of our own, Senator Paul…”

“this morning, several of our colleagues are traveling to Lowell, MA to say goodbye to one of our own, Senator Paul Tsongas. They carry with them the thoughts and prayers of every Senator. Whether or not we knew him personally, whether we served in this Chamber with him or came after him, we are all indebted to Paul Tsongas for the lessons he taught us in his too brief time here, and his too brief life. Paul Tsongas taught us important lessons about how to balance compassion and fiscal reality. He taught us, by example, how to reach beyond party labels to something bigger. He taught us about how to live with purpose. And, in the end, he taught us something about how to die with dignity. Paul Tsongas was the son of immigrants. His parents owned a dry-cleaning shop in Lowell, MA. Paul Tsongas spent every afternoon and every Saturday working behind the counter in his family's business. It was there, he said, that he learned the dignity of work. Like many Americans of his generation, Paul Tsongas answered President Kennedy's call to join the Peace Corps. His experience in Ethiopia first sparked his interest in public service. He was elected to the House in 1974 and to the Senate in 1978. He was a young man when he came here, only 38 years old. His disciplined yet open mind and his capacity for original thought brought him deserved attention quickly. Paul Tsongas was a man of ideas and vision. He was a man of good humor who wasn't afraid to laugh at himself.”