Gordon H. Smith

Madam President, I thank my leader, Mitch McConnell. Winston Churchill observed that ``Democracy is not always a polite employer.'' That is the case in my reelection effort. Yet I feel nothing but gratitude to the people of my State.

I acknowledge the wisdom of the people of Kentucky in your reelection and of the wisdom of my colleagues for electing you again as our leader. You are an articulate advocate for causes that I think are important for America not to forget in the coming days. It is one of the high privileges of my life that I have been able to serve with you as a friend and as a colleague.

I thank you and I thank my Senate family, without respect to party, for the help that was given to Sharon and me at the most painful time of our lives--to find additional meaning in the life of our son by helping the sons and daughters of others. I hope and pray that my Senate colleagues, while I am gone, will not forget those who struggle with mental illness. I am so proud of Senator Domenici, Senator Kennedy, and others who championed mental health parity. It has been a privilege to be on their team in this cause. It is a silent cause. It is one that does not get a lot of ink or much attention because America is still opening its mind to this important area of medicine. But we have blazed a new trail, and much of it was because of your leadership, sir.

For the privilege of serving with you, of serving my State, of serving with these colleagues here, I thank God and I thank the State of Oregon and I say God bless America.

Madam President, I rise today to congratulate a young man who has not only achieved beyond his years but has also advanced the state of the art of solar power technology. William Yuan of Beaverton, OR, is a seventh grader at Meadow Park Middle School whose achievements are both jaw-dropping and important.

Recently, William earned a $25,000 scholarship from the Davidson Institute and became a Davidson Fellow for his work in renewable energy research. William's project, ``A Highly-Efficient 3-Dimensional Nanotube Solar Cell for Visible and UV Light,'' featured a novel solar panel that enables light absorption from visible to ultraviolet light. The carbon nanotubes William designed can overcome the barriers of electron movement, doubling the light-electricity conversion efficiency. His optimized design provides 500 times more light absorption than commercially available solar cells and nine times more than the cutting-edge, three-dimensional solar cell.

Given the current energy crisis, everyone must pitch in to reduce our dependence on oil consumption. In Congress and in the private sector, we are working to facilitate advancements in renewable energies. However, we cannot be successful without brilliant minds like William's.

Winning the Davidson scholarship is far from William's only achievement. This year alone, William won second place at the Northwest Science Expo, Best Engineering Project at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and second place at the Oregon Chess for Success State Tournament. The list goes on. Last year, William also received a junior black belt pum certification from the World Taekwondo Headquarters in Seoul, Korea. He has also received a number of awards from various Intel Oregon competitions and First Place in Oregon in the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth Talent Search in both quantitative and verbal sections.

At 12 years old, William is only just getting started. He intends to continue his research in renewable energy and eventually select a major for his college study toward a Ph.D. degree. John F. Kennedy once said:

Our nation's first great leaders were also our first great

scholars.

I look forward to watching William progress as a scholar and a leader.

Madam President, the late Oregon Governor Tom McCall once said:

Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They

are individuals who say, ``This is my community and it is my

responsibility to make it better.''

The community of Eugene and the entire State of Oregon lost a true hero 2 weeks ago with the untimely passing of Randy Pape. I have had the privilege of dealing with countless community leaders during my 12 years in the U.S. Senate, but I can't think of anyone who was more dedicated to making his community, State, and Nation better than was Randy.

As the chief executive officer of The Pape Group, a 2,000-employee, seven-State conglomerate of industrial equipment, aviation and recycling businesses, Randy was one of Oregon's most respected and admired corporate leaders.

Guiding his business empire was more than a full-time job, yet Randy found time to give his talent and treasure to an endless variety of worthy causes. There was no bigger booster of his alma mater, the University of Oregon, than Randy. There was no better cheerleader and fundraiser for the United Way than Randy. As a member of the Oregon Transportation Commission, there was no better advocate for Oregon's roads and highways than Randy. There was no more committed member of the Nature Conservancy of Oregon, and the Oregon Trail Council of Boy Scouts of America than Randy. I had no wiser counselor than Randy.

And above all, there was no one who loved and cherished his family more than Randy.

Randy's wonderful wife, Susie, was at his side for 34 years. She knew him better than anyone else, and she captured him better than anyone else, when she said:

He was the most positive person, the most upbeat. He was a

joy to live with.

Randy was justifiably very proud of his three sons, Ryan, Christian, and Jordan, all of whom chose to follow their dad into the family business, and all of whom inherited his values of honesty, decency, and a dedication to making their community better.

The Greek poet Sophocles, once wrote:

One must wait until the evening to see how splendid the day

has been.'' For his family, his friends, his community, his

State, and our Nation, the evening of Randy's life came much,

much too soon. But let us take solace in the fact that in

that evening, Randy Pape could look back at a life filled

with the love of family; a life filled with accomplishment; a

life filled with making a positive difference; a life filled

with the heroism that came from making his community better,

and say: The day has indeed been splendid.