Robert C. Byrd

Mr. President, the State of West Virginia and the Nation's coal industry lost a very good man last week, and I lost a good friend. Mr. Stephen Young, a native of Buckhannon, WV, who had been the vice president of government affairs at Consol Energy for more than three decades, passed away on June 15th.

Steve and I worked together to protect and promote the best interests of coal, a vital form of energy which has helped make our country strong, and on which our Nation depends. I always, I repeat, always, found Steve Young to be a friendly and cooperative person with whom to work, as well as a decent and considerate man. Steve was a gentleman. He was soft spoken, effective in everything he did, and respected and liked by all.

Steve was the director of State operations for Consol Energy. He had also been president of the West Virginia Coal Association and had served on the Board of Directors of a number of other State coal associations. He also served on the board of directors of the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and was a member of its executive committee. As a tribute to his talents, a few years ago, Steve was elected to the West Virginia Coal Hall of Fame.

Mr. Young was simply devoted to the coal industry, to the progress of West Virginia, his home State which he loved dearly, and to his family. I will certainly miss him and his vast experience and expertise.

I extend my heart felt condolences to his wife Maureen, his children and grandchildren, and his sister.

Scent of the Roses

Let fate do her worst, there are relics of joy,

Bright dreams of the past that she cannot destroy,

That come in the night-time of sorrow and care,

And bring back the features that joy used to wear.

Long, long be my heart with such memories filled,

Like the vase in which roses have once been distilled,

You may break, you may shatter the vase if you will,

But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.--Thomas

Moore.

Mr. President, Sunday, June 20, is the 147th anniversary of wild and wonderful West Virginia's joining the United States as the 35th State. I am proud of all that West Virginia has offered and continues to offer to the United States.

West Virginia is a unique gem among the 50 States. It is the only State to be formed by seceding from a Confederate State, and only one of two States to be added to the Union during the Civil War--the other being the home State of my good friend Senator Reid, Nevada, which separated from the Utah Territory.

Known as the Mountain State, West Virginia is the only State located entirely within the ancient Appalachian Mountain range which was formed over 300 million years ago. West Virginia has the highest elevation of any U.S. State east of the Mississippi River, with an average of 1,500 feet above sea level. That elevation means that the Monongahela National Forest Region in the southeastern part of the State has a climate more akin to northern New England and Canada, with spruce forests, cool summers, and snow-filled winters. In fact, Dolly Sods, which is part of the Monongahela National Forest, has tundra-like vistas where, amid

scenery reminiscent of Alaska, visitors might spot snowshoe hares. Our colder, tumbling waters also support trout that are an angler's dream, as well as a rafter's or kayaker's delight.

Unlike its name, West Virginia's New River is actually very old, perhaps one of the oldest rivers in the world. Flowing in a generally south-to-north course through the Appalachian Mountains from North Carolina to West Virginia, where it merges with the Gauley River to form the Kanawaha River, the New River goes against the west-to-east flow that most other nearby rivers take, emptying into the Mississippi River rather than the Chesapeake Bay. Near Fayetteville, WV, the New River is spanned by the spectacular New River Gorge Bridge, featured on the reverse of the West Virginia State quarter coin. Each autumn, the community celebrates Bridge Day, allowing parachute-clad jumpers to leap from the highest vehicular bridge in the Americas to the New River some 876 feet below.

For centuries, West Virginia has been a place where people could escape summer's heat and enjoy the great outdoors. In the eastern panhandle, the spa town of Berkeley Springs has welcomed visitors since the days when George Washington's family and friends laid out a town around the warm medicinal springs that bubble to the surface. In southern West Virginia, the majestic Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs has hosted Presidents and other distinguished guests since 1778.

West Virginia has also long been a nearby winter getaway for snow- seekers from milder climates. Since the Canaan Valley was discovered by air in the 1960s, West Virginia has become a skiing destination for downhillers and cross-country skiers. In addition to Canaan Valley, Snowshoe, Winterplace, Alpine Lake, Timberline, and Elk River offer skiing, tubing, snowboarding and sledding within easy driving distance of major metropolitan areas from Pittsburgh to Atlanta.

Should a visitor come to West Virginia in June, he or she would be treated to beautiful misty views of tree-covered mountains stretching into the distance. In the foreground, wildflowers would be blooming in sunlit meadows and along roads that curve along steep hillsides or cross deep-flowing rivers and streams tumbling over massive boulders. In the shadowed hollows, dense stands of rhododendron, the State flower, would be coming into bloom. Later in the year, the hills come alive with vibrant color as the State tree, the sugar maple, bursts into flaming red, blazing against the deep russet of oaks, the bright yellow of tulip poplars, and the rich, deep green of spruce and pine. In the winter, nature's palette becomes more stark, as leafless trees etch sharp designs against crisp white snow. The West Virginia State bird, the northern cardinal, offers a bright spot of crimson on the otherwise monochromatic scenery. But every evening--winter, summer, spring or fall--the night sky will come alive with more stars than it is possible to count, as God sprinkles his blessings on West Virginia.

Mr. President, with great pleasure I congratulate the senior Senator from Hawaii, Mr. Daniel Inouye, for becoming the second longest-serving Senator in history. He achieved this distinction last Friday when he became only the second person to have served in the Senate for 17,327 days.

I also want to use this opportunity to congratulate Senator Inouye on what I am sure he considers a bigger, and even more important event in his life, the birth of his first grandchild, Mary Margaret ``Maggie'' Inouye. Maggie was born on April 20 to Ken and Jessica Inouye, the son and daughter-in-law of our esteemed colleague. I wish all of them the best of health and happiness.

I have remarked many times on this floor that Senator Inouye is my ``No. 1 hero.'' No one has ever served our country more extensively, or more bravely and with more loyalty and determination, than has Senator Inouye.

During World War II, he served in the famed 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated Army unit in the history of United States. In recognition of his war heroics, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Congressional Medal of Honor, making him one of only seven Senators to have been awarded our Nation's highest military honor.

In 1963, he became the first Japanese American ever to serve in the U.S. Congress. And in this Chamber he has served his State and our country with great distinction. Senator Inouye has served on the Senate Watergate Committee, the Congressional Iran Contra Committee, the Senate Appropriations Committee, and as Secretary of the Democratic Conference.

And during his long and productive career in this Chamber, he has become my dear friend. I was honored and pleased when he was the person who nominated me for my third term as Senate whip in 1975. Foremost, I have always appreciated his deep loyalty to the Senate and to me when I was the Senate Democratic leader and he was serving as secretary of the Democratic Conference.

Now, Senator Inouye has achieved another milestone in a career filled with achievements and successes, and I commend him on it.

Congratulations Senator Inouye, my friend, my colleague and my ``No. 1 hero!''