Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to pay a special tribute to one of the U.S. Senate's most revered and remarkable Members. I speak of our senior Senator and our friend from Kentucky, Wendell Ford.

Mr. President, I should note on a personal level I was a law student in Kentucky when Wendell Ford was Governor of the State of Kentucky, and I developed a fondness and affection for him from afar as a student in that State at the University of Louisville many years ago. I had an opportunity to watch this man preside over State government in the State of Kentucky. He did a remarkable job. In those days I never thought, as I was sitting there as a student, that one day I would be serving in the U.S. Senate with him and calling him my colleague and my friend. It is with bittersweet emotions and sensations here that I rise to recognize, as others already have, that Wendell Ford, as we all know, has announced he will not seek reelection in 1998 and will be retiring from the U.S. Senate.

I say bittersweet because on the one hand I am confident that our friend Wendell Ford and his lovely wife Jean will enjoy some years of retirement, away from the hectic life of public service. So I am glad for him and glad for his wife and for his family. Obviously, on another level, I think all of us would agree, regardless of political persuasion or ideology, that we have come to develop a deep and sincere affection for Wendell Ford. He will be truly missed in this body.

Just this past Monday, as of course we all know, Senator Ford announced his intention to retire from the U.S. Senate at the end of this term, concluding what I think has been one of the most remarkable and distinguished careers in the history of Kentucky. Wendell Ford served his fellow Kentuckians for the past 30 years, first in the State senate of that State, then in the Governors Mansion, as I have already mentioned, and finally here in the U.S. Senate, where he has been a Member for the past 22 years. By the time he completes his term in 1999, Wendell Ford will be the longest serving U.S. Senator in the history of the State of Kentucky.

Throughout my tenure as U.S. Senator, it has been my great honor to serve alongside this remarkable man. He has brought integrity and honesty and a wonderful sense of humor to a body that is far too often devoid of such characteristics. Although narrow and snappy sound bites and polished television appearances seem to garner the most attention in Washington, Wendell Ford stands in sharp contrast. As long as I have known him, Wendell Ford never saw a television camera he didn't want to simply walk past. As always, he is more interested in working behind the scenes, crafting legislation, seeking coalitions, seeking compromises. This is the essence of making the Senate function as a body that requires that we get along and work together to seek solutions that Americans look for.

Certainly Wendell Ford is capable of being outspoken and passionate and as resolute as any Member of this body, but he has also understood there is a time for politics and a time for legislating and the two shall rarely intertwine, in his view. Throughout his career, he remained true to the people and places of his beloved Kentucky. Few Senators fought harder for their States than Wendell has. As a Member of the subcommittee on aviation issues, he helped bring two international airports to Louisville and northern Kentucky. During the debate in the last Congress on the telecommunications bill, Senator Ford sought to ensure that the interests of rural communities all across America, such as those in his home State, would receive the attention that they deserve. On a national level as well, he has been a leader in aviation, energy, campaign finance issues, and his efforts have been instrumental in expanding airport improvement programs and other critical civil and Federal aviation issues.

As chairman of the Joint Committee on Printing, Senator Ford has helped cut millions of dollars in Government printing costs.

What is more, he has spearheaded greater use of recycled paper by the Federal Government. These issues don't always get as much attention as they should, but certainly, as all of us appreciate as we try to reduce the cost of Federal Government to make it more efficient, things like bringing down the costs of printing, which is voluminous at Federal Government level, and to also see that recycled paper is used, are no small efforts indeed.

I know the major issue for many Americans, of course, was Wendell Ford's effort to spearhead motor voter registration, which has made it possible for millions of Americans to become enfranchised. He certainly will be remembered for years to come for those efforts as well.

I know that bill had a special significance for Wendell Ford because it gave him a chance to appear on MTV's Rock The Vote. Wendell Ford is certainly an MTV kind of Senator. As most of us would appreciate, I say that with a sense of humor, to all who know and love him.

Most of all, I think Wendell Ford has brought a sense of quiet dignity and forthrightness to this Chamber. Always, he kept his word, never betrayed a confidence, and I doubt there is a Member of this Chamber who will not miss his presence.

It is worth noting, the other day an editorial in the Lexington Herald-Leader, I think, summed up the feelings all of us would have with the announcement that Wendell Ford will not be with us at the end of this Congress. Let me quote that editorial. It said:

We have known people who have disagreed with Wendell Ford. We have seen people get mad at Wendell Ford. We have even heard of people who wish Wendell Ford would finally lose an election. We have never heard of anyone, however, who doesn't like the senior Senator from Kentucky.

Certainly if that is true in the State of Kentucky, it is true in the U.S. Senate as well. We will miss him and we wish him and his wife, Jean, the very best in the years to come.

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