Former Senator Lloyd Bentsen
FORMER SENATOR LLOYD BENTSEN
Mr. STEVENS. Mr. President, Catherine and I were deeply saddened to learn of Lloyd's passing. Lloyd and his wife Beryl Ann or as she is known to friends, B.A. were part of our Senate family for 22 years. They were good friends to Catherine and me, and they were quite a couple. Their sense of humor could lighten any situation. I recall B.A. once read an erroneous news report that Lloyd was worth $70 million. She responded, ``Where is it?''
B.A. was a great companion and partner for Lloyd in all things, and our hearts go out to her and their three children and eight grandchildren.
Lloyd was Texan through and through. He used to tell stories about growing up on his father's ranch with the sign at the end of the road that read: ``To heck with the dog, beware of the owner.'' You would think someone raised up the road from a sign like that would have a temper, but nothing could have been further from the truth. Lloyd was gracious, composed, polished, and pressed. He was a true gentleman. ``Gravitas,'' he liked to say, ``is gray hair and a pressed suit.''
Lloyd was also a patriot. As fellow World War II veterans, we were comrades in the deepest sense of the word, and I admired him greatly. He was an accomplished legislator and statesman. He was also a dear friend.
Those in Alaska will never forget his support of our State. In 1981, Lloyd came to the floor and spoke in favor of a waiver that would enable the construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline. Congress recently approved the financial incentives needed to begin this project--and we owe a great debt to Lloyd for always making sure those in the Senate never forgot how important the Alaska gas pipeline is to our country's energy independence.
Since Lloyd greatly respected the late House Speaker Sam Rayburn, I will close with one of Sam's sayings:
``You cannot be a leader, and ask other people to follow you, unless you know how to follow, too.''
Mr. President, those are words to live by, and no one understood them better than Lloyd.
http://thomas.loc.gov/