December 22, 1970
Page 43165
Mr. MUSKIE. Mr. President, RALPH YARBOROUGH is a man the Senate will not forget.
His tireless efforts in the fields of health, education, and veterans' affairs have produced contributions for which all Americans, not just his Texas constituency, should be grateful.
He has authorized and actively worked for some of the most important legislation which the Congress has enacted over the last decade – the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the National Defense Education Act, the Higher Education Facilities Act, the Regional Mental Health Centers Act, and countless others.
He has been a friend and stanch supporter of conservationists. We all owe him a debt of thanks for his efforts to preserving unspoiled monuments to the magnificent and diverse beauty of his State.
Most important of all, RALPH YARBOROUGH has been a friend of the people, in the most decent sense of the word friend, and in the broadest definition of the word people.
He has championed the rights of those who have not shared in the benefits of an affluent society.
On any matter requiring a decision between the public and private interests in this country,
RALPH YARBOROUGH has always come down to the side of the public.
I feel indeed privileged to have had the opportunity to serve with RALPH for 12 years in the Senate.
I shall miss him as an ally in uphill fights in the Senate.
We shall all miss his insight, knowledge, and energy in the areas of our most urgent priorities, the health and welfare of the American people.
RALPH YARBOROUGH leaves behind a tradition of compassion, dedication, commitment, and effectiveness. We shall all have to work doubly hard to see that this tradition is carried on.