West Virginia Highlands Voice

It is with great sadness, that we begin this week remembering the life of Senator Robert C. Byrd, who passed away peacefully this morning in Washington, D.C.  at the age of 92.  As the longest serving Senator in U.S. history, Byrd proudly served the people of West Virginia during his tenure of more than 50 years.  Byrd will be remembered for many things, from his remarkable skill as a fiddler to his many legislative initiatives to improve West Virginia’s infrastructure and educational institutions.  He was well known for his respect for Senate traditions and the U.S. Constitution, as well as his opposition to invasion of Iraq, which the Senator called his “proudest vote” in Congress.

With an affection for the natural beauty of his state, Senator Byrd was also an ardent supporter of Wilderness legislation, to protect some of the most special wild places in West Virginia.  From his vote in favor of the Wilderness Act of 1964 to his sponsorship of the recently enacted Wild Monongahela Act, Senator Byrd was a true leader in preserving the state’s natural treasures for future generations.

Senator Byrd will be greatly missed, and today an entire state laments the loss of a champion, a leader, a warrior who carried the flag of an overlooked, often isolated people.  As the fog lifts from our deepest hollows, the sun touches our highest peaks and the sound of fiddle music emanates from across the land, the State of West Virginia looks back with great pride on a lifetime of service from a hero with an unmatched dedication to our people and the land we call home.

“My home state of West Virginia remains wild and wonderful because of Congress’ actions. Covered from end to end by the ancient Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia remains, to me, one of the most beautiful one of the most unique of all places and I have seen lot of places throughout the world in my time. It is the most southern of the northern States and the most northern of the Southern states; the most eastern of the Western States and the most western of the eastern States; where the east says good morning to the west, and where Yankee Doodle and Dixie kiss each other good night. The luscious mountains gently roll across that land, providing an elegant sense of mystery to the landscape. The wilderness of my State has given West Virginians a freedom to explore. This freedom has been secured and protected so that future generations–like my baby granddaughter, her children, and her children’s children-will be able to say Montani Semper Liberi, Mountaineers are always free!“
-Senator Robert C. Byrd, September 8, 1999, commemorating the 35^th anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 1964

Mike Costello
Campaign Coordinator

West Virginia Wilderness Coalition
PO Box 568
Morgantown, WV 26507
304.437.1082
fax: 888.671.2140