NEWS
THE WINCHESTER STAR
MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2013
A3
Byrd from Page A1 terms. “Ther e’s no reason why Harr y’s civility should not continue. . . . His cheerfulness and civility did not expire with his death.” Byrd, who studied at both Virginia Military Institute (VMI) and the University of Virginia, was an orchardist and a newspaperman (publisher of both The Winchester Evening Star and the Daily NewsRecord in Harrisonburg). He also served in the Virginia Senate from 1948-1965. But he was best known as a U.S. senator, starting as a conservative Southern Democrat but breaking with the party in 1970 after refusing to pledge to support whomever was chosen as its candidate for the 1972 presidential campaign. “I would rather be a free man than a captive senator,” Byrd said on March 17, 1970, in declaring that he would campaign as an Independent. That fall he made history, becoming the first Independent elected to statewide office in Virginia and the first Independent U.S. Senate candidate to win a majority of votes despite competition from both major political parties. Byrd repeated that feat six years later, becoming the first U.S. senator to be both elected and re-elected as an Independent. Danforth referenced Byrd’s independence as a senator and recalled him as having a concerned but positive outlook for his country. He always spoke up when he felt it necessary. “He was never charmed by the sound of his own voice,” said Danforth. “But in matters of principle, he had to speak.” The topic of many of Byrd’s speeches was government spending, as fiscal conservatism was a family trademark. Danforth said Byrd usually made his thoughts known to the Senate chamber shortly before any budget vote, but his remarks generally were limited to about 10 minutes and he never acted as an obstructionist. “The senators were not going home until Harry was heard on his gr eat issue,” Danfor th said. “. . . He said his piece, and that was it.”
The Senate was a collegial place in their time, said Danforth, who briefly served as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations following his time on Capitol Hill. He contrasted that with today’s Congress, which he said “all seems so joyless, so deadly. Harry would have said, ‘Cheer up, life is good.’ ” Danforth also said he never saw Byrd ride the U.S. Capitol subway system used by many members of Congress. “He was a walker,” Danfor th said, “ramrod straight, walking briskly to the Capitol as though he still were at VMI.” While the former Missouri senator has personal remembrances of Byrd, he said that over the past few days he had heard favorite recollections from family members “about the man they loved and called ‘Pop.’ His most esteemed title isn’t ‘Senator,’ it’s ‘Pop.’ ” Danforth said that for the rest of their lives, family members “never will stop tr ying to make Harr y Byrd proud.” The service drew many of Virginia’s current and former political leaders, including U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine; Gov. Bob McDonnell; former U.S. Sens. John Warner, Charles Robb and George Allen; former Govs. A. Linwood Holton Jr. and Gerald L. Baliles (Allen, Kaine, Robb and Mark Warner also served as governor); U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf; and former Lt. Gov. John Hager. Byrd was laid to rest in Mount Hebron Cemetery beside his wife, Gretchen Thomson Byrd, and at the feet of his parents, Harry Sr. and Anne Douglas Beverley Byrd. His nine grandchildren served as pallbearers. Four of them read Scriptures during the service. A former lieutenant colonel in the Navy during World War II, Byrd’s flag-draped coffin was carried from the hearse to the grave site by eight sailors. The brief graveside service included sailors in the Navy Ceremonial Guard providing a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.
The Rev. John Danforth (center), a former U.S. senator, was the officiant at the burial of former U.S. Sen. Harry Flood Byrd Jr. on Saturday in Mount Hebron Cemetery. Assisting are the Rev. Webster S. Gibson and crucifer Evelyn Gibson.
— Contact Vic Bradshaw at vbradshaw@winchesterstar.com
Winchester Star photos by Jeff Taylor
Thomas T. Byrd stands with his daughter Courtney Byrd Thoreck as he holds the flag that draped his father’s casket Saturday in Mount Hebron Cemetery. At front, saying goodbye to his namesake and greatgrandfather, is Harry F. Byrd V.
At the funeral Saturday in Winchester are (from left) U.S. Sen. and former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner; Susan Allen and her husband, George Allen, a former U.S. senator and Virginia governor; and Charles Robb, former U.S. senator and Virginia governor.
Former U.S. senator from Virginia John Warner (from left) his wife, Jeanne Warner, and his chief of staff of more than 20 years Susan Magill pause as the hearse carrying former U.S. Sen. Harry Byrd Jr. passes by after funeral services at Christ Episcopal Church in Winchester on Saturday.
Leaders from Page A1 Thomas T. Byrd (left) greets former Virginia Gov. A. Linwood Holton while Holton’s son-in-law, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, and his wife Virginia “Jinks” Holton look on. All were attending Byrd’s father’s funeral Saturday at Christ Episcopal Church in Winchester.
U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-10th, (standing at center) and his wife, Carolyn, talk with former Virginia Lt. Gov. John Hager at “Cour tfield,” the Winchester home of former U.S. Sen. Harry F. Byrd Jr., after his funeral service Saturday.
becoming a mentor and a “great teacher. I looked up to him as my big brother in the Senate.” Byrd made an impression when he met people, always offering a big smile and a firm handshake, Warner said. “When he shook your hand, you knew it. He cracked your knuckles and he pumped your arm up and down.” His firm handshake aside, Byrd had “a gentleness” about him and a way of talking to people that made them feel special, said Kay Bolliger, co-chairman of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Celebrity Committee. She worked with him for years on business related to the communitywide festival and knew how much he loved the tradition. He appeared in the first Apple Blossom Festival as a page, once served as a grand marshal and minister of crown in the same year, and only missed two festivals in its long history. In May, he made his last festival appearance in the Grand Feature Parade as an honorary grand marshal. Bolliger recalled visiting Byrd at “Cour tfield,” his Tennyson Avenue home, to talk about him being
the honorary marshal. “It was very touching to see the joy he has for the festival and the community,” she said. Byr d’s interest in the world around him never wavered. Up until shortly before his death, he was still reading six newspapers a day, said Mary Anderson, who served as his caregiver for more than two years. He was “sharp as a tack” and loved engaging people in conversation, she said. He was also a kind person, she added. “No matter what you did for him — even something as simple as getting him a glass of water — he always thanked you.” After moving to Winchester in 1974, retired physician Dr. Harry Poling and his wife, Ann, would often see Byrd walking around town or eating at local restaurants. He always greeted them and was “ver y personable.” They also attended the same church as Byrd, Christ Episcopal, where the funeral ser vice was held. Last year, Poling ran into Byrd and mentioned the first time their paths ever crossed — about 50 years ago. He was delighted to find Byrd remembered the occasion.
Poling was valedictorian at Gar field High School in Woodbridge, but instead of him giving the traditional valedictory address, Byrd was invited as the keynote speaker. “I was eternally grateful I didn’t have to give that speech,” Poling said. “I was happy to sit in the bleachers and listen to the senator speak.” Tricia Stiles, legislative assistant to state Sen. Jill H. Vogel, R-Upperville, knew Byrd by his reputation long before she met him. When she finally did meet him, she found him to be a “magnificent human being.” Attending Saturday’s ser vice alongside Vogel, Stiles said she appreciated that two important aspects about Byrd were recognized during the funeral service. First, he considered his most important role as that of a family man. Second, he was a gentleman politician, she said. “I think the call for continued civility in politics delivered in the homily was important because that is how he behaved.” — Contact Laura McFarland at lmcfarland@winchesterstar.com