[Bedford Forrest]

"Stennis and Thurmond lived to be rather old."

Stennis was shot and severely wounded in 1973, in Washington, very soon after the referenced time period. I think he never recovered from the shooting and retired soon afterward.

[petitfour]

Stennis was shot? That's news to me. Trent Lott took Stennis' seat in the 80s.

[petitfour]

Here's a bio of Senator Stennis. He did indeed suffer a gunshot wound in 1973.

http://www.stennis.gov/senatorpage.htm