BY GARY GRAY
The Dominion Post
From Dwight Eisenhower's administration to the present, Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., has risen to distinction as a mover and shaker in American politics and a prolific provider for West Virginia.
The WVU Press will now play a part in presenting Byrd's account of those years by publishing his autobiography, "Robert C. Byrd: Child of the Appalachian Coalfields."
The book is scheduled for release June 15.
"This project has been a labor of love," Byrd said Monday. "I often am given pause to think of how such humble beginnings gave rise to where I am today. This book takes the reader on that journey -- the story of my life."
He has traveled the globe, met with world leaders and walked the hallowed halls of Congress for more than 50 years. But of all his experiences and achievements, the most rewarding are those that have lifted the people of West Virginia, Byrd said.
"Never having forgotten my roots, I continue to be aware that my highest duty is to West Virginia and to the people of our state, who have honored me with public office for more than a half century," Byrd said. "This book talks about the road I've traveled, the many lessons I've learned and the work that remains to be accomplished."
Byrd was first elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates in 1946 and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives only six years later. He rose to a seat in the U.S. Senate in 1958 and has represented West Virginia since then. Only two other members of Congress have had a longer tenure.
"This forthcoming book will be a virtual catalog of Sen. Byrd's experiences from his boyhood in the early 1920s to his election in 2000 to an unprecedented eighth term in the U.S. Senate," said Patrick Conner, WVU Press director.
In the last months of 2004 alone, Byrd garnered $20 million for a new, state-of-the-art biomedical research center at WVU. He also helped channel $19.6 million for construction of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosiences Institute and another $4 million for WVU's Forensic Science Initiative.
"In chapter after chapter, we learn of the institutions, the policies and the opportunities that Sen. Byrd has helped create, both for West Virginians and for citizens throughout the United States," Conner said. "The epigraph to the first chapter of the book, written by 19th Century social scientist William James, expresses the theme of the whole memoir: 'The best use of life is to invest it in something which will outlast life.' "
Byrd rose through the ranks and in 1977 was elected Senate majority leader by his party, serving in the capacity six consecutive terms. He is his party's ranking member and has held more leadership positions in the Senate than any other in history.
Byrd said he has made mistakes. But instead of letting those mistakes stop him, he learned from them.
"Perhaps this book can serve as an inspiration to young people to consider public service," he said. "For me, the work of lifting West Virginia and defending America continues to be a noble calling."
WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. said the university was honored to be involved in the publication of Byrd's autobiography. The senator has a long record of distinguished public service and remains a fixture on the national scene today, he said.
"His knowledge of the U.S. Senate and sense of history is unmatched, and this book will provide great insights for not only scholars and historians, but all of us who love this great country," Hardesty said. "I've read some of the senator's works, and he's a great writer. This will be the kind of book that should be found in every library, and in every home interested in history. It will be a substantial book written by a very substantial person."
The book will sell for $35 in hardback and run more than 700 pages -- including several pages of photographs and an index -- and provide commentary on national and international events.
Whew! A tsunami of nausea just overwhelmed me after reading that article.