[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Senate] [Pages 7936-7937] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]SENATOR DAVID PRYOR--HELPING THE REFUGEES AND INSPIRING US ALL Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, our former colleague in the Senate from Arkansas, David Pryor, has a new mission, and I believe that all of us will be greatly inspired by his commitment and dedication. During the spring term this year, Senator Pryor has been a fellow at the Institute of Politics in the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Last week, touched by the [[Page 7937]] tragic plight of the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Kosovo, he left for Tirana, Albania to be a volunteer with the International Rescue Committee, which is dedicated to easing the plight of the refugees. I commend our former colleague for the inspiring example he is setting of service to those most in need. His action clearly and deeply impressed his students at Harvard. An article in the Harvard Crimson last week reported his decision and his departure for Albania. I believe the article will be of interest to all of us in the Senate, and I ask unanimous consent that it be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: [From the Harvard Crimson, Apr. 21, 1999] IOP Fellow Pryor Heads to Balkan States--Former Senator To Aid Kosovar Refugees (By Alysson R. Ford) Since the NATO bombings of Yugoslavia began almost a month ago, members of the Harvard community have expressed concern about the plight of Kosovar refugees in peace vigils, panels, and class discussions on Kosovo. But David Pryor--a spring term fellow at the Institute of Politics (IOP) and a former U.S. senator and governor of Arkansas--has taken his desire to help ease the refugee crisis a few steps further. After notifying colleagues and students of his decision Monday, Pryor departed yesterday for the Albanian capital of Tirana as volunteer for the International Rescue Committee (IRC). In a letter to Director of the IOP Alan K. Simpson, Pryor expressed that he wanted to do something concrete for those devastated by the conflict. Pryor wrote that he did not know exactly how he would help the Kosovar refugees but added that he felt it was important to offer his assistance. ``What I am doing is something I must do. I don't know exactly where I will be, nor do I know what my assignment will be, I just hope I can make a contribution--even though small,'' Pryor wrote. ``I was too young for Hitler, too self- preoccupied for [the civil rights struggle in] Selma, and this time I've got to do something.'' Pryor estimated in his letter that he would be gone 30 to 60 days with the IRC, an organization created in 1933 to assist victims who were fleeing from Nazi Germany. The group has been in the Balkans since 1991, according to Edward P. Bligh, IRC vice president of communications. Most recently, the IRC has sent volunteers and aid to Albania and Macedonia to help the refugees who have been streaming out of Kosovo. The group is helping to shelter refugees and develop water supplies and sanitary facilities. It also provides medical services and has special programs for children, Bligh said. Pryor also wrote in his letter that the IRC volunteers had inspired him. ``To be able to watch and know these gallant, and yes, believing, young men and women who want to serve restores faith and binds our hopes together,'' Pryor wrote. But those who know Pryor said he is the one providing inspiration to others. ``Here's a man that has dedicated his life to serving the people of Arkansas [and] the people of the U.S.,'' said IOP fellow and former South Carolina governor David Beasley. ``He makes us proud to be American, and he inspires us all.'' Simpson spoke of the positive example that Pryor is setting, particularly to the often-cynical students he sees on campus. ``When [students] look around cynically at politicians and those looking only to serve themselves, they'll remember David Pryor [as a positive example],'' Simpson said. Pryor taught a study group at the IOP this semester called ``Everything (Well Almost) You Ever Wanted To Know About Winning and Holding Public Office But Were Afraid to Ask.'' Students who know Pryor said they were impressed by his commitment to helping others. ``For this 65-plus-year-old, former U.S. senator to just decide to go off to Albania . . . I think it really exemplifies the kind of person he is and the kind of senator he was,'' said Eugene Krupitsky '02, one of Pryor's study group liaisons. ``It was just amazing to think of this individual just leaving the IOP early to go do community action. It's exemplary that he is bridging the gap between politics and community service,'' he added. In his letter, Pryor wrote of a friend from his home state who has a sign painted on the side of his truck that says, ``When you wake up, get up, and when you get up, do something.'' ``That's what I intend to do,'' Pryor wrote. ``I'm going to go over and do something.'' ____________________