congressional_record: CREC-2004-12-20-pt1-PgS12092
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| CREC-2004-12-20-pt1-PgS12092 | 2004-12-20 | 108 | 2 | STANLEY KIMMITT--HONORED PUBLIC SERVANT AND LOYAL MONTANAN | SENATE | SENATE | ALLOTHER | S12092 | S12092 | [{"name": "Max Baucus", "role": "speaking"}] | 150 Cong. Rec. S12092 | Congressional Record, Volume 150 Issue 140 (Monday, December 20, 2004) [Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 140 (Monday, December 20, 2004)] [Senate] [Page S12092] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] STANLEY KIMMITT--HONORED PUBLIC SERVANT AND LOYAL MONTANAN Mr. BAUCUS. Last week the Senate lost one of its most dedicated public servants. Stan Kimmitt was deeply devoted to this great body and to his beloved country. He never forgot his humble beginnings and strong Montana roots. Stan devoted his life to public service, always defending democracy and decency whether it was on the dangerous battlefields of War World II Europe or in the Halls of the U.S. Capitol, he always held true to his core values. Born James Stanley Kimmitt on April 5, 1918, to wheat farmers in Lewistown, MT, the 1920s drought forced the family to move to Great Falls where he was raised. After graduating from the University of Montana in Missoula in 1940, Stan immediately enlisted to serve his country in World War II. He fought as a tireless combat commander often volunteering to lead the most dangerous missions. Stan was eventually part of the first U.S. division to occupy Berlin and he was honored for his service by receiving the Silver and Bronze Stars. Stan would later heroically fight in the Korean war and his accomplishments were recognized when he was inducted into the Field Artillery Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. Stan's exemplary military career served as a great building block for what lay ahead for his career. When he returned to the States, Stan sought other ways to serve his country. One presented itself when Mike Mansfield was elected to the U.S. Senate from Montana. As Senator Mansfield's chief of staff, Stan was able to honor his roots and work on the issues important to his beloved home State. When Senator Mansfield became majority leader, his right-hand man, Stan Kimmitt, became his secretary of the majority. For 11 years, Mike and Stan worked quietly behind the scenes reaching across party lines to provide support to move the country forward. Kimmitt's long tenure represented a deep desire to work behind the scenes with both sides to provide support to move the country forward. It is clear that both sides respected this commitment. Stan's leadership and ability to move opposing forces forward made him the perfect choice to become Secretary of the Senate, which he served as from 1977 to 1981. In this role Stan became a very influential member of the Senate. He was never elected but many Senators used to affectionately refer to him as the 101st Senator or the third Senator from Montana. After Stan left the Secretary of the Senate position, he continued to be involved in governmental affairs. He sat on the board for the Democratic Leadership Council in 1985. The DLC was instrumental in introducing then-Governor Bill Clinton in 1985 to a wider public. Stan represented the same ideals that Bill Clinton ran on in 1992. He wanted to find politicians that would represent a new energetic vitality in the Democratic Party as Bill Clinton promised to do. In spite of Stan's own notoriety, he continued to value his Montana roots. In 1983, he founded the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation was a tribute to his former boss but to Montana as well. The foundation is part of Mansfield's legacy and the causes he advocated during his time in the Senate. The foundation sponsors exchanges, dialogues, and publications to create networks or partnerships between U.S. and Asian leaders. The foundation provides excellent educational opportunities through fellowships to Japan for government employees. Throughout the early 1990s Stan continued political activism that had been the trademark of his life. In 1991, Stan founded a political consulting firm now known as Kimmitt, Senter, Coates and Weinfurter. Stan brought to politics and his time in the Senate a strong sense of deep moral principles and convictions. He believed that government could and should be a force for good. Stan was very much the idealist and did not see bitter division in the Senate only as ideological disagreements. To Stan, the Senate was one big family with all the characteristics of a family. Stan lived his political life by three principles: First was to hold true to your conviction; second, be grateful for what is given to you and the opportunities you are given; and third, never give up unless you can make it better. The other value Stan saw as important in his political life was ``to thine own self be true.'' Stan started his professional life as a public servant. It seems only fitting that the last day of his life he started the morning in the Senate cloakroom on the Democratic side talking with former colleagues and friends. That night he attended an event honoring retiring Louisiana Democratic Senator John Breaux. Stan died honoring a fellow colleague who shared his beliefs and deeply felt convictions. He died doing what he loved best, which was very appropriate, very fitting. Stan, you will be deeply missed in the Senate, but you will not soon be forgotten. ____________________ |