Ted Kennedy Memorial Service: Orrin Hatch

Watch Ted Kennedy Funeral Live Now

SENATOR ORRIN HATCH (R), UTAH: This is a tremendous honor to be in this wonderful city and this state where our revolution was begun. I'm just so grateful to be here.

Vicki, Teddy, Patrick, Kara, Ethel and Jane, and all the rest of the Kennedy family, it's a great honor for me to here with you today, to talk about a man I have so much regard for. So much reverence for, with whom I've done battle for 33 years and have enjoyed every minute of it, like two fighting brothers, to be honest with you.

And a lot of things I could say about Ted Kennedy's career, but what I'd like to do is just take a few minutes to talk about Ted Kennedy, the man, and Ted Kennedy, my friend.

By the time I came to the Senate in 1977, Teddy was already a giant among senators. As a Republican coming from Utah, I stated numerous times on the campaign trail that I plan to come to Washington to fight Ted Kennedy. In fact, I used to say that Kennedy's name was my very best fundraiser in the country.

When I came to Washington, I hadn't the slightest idea that I would eventually have a strong working relationship with and love for the man that I came to fight. And if you would have told me that he would become one of my closest friends in the world, I probably would have suggested that you need professional help. But that's exactly what happened. People called Teddy and me the odd couple, which was certainly true. There are few men with whom I have had less in common.

Ted was born in a famous well-to-do family in Boston. He attended private schools and Harvard University, was politically liberal and liberal in his lifestyle, at least until he married Vicki, who set him straight, by the way. I grew up poor in a working class family in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I attended public school. And the Harvard of Utah, BYU. That's should get a bigger laugh than that.

(LAUGHTER)

I was laughing at it, I tell you that. Great school, Harvard. While Ted often played the role of the -- you know, the affable Irishman, I was the teetotaling Mormon bishop and he was so proud one day to discover that I'm also Scotts Irish. Yet despite our differences, we were able to work out a lot of things together.

And that was due in large part to Teddy's willingness to recognize and work with those who shared his goals even if they had different ideas on how to reach those goals. One of the defining moments as a senator came when I met two families from Provo, Utah. The parents of these families were humble and hardworking. They were prudent. They were frugal. And they were able to provide food and shelter for their children, but the one necessity they couldn't afford was health insurance.

This is what inspired me to begin my work with Ted in creating the SCHIP program which continues to provide health care and coverage for millions of children throughout the world.

(APPLAUSE)

And which passed with bipartisan support even though it came with a seemingly inopportune time politically speaking. Over the years, Ted and I worked successfully to get both Republicans and Democrats onboard for causes such as assistance to AIDS victims. We passed the three AIDS bills and equal rights for the disabled.

Our latest collaboration came just this year in the form of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. A new law that is designed to empower and encourage private citizens of all ages to volunteer in their communities. I named the bill after Ted.

(APPLAUSE) I don't think any of these bills could have passed if it were not for Teddy's willingness to put bipartisanship ahead of partisanship. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy famously said, "We must think and act not only for the moment but for our time."

I'm reminded of the story of a great French marshal who once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would not reach maturity for 100 years. The marshal replied, "In that case, there is no time to lose. Plant it this afternoon."

The president's wisdom was not lost on his youngest brother. By force of will driven by the sense of immediacy that he brought to every endeavor, Ted Kennedy had the ability to take actions today that might not bear fruit until the distant tomorrow. Like all good leaders when they struck out on a mission, he was able to inspire many to follow him until the job was done no matter how long it took or how hard the task was.

Now that is not to suggest that working with Ted on a difficult piece of legislation was sheer drudgery, although sometimes it could be utterly fatiguing. More often -- and this is what most of us who worked closely with him or against him will miss -- Ted Kennedy would bring a sense of joy to even the most difficult, contentious legislative negotiating session.

While many of my more conservative constituents have run me over the coals for just being willing to sit in the same room with Teddy Kennedy, the truth is that he and I didn't agree on much. We didn't agree on a lot of things. We sat next to each other in the health committee for the better part of two decades. Some may not remember this, but there was a time when smoking was allowed during the committee meetings and hearings. And during that time, you can always tell when Teddy and I were in an argument or we're fighting by the amount of cigar smoke that he blew my way as a nonsmoking Mormon.

If there was a particularly strong disagreement, he would just sit back in his chair puffing smoke my way giving me an actual headache to go along with the political headaches he gave to all of us on the Republican side. Other times in committee on the floor, or even in the press, Teddy would lay into me with the harshest red meat liberal rhetoric you can imagine.

But just minutes later, he'd come over and put his arm around me and asked, "How did I do, Orrin?"

(LAUGHTER)

I will not tell you every response that I made to him. But first, this -- of course, this wasn't spiteful. Teddy just knew how to push people's buttons. It was one of the qualities that made him such an effective senator. And for those who are lucky enough to become his friends, it was a source of no small amount of laughter.

It was in the late 1980s, when I knew that I'd finally made it into Teddy's inner circle. I was working out in the Senate gym one day in December when Teddy came in and asked me if I was going to be at his party that night. Now I'm ashamed to admit that I've been in the Senate for over a decade and I hadn't heard about the annual Kennedy staff Christmas party. Those who have been to one or more of those parties will agree a different side of Teddy was off and on display on those nights.

At that first party I attended, Teddy came out and did a surprisingly accurate and hilarious impersonation of Elvis Presley. Tight jumpsuit and all. He looked awful as far as I was concerned.

(LAUGHTER)

Then he joined the staff performing skits making fun of Ronald Reagan, Dan Quayle and even himself. It's really too bad that Teddy was never asked to host "Saturday Night Live." But of course, serving in the Senate doesn't really leave you with enough time to do just that sort of thing. Just ask John McCain.

(LAUGHTER)

Whenever Teddy and I would introduce a bill together, Teddy would tell reporters that if he and I were on the same bill, it was obvious that one of us hadn't read it.

(LAUGHTER)

It always got a huge laugh as it did just now and I was just left there grinning pretending it was the first time I've ever heard him say that.

(LAUGHTER)

So one time I decided to come prepared. Right after Teddy made his remark, I pushed out a copy of the bill that was heavily highlighted and said here you go, Ted, you can have my copy. The important parts are already underlined.

(LAUGHTER)

I think Ted got a big laugh out of that and all the reporters who were there. Complementing Teddy's sense of humor was his personal generosity. On one occasion after a particularly late night in the Senate, I have to say that Teddy was feeling no pain at that time. He was with his friend, Chris Dodd -- my friend.

(LAUGHTER)

I did what my former AA asked me to do. He called me one day, it was Frank Manson and he had just become the Mormon church mission president in Boston, Massachusetts, presiding over 200 young Mormon missionaries.

So when he called me, he said, Frank Manson, he said, "Could I ask you a favor?" And I said sure. He said, "Would you be willing to come to speak to my 200 young missionaries up here in Boston?" I said well, for you, Frank, I will. He said, "Can I ask another favor?" I said sure. He said, "Would you ask Teddy Kennedy to come and speak, too?" I said, well -- I said, I don't know. I said but I'll ask him.

He said, well, can I ask another favor? I said my gosh, what's that? He said will you ask Teddy to get Faneuil Hall for the meeting? I said, oh my goodness. I said, well, I'll ask him.

So in this evening, when Teddy and Chris were feeling no pain, I walked off the floor and Teddy put his arm around me and he said, oh, Orrin, I want you to come up to Hyannis Port and I want you to go sailing with me. Yes. You want to do this? Yes, I want you to do that. Yes. I said great.

I said, now, Teddy, I said, I have a favor to ask of you. He said, you do, so what's that? I said do you remember Frank Manson, my administrative assistant? He said oh, yes, good guy, good guy.

I said, well, you know, he's asked that you and I come and speak to his -- and I said he's now the mission president in the Mormon church, over 200 Mormon young missionaries in Boston, Massachusetts. My hometown, and I said yes.

(LAUGHTER)

Forgive me. I've asked Vicki to forgive me already, you know. I said, well, what about. And I said, well, how about he would like you and me to come up and speak to his 200 young missionaries. He said done. Just like that.

I said, well, I have another favor to ask of you. What's that? I said, well, he would like you to get Faneuil Hall. He said done.

So the next day I got into the office and I got this nice letter for Teddy. And I got it over to him. And I saw him later in the day and he's holding that letter and his hands were shaking. And he said, Orrin -- he said, what else did I agree to last night?

(LAUGHTER)

Oh, God.

(APPLAUSE)

After telling these things, my eyes start to water, my nose starts to run. It was just a mess, I tell you.

But in any event, Teddy Kennedy and Orrin Hatch appeared before 200 young Mormon missionaries in Faneuil Hall and they will never forget the tremendous altruistic talk that he gave to them on that day.

Well, all I can say is it was really something. He didn't try to weasel out of it. Instead, he produced the hall and he gave that beautiful speech.

I was impressed as usual. And those missionaries will never forget that. And though they were of a different faith, he commended them for their willingness to serve a cause bigger than themselves and thanked them for their selflessness. This is just one example of the graciousness of my dear friend, Ted Kennedy.

There was another time when the Mormon church was nearing completion of its temple here in Boston. Belmont (ph), I think. I was approached by several people working in the temple and informed that the city would not allow a spire to be placed on the top of the temple with an angel on top of it as is customary on Mormon temples.

I immediately called Ted and asked for help. Not long after that conversation, he called me back and said, "All of western Massachusetts will see the Angel Gabriel on the top of the Mormon temple.

(LAUGHTER)

Though I was tempted to leave it alone, I had to inform Teddy it was actually the Angel Maroni, a prominent figure in the LDS faith. And at that point, Teddy replied, does this mean I'm going to get another book of Mormon for Christmas?

(LAUGHTER)

Of course he did.

(LAUGHTER)

Of course, Teddy was always respectful of my faith and that of others, but every one around us knew that I liked to give him a hard time.

One thing that has been recounted in the tributes of the last few days has been Teddy's dedication to his family, what he has been to his own children, to his mother, to his nieces and nephews or to his siblings. I can attest to this.

After I spent some time getting to know the Kennedy family, Eunice started interceding for me when Ted and I disagreed. I love to this day Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Sargent Shriver.

(APPLAUSE)

And I love their family. Let me just say Bobby is one of my best friends and so are the other Shriver family members. What they do for this country and what Eunice did is just beyond belief. Well, whenever we weren't getting along really well, Eunice told Teddy one day, she said, I don't want you mistreating that nice, young Senator Hatch from Utah.

I'm only a couple years younger than he. But, you know, it was just wonderful to have her stand up for me. And when he and I had really tough trouble reaching agreement on really important occasions, and he'd get really recalcitrant and bullheaded and his back would go in the air. I would say all right, Teddy, I'm going to go see Eunice. He'd say no, no, no, don't do that.

(LAUGHTER)

He said, don't do that. We'll work it out. Well, Eunice had a great effect on both of us and we loved her very, very much.

The love Teddy had for his family provided him with insight and empathy for others. This was reflected in his use on policy and in his dealings with his friends.

When I lost my parents -- I might add when Teddy lost his wonderful mother -- I snuck up here to Boston. I didn't tell him I was coming and I just thought I would sneak into the back of this beautiful Catholic church and just pay my respect. But they caught me and he moved me right up closer to family.

When I lost my parents, Ted was there with empathetic words and sincere sympathy. Ted was a man experienced with facing family tragedy, having grieved more than his share. And yet he became stronger for it. He and Vicki flew to Utah to attend my mother's funeral. I didn't know they were coming. It was a gesture that will always mean a great deal to me.

It was in that humble Mormon church and I had to give the eulogy. So, he was right on the front row with my family and I just gave him the business as much as everybody else. But it was wonderful and I'll never forget it.

I love Vicki Kennedy as well. She's been a tremendously wonderful wife to my friend, Ted.

(APPLAUSE)

I've said publicly that I have seen -- I've been present to witness two major changes in Ted Kennedy's life and career. The first was after the elections of 1980. Free from the pressures that come from presidential ambitions, Teddy returned to the Senate with a singular focus on accomplishing his legislative goals, on building consensus and doing good for the American people. The second change was for those that knew Teddy, I think much more profound. It's when he met and married Vicki.

Before he met Vicki, Teddy was often burdened by the stresses that came with his life. Whether it was being patriarch to one of the most visible families in the country or being a prominent legislator, true enough on the surface, it seemed that Teddy had life that most people could only dream of. But I think at times the pressures that came with that life left him unable to enjoy it. That all changed when he met Vicki.

Vicki was the love and light of Teddy's life. Their marriage in many respects saved Teddy. He was forever a different man. He was still the fierce stubborn leader in the Senate he always was, but it was clear from that time on that he enjoyed his life and the role he played far more than he had in the past. Teddy and Vicki's marriage made him a better man and a better senator.

Well, I remember one time he got mad as heck at me and demanded to come to the office. I brought him in and he started yelling at me and finally, I just said, wait a minute. I said, you know, I wrote a song for you and Vicki. He said you did? (LAUGHTER)

I said yes. So you want to hear it? He said oh, yes. He forgot all about his anger. I just had a little cassette and I played it for him. He said I've got to have that. I've got to have that. It was called "Souls Along the Way." Actually that song was in "Oceans 12." You can't hear it, but it was in there. I could hear it, just barely.

Here I was working as usual, and I think July 3rd of that year in Salt Lake City and I get this phone call from Ted Kennedy. He was out on his boat, you know, as usual. And he said Orrin -- he said, I just played that song for Vicki. He said she's over there crying at the end of the boat. He said she loved it. I said that's great.

I said why aren't you working like I have to work? And he just laughed because he knew that his life was far different one from mine. And I laughed, too, because I knew it as well.

On my way back today, let me just say that I thought about our relationship and how much I sorely miss him. A couple of months ago, we met for our last hour together, had pictures taken together. That mean so much to me and I have to say it was a wonderful occasion.

And I miss fighting in public and joking with him in the background. I miss all the things that we knew we could do together and what he had to do with others as well.

On the way back today, I -- you know, I just thought about the apostle Paul who shortly before his death wrote, "For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand. I fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith."

So as I came back, I just wanted to write a few thoughts down in my own handwriting. And I hope you won't mind if I read them to you just before I finish.

Some are weak and some are strong. Some people go along to get along. Some people are larger than life. Some are born in poverty, some are born in wealth. Some are like a flashing light that dissipates in air.

Some are like a gift of life who never find a spare. Some fulfill their destiny. Others lose each day. Some are filled with daily joy, while others waste away. Some are like my liberal friend. God be with you till we meet again.

In the end, the good thing's won. He leaves the earth a better place. In the end, we all can smile. He cared for all the human race.

In the end, we all look back and see the many things. In the end, we all look up, he carried -- he's carried there on angels' wings. In the end, these in repose are greeting as we speak. In the end, the darling rose no longer has to seek.

I will miss my Irish friend. God be with you till we meet again. God bless this family. God bless all of you. Thanks so much.

(APPLAUSE)

Ted Kennedy Memorial Service: John Kerry