mcdirector said:
His DIL is one of my best friends. She is dear and wonderful and precious to me. I taught two of his granddaughters who are also precious. What ever you think of him personally, he has a family who loved him.
For them I ache.
What a blessing it must be to know personally some of the late Jesse Helms' family!
With Jesse Helms, one seldom had to wonder where he stood on most any issue. While I'd didn't agree with him on some things, I admired his courage.
If you're old enough to remember the Soviets shooting down Korean Airlines Flight 007 on Sept. 1, 1983 (the one on which GA Democratic congressman Larry McDonald was riding), you may be surprised to know that Jesse Helms was riding on its sister flight KAL 015.
Both planes were at the Anchorage, Alaska, airport. Both were headed to Seoul, South Korea. Both Rep. McDonald and Sen. Helms were on their way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the treaty commiting the US to help defend South Korea. KAL 007 took off before KAL 015.
But before KAL 007 took off, Sen. Helms had this to say about two very special little girls (3 & 5) that were accompanying their parents on that flight:
"I'll never forget that night when that plane was just beside ours at Anchorage airport with two little girls [Stacy & Noelle Grenfell] and their parents...I taught them, among other things, to say 'I love you' in the deaf language, and the last thing they did when they turned the corner was stick up their little hands and tell me they loved me."
Senator Helms will be missed.