Congressional Record

PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 106TH CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
Vol. 146 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, MARCH 23, 2000 No. 34

Mr. BAUCUS. Mr. President, today I want to pay tribute to a young man, Sean-Michael Miles. Slightly over a year ago, his life was taken tragically in an automobile accident in Bozeman, Montana, while he was home celebrating the Christmas holidays with his family. Everyone privileged to know Sean was touched by his contagious zest for life. He was among the very BEST to emerge from our State, from "The Last Best Place." He was a shining star. He was my friend.

Sean's father and I grew up as neighbors. We went to school together and remained close friends ever since. I might add, Sean's grandmother, affectionately known as Granny Miles, was one of my baby sitters. I know this family well. Their strength and love for one another is an inspiration to all of us who know them. Sean-Michael's future was as bright as one could imagine. He graduated at the top of his class in Bozeman High School in 1997, and was selected by his class mates to deliver the commencement address. That same address, filled with his familiar compassion for our Native American heritage, is still talked about today. Such was its honesty, its power, its celebration of promise.

At Princeton University, where Sean was in his second year, he was admired as an exceptional writer, accomplished artist and musician. Perhaps a classmate put it best: "Sean was totally brilliant and completely humble. A cool combination!" A cool combination indeed. Following his graduation from Princeton, Sean intended to return to his beloved Montana and commit himself to a career dedicated to writing and the preservation of our last remaining wild lands. Sean enjoyed considerable gifts, and was truly living up to them.

Sean wanted to make the world a better place, and believed completely that one person can truly make a difference. There was no cynicism in his life. He befriended the friendless, and remembered the forgotten. Above all, he was making a difference. It is a loss for Montana and beyond our boundaries as well. Professor John McPhee of Princeton echoed such sentiments. I quote, "By my lights, Sean-Michael Miles was the best that we can do - bright, responsive, hardworking, clear in expression, clear in thought, and with a personality immediately likeable, immediately demanding respect. We will all miss him terribly."

Sean enjoyed a way with words. I would like to share a small piece of his brilliant work.

After climbing atop a remote buffalo jump, he discovered the "drive lines" that the Native tribes of our region used centuries ago to funnel herds of bison over the cliff's edge. Looking out beyond that edge, toward the vast expanse of the Absoorka Beartooth Wilderness, Sean wrote, "Whenever I think of the changes sweeping over Montana like a spring storm, a lump forms in my throat. My first breath was drawn from mountain air.

"Yet I know that this land may pay a price for being beautiful, as change advances, carrying with it the prospect of loss. It is a land I desperately love. It is a part of me. It hurts so much to care so much. Yet as a Westerner, I am invited to breathe it all in deeply each day.

"Despite change and loss, a drive line containing wisdom offered through memories stretches before me. For now I am satisfied to walk along its path, eyes fixed on what remains a geography of hope."

Sean-Michael Miles was proud to live his entire life surrounded by the majestic spine of mountains that he fondly referred to with the Blackfeet phrase, "the backbone of the world."

Mr. President, Sean's death casts a dark shadow over the future for those of us who knew and loved him. Yet it is the light he offers that we commemorate today.

I have risen today to announce that I will create a fellowship in Sean's name that will focus on the conservation issues that were so dear to him. I am also pleased and honored to announce that the first Congressional Fellow serving in the prestigious position will be Sean's beloved sister Michelle. Her younger sister, Shaleen, once served as Democratic page on the floor of the Senate. So today Michelle, who is sitting behind me, I welcome you to my staff, and I know that you bring with you your brother's finest qualities. May the legacy of Sean-Michael Miles, who walked with the silent feet of reverence through the wilds, forever serve as a source of inspiration for generations to come.

Thank you.