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121 ■ The Clarion-Ledger/Jackson Daily News ■ Sunday, January 8,1989
Senator’s proteges are political, business leaders
File photo
Sen. John C. Stennis poses with then-Lieutenant Governor William Winter, left, Phil Abernathy, and then-Mississippi State Uni-
U.S. Sen. John C. Stennis touched a large number of lives during his 41-year Senate career, with many of his proteges later moving on to become political and business leaders.
One of Stennis’ most famous proteges is former Gov. William Winter, who worked for the senator as a legislative assistant in 1950 and 1951.
Winter, who served as governor from 1980 to 1984, succeeded Frank Smith, who served as Stennis’ publicity officer in the 1947 campaign and went to Washington with the freshman senator.
Smith later left Stennis to wage his own successful race for Congress.
Among the others who have worked for the senator in the past four decades:
■	Charles Jackson, acting stafte Department of Corrections commissioner.
■	Charles Overby, former executive editor of The Clarion-Ledger/Jackson Daily News and now Gannett Co. Inc. executive vice president/news.
■	Jesse White, director of the Southern Growth Policies Board, a North Carolina-based think tank.
■	Fred Slabach, former executive director of the Mississippi Democratic Party.
versity President William Giles in 1972.
■	Sam Wilhite, president of the Columbus and Greenville Railway, who worked for Stennis in his 1947 campaign.
■	Bill Spell Sr., attorney for the Hinds County Board of Supervisors and a key
player in the 1983 allegations that then gubernatorial candidate Bill Allain had sexual relations with several transvestites.
■	John Hailman, assistant U.S. attor-
ney for the Northern District of Mississippi.
■
This report was compiled by Clarion-Ledger staff writer Dan Davis.
Remembrances from:
Sam Nunn
For the last four decades,
John Stennis has personified the highest ideals of honor and integrity within the United States Senate. He is gentle and courteous in conduct, but tough and strong in conviction and character. Those of us who serve with him cherish his steadfast leadership, his fearless courage, his kindness toward others, his un- Nunn selfish devotion to public service, and his unsha-keable faith in God and in government by, of and for the people.
Long ago, Stennis said of another senator who had performed his duties well under great pressure: “He had the moral fiber, legal training, and the sense of devotion to duty ... more than that, he had a great spiritual reservoir that came to his rescue and served as a solid, strong foundation for him all the way through.”
That statement would apply even more to Sen. Stennis himself. He plowed his furrow straight across six decades of public life. John Stennis’ career in the Senate, and particularly his leadership of the Armed Services Committee, were an inspiration to me in my original decision to run for the Senate. From my first days in the Senate he was a patient mentor, a strong and valuable ally, and a cherished friend. As chairman of the Armed Services Committee, he set a standard that all his successors will strive to match.
When Sen. Stennis returned to the Senate after recovering from a robber’s gunshot wound, Sen. Scoop Jackson said, “The Senate is whole again.”
It is hard to imagine the United States Senate without John Stennis at his desk. The Senate, and the nation, will miss him, but his legacy of integrity, of selfless service to his country, will inspire generations to come.
■
Sam Nunn has represented Georgia as a Democrat in the U.S. Senate since 1972.
Remembrances from:
Warren Hood
Sen. John C. Stennis began his service in the United States Senate the same year I moved from Copiah County to Jackson.
That was 1948. We soon became good friends. Sen. Stennis immediately earned my deep admiration and respect. Although he moved up to the very highest levels of our national government in Washington — Hood serving as chairman of some of the most important committees in the Senate — he never forgot his many friends back home.
Throughout his career, Sen. Stennis has worked hard to make Mississippi a better place to live and work. Every section of the state has benefited from his wisdom, leadership and cooperation. No public figure in Mississippi in my memory has been more responsive to the needs of this state and its people than has Sen. Stennis. Through the years, our paths crossed from time to time at various types of meetings. His quiet, calm and businesslike approach to problems and his concern for those in need endeared him to everyone. He is a loyal and enthusiastic alumnus of Mississippi State University.
In recognition of this esteemed political leader and public servant, Mississippi State University some years ago established the John C. Stennis Chair in Political Science and Institute of Government — made possible by private gifts and donations. It was my privilege at one time to serve as Mississippi co-chairman of a drive to raise money for this worthy cause. The Stennis Chair and Institute of Government is helping to lift public service in our state to a new level of professionalism and effectiveness.
Now, as Sen. Stennis begins a new life of retirement, I join with others everywhere in paying tribute to this great Mississippian and wishing him Godspeed.
■
Warren Hood is chairman of the executive committee of Deposit Guaranty National Bank.
Remembrances from:
Jamie Whitten
It has been my privilege to serve on the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives while John Stennis has served in the Senate (as chairman of the Appropriations Committee.) This means we have worked together for legislation that has to be passed by both House and Senate.
There are many fine stories about the senator.
In one of his earliest campaigns, he promised to plow a straight furrow — a common expression in an agricultural area, meaning he would do the right thing from beginning to end.
This he repeated as state legislator, district attorney, circuit judge and United States senator — and the great thing is, he never so much as stumbled once.
At a political convention, when told in my presence that if he did not do as he was being requested, he would face the issue in the next election, John’s reply was, “If I were to yield to every threat, I’ve been there (in the Senate) too long already.”
This was typical.
When the Mississippi State Society had a party honoring Sen. Stennis, I had the privilege of telling the crowd that John and I were both Presbyterians and supposed to believe that what is to be will be — but I had noticed that John felt that if he put his shoulder to the wheel and tried hard enough, the Lord might nudge it a little bit on his side.
John Stennis has earned and enjoys the plaudits and respect of all who know him, without regard to party, race, religion, or location. Truly, his life — personal and political — is a fine example for all.
We shall miss John's presence but his good works as a public official and as a man will serve the nation always.
■
Jamie Whitten has represented Mississippi as a Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1941.