Published June 2005 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Celebrate West Virginia Day
June 20 is a special day for Mountaineers everywhere, as we commemorate the day when President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill which carved our state from the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is a day of great pride for our state and our people. For me, West Virginia is more than a state of the Union; it is a state of mind. "Mountaineers are always free" is more than a state motto; it is a spirit that runs through young and old alike. I have seen that spirit first hand. Growing up in the coalfields of Southern West Virginia, I watched as neighbor supported neighbor after a slate fall at the mine. I have stood with miners and steelworkers and so many others as they fought to put food on the table, to pay the doctors' bills, and to give their families good lives. I have helped as entrepreneurs take what once was just a vague idea and turn it into a new business and new opportunity. I have congratulated our young people as they receive their diplomas and embark on new adventures in their lives. I have marveled at the "joyful noise" made unto the Lord in our churches, as religious voices rise up together. Through all the years, in the face of so many challenges, at times of great success and in moments of deep anguish, we can all hold fast to our faith and to the spirit of West Virginia. In West Virginia, we work hard to leave our state and our country in better shape than when we found it. It may seem like a cliche to people who are new to our state, but, in West Virginia, that's just the way things are. On this 142nd anniversary of West Virginia's statehood, it is a time to give thanks to the Creator for the beauty around us -our majestic mountains and forests, our beautiful rivers, and our breathtaking landscape. It is also a time to rededicate ourselves to our state. Each West Virginian has a stake in the future. West Virginians, working together, can help to lift our state to a brighter day. With that strength, the days ahead will be filled, not just with the promise of hope but also with the satisfaction of success. Happy birthday, West Virginia! And many happy returns, now and always. June 8, 2005