Former Vermont Senator Stafford (R) Dies at 93

[LetsGoMurphys]

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Former Sen. Robert Stafford, a staunch environmentalist and champion of education whose name is familiar to countless college students through a loan program named for him, died Saturday. He was 93.

Stafford, who had been in declining health, was surrounded by family at a Rutland nursing home when he died at 9:30 a.m., said Neal Houston, his former chief of staff.

Stafford served two years as governor, 11 years in the House and 17 in the Senate before retiring in early 1989.

As ranking Republican on the Senate's environment committee, Stafford repeatedly defended the Superfund program to clean up contaminated sites and shepherded bills combating acid rain and automobile pollution.

In 1988, Congress renamed the Federal Guaranteed Student Loan program the Robert T. Stafford Student Loan program. The low-interest loans are now known almost universally as Stafford loans to the millions who qualify for them each year.

According to the federal Education Department, about 14 million Stafford loans were given to postsecondary students in 2006.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/23/AR2006122300305.html>

[brentspeak]

1. An old-school, Eisenhower Republican -- a kind we could use more of these days

RIP, Senator Stafford.

[Botany]

2. Robert Stafford .... America is a better country because of you.

Student loans & fighting for the environment.

Good on you Sen. Stafford.



May the October blaze of the maple trees find your soul @ peace.

[pansypoo53219]

3. i could have gotten one of those.

but the pell grants were enough. but we certainly need more of him to clense out the newties and fuxians.

[Botany]

4. Nothing wrong with some old school republicans

Ike, Rockefeller, Margaret Smith, Lodge, Chuck Percy, and some others at least
cared about more then money.

[rpannier]

5. RIP

A quality individual and a quality public servant from the republikkan party.
Too bad they're such a small minority.

[cali]

6. What Senator Stafford said

Here's what he said in 2000 when the aftermath of the enacting of civil unions was truly wreaking havoc in Vermont:


"I consider that love is one of the great forces in our society and especially in our state of Vermont," Stafford said days before the election. "It occurs to me that even if a same-sex couple unites in love, what harm does that do anybody or any society? So I felt compelled to come here and say that."

It still brings tears to my eyes that this aged man who very rarely addressed the public after his retirement in 1989, ralllied himself to address Vermonters on this.


RIP, Senator Stafford in the arms of these worn green mountains.

[CreekDog]

7. Do these guys get Endangered Species' Protections?

Heck, they should, I think there are very few Republicans of this type still around.