Originally from Massachusetts, Mcintyre said she regretted not being apart of Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral and did not want to miss out on Byrd's. Politicians such as Byrd and Kennedy are in short supply, she said.
"I sent him an e-mail notification about some environmental issue and the guy sent a letter back. Now that's a human touch," Mcintyre said.
One man draped himself in the West Virginia flag said he was proud to walk behind Byrd's coffin. William Hunter 42, from South Charleston said he has never known a life without Byrd.
Like Byrd, Hunter said, he was an American second and a West Virginian first.
Some took time to reflect on Byrd's political history, including his recent opposition to the Iraq War.
Mary Ellen O'Farrell, a member of the anti-war group Patriots for Peace who had a son serving in Baghdad, said Byrd was a great man for defending what he believed in.
"I would thank him for the courage and the foresight he has shown. He will be remembered as a great and wise man," she said.
Reach Travis Crum at travis.c...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5100.
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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- More than 1,000 people lined the streets of downtown Charleston on Thursday to remember and pay tribute to Sen. Robert C. Byrd.
The young and the old, from those dressed in T-shirts and shorts to those dressed in business suits, came out to be a part of a moment in West Virginia's history.
For some, the moment was to pay respects to a man they said was a fearless advocate for residents of the state. Others cited purely emotional reasons for wanting to walk behind Byrd's coffin as it made its way to the state Capitol.
Danny Cook, 46, came from Boone County because he wanted to lay flowers at Byrd's coffin. Cook said he came to know Byrd after he visited him at his Washington office in the late 90's.
"I looked up to him, he was a great man and he did a good job as ... senator," Cook said.
Charleston resident Bill Rectenwald, 62, held back tears as he spoke about Byrd's character and love for the state.
Rectenwald said he met Byrd in 1966 while serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He said Byrd visited his unit to talk to the seamen from West Virginia.
"He said, 'Young man, how are they treating you?'" Rectenwald said.
Regina Mcintyre, 51, of Fairmont, said she wanted to pay her respects to Byrd even though she has lived in the state for just three years.
Originally from Massachusetts, Mcintyre said she regretted not being apart of Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral and did not want to miss out on Byrd's. Politicians such as Byrd and Kennedy are in short supply, she said.
"I sent him an e-mail notification about some environmental issue and the guy sent a letter back. Now that's a human touch," Mcintyre said.
One man draped himself in the West Virginia flag said he was proud to walk behind Byrd's coffin. William Hunter 42, from South Charleston said he has never known a life without Byrd.
Like Byrd, Hunter said, he was an American second and a West Virginian first.
Some took time to reflect on Byrd's political history, including his recent opposition to the Iraq War.
Mary Ellen O'Farrell, a member of the anti-war group Patriots for Peace who had a son serving in Baghdad, said Byrd was a great man for defending what he believed in.
"I would thank him for the courage and the foresight he has shown. He will be remembered as a great and wise man," she said.
Reach Travis Crum at travis.c...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5100.
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