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CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Glen Brogan is 25 years old, which means Sen. Robert C. Byrd had already been in office for more than 30 years before Brogan was even born.

That did not stop him from coming to the state Capitol on Friday to honor the late West Virginia senator, who died Monday at age 92.        

"I wanted to pay my respects to him but, more than that, I thought it would be a good place for West Virginians to gather," Brogan said.

Many West Virginians of all parties, ages and races came together to remember Byrd on the north side of the Capitol building.

"You can't deny that Robert Byrd has done a tremendous amount for this state," Brogan said.

In his 57 years in Washington, Byrd secured millions upon millions of dollars in federal funding for numerous projects, including highways, bridges, hospitals and schools.

Patrick Quinlan of St. Albans said he sees Byrd as the state's greatest friend.

"He was not only a great senator but a great person," Quinlan said. "There won't be another Senator Byrd."            

Christopher Miller of Beckley knows firsthand just how hard Byrd worked for his constituents.

"Nobody was more committed to West Virginia than the senator," said Miller, who worked as a constituent caseworker in Byrd's office from 2004 to 2006. "No one will ever be able to fill his shoes, with regards to what he's accomplished for West Virginia."

Since Byrd's death, many have wondered who will take his place in the Senate. Martha Layman of Scott Depot said Byrd laid the appropriate base for his works to continue, no matter who his successor might be.

"No one can replace him, but he's set a good foundation," she said. "If everyone looks to his principles and tries to do likewise, I think the next person has a good chance. I'm optimistic for the state."

Vicki Hobb of Greenville, S.C., made the trip because her mother, a West Virginia native, could not. Hobb said she grew up knowing about Byrd because of family trips back to West Virginia. Although Hobb appreciates what Byrd has done, she is excited to see what the future holds.

"I respect what he has accomplished for this state," she said. "I also think there is time for new blood and new ideas, too. It's time to pass it on to the next generation."

Quinlan said he met Byrd a few years ago at the National Guard's Camp Dawson, in Preston County, and was impressed by his humility.

"He was just so genuine, it was unbelievable," Quinlan said.

Quinlan credits Byrd's upbringing in Southern West Virginia coal camps with shaping him into the leader he was.

"Now you have to start out with money and power to even have a chance," he said. "He was always here in West Virginia. He knew where his roots were."

Byrd's roots were in Sophia and Stotesbury, small towns near Beckley. Many Sophia residents knew Byrd personally and grew up with him in the coal camps, said Jeffery Pittman, chief of the Sophia City Fire Department, who was on hand for Friday's service.

In Sophia, he said, Byrd is an icon.

"He did a lot for the town; he was a very big advocate for us," Pittman said. "He was loved by the people there. We're going to miss him."

Northward, well away from the Southern coalfields, Byrd also is idolized, said Mineral County Commissioner Cindy Pyles.

"He is everything that a public servant wants to be," she said.

Reach Whitney Burdette at whitney.burde...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5100.