Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, April 5, 1991 TAG: 9104050530
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B3 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
DuVal, 78, said on the floor of the Senate that he reached the decision after "considerable anguish and pains of withdrawal."
"You go from `Who's Who' to who's he," the Democrat quipped.
With his family watching from the Senate gallery, DuVal said he decided to quit while he and his wife, Sue, are still in good health.
DuVal, who has a liberal voting record, praised his colleagues for votes that challenged the powerful gun, oil and tobacco lobbies.
"You've had the courage when it became necessary to make the very, very tough votes," he said. "We've been ready to tangle with the 500-pound gorillas."
Following a tradition from his alma mater of Yale University, DuVal ended his farewell speech with a song. "You can always find a little sunshine in the Senate of V-A," he sang.
DuVal received a standing ovation from his fellow senators, who praised him for his courtly manner and service to Northern Virginia. His career has spanned four decades and six governors.
Senate Majority Leader Hunter Andrews, D-Hampton, called DuVal a "Virginia gentleman par excellence."
A New York City native who graduated from Yale University Law School, DuVal was first elected to the House of Delegates in 1965. He was elected to the Senate six years later.
He is a member of the powerful Senate Finance Committee as well as committees on Privileges and Elections, Commerce and Labor, Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources and Rules.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB