congress with dennis chavez in the late 1950's and early 1960's. he always said what he saw in senator chavez was a visionary and a man of courage. when senator chavez left this world in 1962, he was eulogized by vice president lyndon johnson. in that eulogy, vice president johnson remembered senator chavez as, quote -- "a man who recognized that there must be a champion for the least among us ." and four years later, when the u.s. congress placed senator chavez' statue in statuary hall, reverend john spence summed up the man nicely." senator chavez was ever a champion of the underdog, the poor, and the oppressed." but it's the quote inscribed at the bottom of the statue that best reveals the pbgc legacy of senator dennis chavez. written in three languages, spanish, english, and navajo, it reads simply he left a mark that will never be forgotten in the hopes that others will follow." el senator makes me proud to be a new mexican and humbled to follow in his footsteps, representing the great state of new mexico. america is a better place because of s