Jesse Helms: A life on the right

' Being remembered isn't important. What is important is standing up for what you believe to be right, hoping that you have done everything you can to preserve the moral and spiritual principles that made America great in the first place.'

FROM HELMS' FAREWELL SENATE SPEECH

There was no in-between with Jesse Helms.

Compromise was not a concept that he embraced during his 30 years in the U.S. Senate. Helms believed in standing his ground, even in defeat, on issues ranging from civil rights to communism to Social Security.

Nor was there an in-between in how people felt about Helms.

You loved him or hated him. North Carolina elected him to the U.S. Senate five times, but each victory was narrow.

That divide is reflected in the stories readers chose to share about their memories of Helms.

Many told tales of Helms reaching out to them or their families in times of need. Others praised his willingness to take a stand, no matter how unpopular. Or his ability to cut through the federal red tape that had snagged one of his constituents. Even his sense of humor.

Others, though, recalled a Helms who fought efforts by blacks, gays and others to gain a stronger foothold in American society. Of the unsightly shadow that they believed Helms cast over North Carolina. Their memories of Helms were not so fond.

The debate continues.