Memorial Service Planned For Former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh

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INDIANAPOLIS  — A public memorial service is being planned at the Indiana Statehouse to honor former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, who died last month at the age of 91.

Bayh represented Indiana in the Senate for 18 years until he was defeated by Dan Quayle in 1980. Bayh’s time in the Senate was highlighted by his sponsorship of the landmark federal Title IX law banning discrimination against women in college admissions and sports. He also sponsored constitutional amendments lowering the voting age to 18 and allowing the replacement of vice presidents.

The state Democratic Party says the service is set for 12 p.m. May 1 in the south atrium of the Statehouse in Indianapolis.

Bayh’s son, Evan, followed him into Indiana politics, becoming the state’s governor and later a U.S. senator.