UPI Archives By (0) DALLAS -- John Tower was remembered by one of his closest associates Friday as, 'the cornerstone of the Republican Party,' who brought intellect and reason to the floor of the U.S. Senate. 'He was not a backslapping politician,' said Paul Eggers, a one- time Republican gubernatorial candidate in Texas and a long-time Tower friend. 'He was a very intelligent man. I was in Washington many times and saw him operate on the floor of the Senate. He brought reason to debate on the floor.' Advertisement Tower, the first Republican since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate from Texas, died Friday in a Georgia plane crash that also killed his daughter, Marian, and 17 other people.