[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 31 (Thursday, February 16, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2819-S2820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO DONALD ``COOTIE'' MASTERS

  Mr. PRESSLER. Mr. President, I rise to pay tribute to Donald 
``Cootie'' Masters, the newspaper publisher in my hometown, who 
recently passed away. D.J. Masters was not only a publisher of a weekly 
newspaper, he was also a State legislator. He was a fine man, and an 
inspiration to me.
  I think that the role of the weekly editor in America has been 
overlooked. The importance of the women and men who run our smalltown 
newspapers is seldom recognized.
  Our weekly newspapers have almost been forgotten in this 
telecommunications age, when we have satellite TV, when we have all the 
various modern technologies. But our weekly newspapers are still there 
at the heart of their communities.
  I received the Humboldt Journal even when I was in the Army in 
Vietnam. My mother bought me a subscription and sent it. I received the 
Humboldt Journal when I was away at the University of South Dakota and 
later when I was a student at Oxford University in England, and then at 
Harvard Law School. I still get the Humboldt Journal at home.
  You cannot get the weekly hometown paper out of the boy, I suppose 
you could say.
  D.J. Masters was a true South Dakotan. He took great pride in his 
work, his family, his community, and his faith. He was an example and 
inspiration to many.
  I do not know if many people really understand the positive impact on 
the lives of South Dakotans that the editors of our weekly papers have.
  As the editor of my hometown newspaper, the Humboldt Journal,
   Cootie Masters was part of the lives of thousands of South Dakotans.

  Born on July 7, 1906, Cootie began his rich and fulfilling life in 
the town of Humboldt, SD. This small town upbringing and his strong 
family ties instilled in him a deep respect for traditional values. He 
graduated from Humboldt High School in 1924 and went on to attend the 
University of South Dakota. I would like to note that in 1924 it was 
quite an accomplishment for a young student from a small town to attend 
college. This was only the beginning of Cootie's many achievements.
  In addition to his studies at USD, Cootie participated in basketball 
and was a fraternity brother in Delta Tau Delta. He demonstrated at a 
young age the importance in life of social involvement and balance 
between intellectual and physical pursuits.
  After Cootie graduated from college, he became involved in his family 
business. His father owned and operated the Humboldt Journal and passed 
on his business knowledge to Cootie. Cootie's father died suddenly in 
1936, leaving Cootie as the sole owner and editor of the Journal. 
Anyone you may know in a family business will tell you that 
successfully passing on a family business to the next generation is 
much more difficult than most people realize. Cootie not only succeeded 
in taking over the Journal in 1936, but also was successful in 
operating it until well after his official retirement. That is no small 
feat.
  Cootie's life involved much more than his newspaper work. He 
contributed to the whole State of South Dakota by serving in the State 
house as a representative from Minnehaha County from 1936 to 1941.
  Cootie balanced his successful business and political careers with 
devotion to his family and friends. On June 12, 1933, he began his 
family by marrying Mildred Newton. Cootie and Mildred had three sons: 
Neal, Tom, and Bob. Today, the Masters family includes 7 grandchildren 
and 11 great-grandchildren. I know that Cootie considered his family to 
be the most precious blessing in his life.
  Aside from his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, what 
may have kept Cootie young for so long was his robust enjoyment of 
life. After college, he continued to participate in baseball and 
basketball. He also 
[[Page S2820]] loved the outdoors. An avid sportsman, Cootie enjoyed 
fishing and hunting. He certainly picked the right State for enjoying 
the great outdoors.
  What is most impressive about Cootie is that with all of his public 
activities, he is still described as a man with not one enemy.
  Cootie was a true friend to me, to our community, and to our State. I 
will always remember him fondly.
  I extend my deepest sympathies to the Masters family on the loss of 
their beloved Cootie.
  Mr. President, I pay tribute not only to him but to the weekly 
newspapers of South Dakota and to the South Dakota State House of 
Representatives from which he served during his career.

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