[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 18, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H6479-H6480]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HOUSTON JOURNALISM LOSES ONE OF ITS FINEST

  (Mr. FIELDS of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House

[[Page H6480]]

for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with a great deal of sadness 
that I wish to bring to the attention of my colleagues the untimely 
passing last evening of Stephen Gauvain, a constituent of mine who, for 
the past 14 years, has kept Houstonians informed of important events in 
our local community and around the globe.
  Steve, a journalist with KTRK-TV in Houston, was killed in a tragic 
traffic accident just minutes after giving a live television report 
from Huntsville, where he was covering a high-profile murder case.
  Steve's passing is, of course, a tremendous loss for his family--his 
wife, Jan, and his three sons: Stephen, Jr.; Taggart; and Dustin. To 
them, to Steve's extended family, and to his coworkers at KTRK-TV, 
Houston's ABC affiliate, I extend my deepest and most sincere sympathy.
  Steve's untimely death was a loss for everyone in the Houston 
metropolitan area who had come to depend on his journalistic skill and 
his dedication to getting the story. Since 1984, Steve had served as 
KTRK-TV's space reporter. It was a high compliment to Steve that he was 
selected to cover space for the No. 1 television station in Houston--
home of the Johnson Space Center and a city known widely as Space City.
  As channel 13's space reporter, Steve covered more than 60 space 
shuttle missions, including the last, ill-fated flight of the 
Challenger. Following that disaster, Steve also kept Houstonians 
informed of the investigation into the cause of the accident, and he 
prepared an extraordinary series of reports on NASA's slow and painful 
program to recover from the Challenger disaster.
  In 1988, Steve won the Aviation/Space Writers Association's award for 
the best locally produced television series for his reports on NASA's 
road to recovery. That same series also won Steve a second-place award 
for investigative reporting from the Houston Press Club.
  Steve's interest in aviation and space exploration was well known. 
Throughout his distinguished career, Steve covered numerous aviation 
stories and flew with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds last year. In 
addition, Steve was a quarter-finalist in NASA's ``Journalist in 
Space'' program.
  Mr. Speaker, I know that you join with me in extending our deep 
sympathy to Jan Gauvain and her three sons, to Steve's extended family, 
to Steve's coworkers at KTRK-TV, and to Steve's journalistic colleagues 
in Houston. His passing is a loss to all of us who knew him, who worked 
with him, and who appreciated his dedication and professionalism. We 
will miss him.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. FIELDS of Texas. I yield to the gentlewoman from Texas.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am very much pleased to join 
the gentleman from Texas to honor Steve Gauvain and to acknowledge as 
well my great respect for his journalistic ability, but also his 
commitment to the Houston community. We recognize that when Steve 
Gauvain did a story, it was out of Compassion, knowledge, a sense of 
respect for the individuals that he queried, and, of course, a love for 
our community.
  It is with great sadness that I join my colleague from Texas, and 
applaud him for coming to the floor, and to add my sympathies to 
Stephen's wife and children and, of course, his Channel 13 family. I 
hope that all of us will give to them our prayers and remember him for 
his service to our community.
  Mr. FIELDS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I know the gentlewoman would agree 
with me because she has been interviewed many times by Stephen, how 
professional he was, how well prepared. The gentlewoman mentioned the 
word ``compassion.'' Certainly that fit him perfectly. I thought he was 
one of the finest reporters whom I ever had the pleasure to work with.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. If the gentleman will yield further, I 
certainly agree. I thank the gentleman. Let me also say he had a love 
for NASA and the Johnson Space Center, and I appreciate all of his 
leadership on that issue. I thank the gentleman for his leadership on 
the floor.

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