[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 16, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H4609-H4610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO VETERAN CORRESPONDENT ALAN EMORY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to recognize the 
work and career of an extraordinary man, Watertown Daily Times reporter 
Alan Emory. Indeed, June 7 marked Alan's 51st year with Watertown (New 
York) Daily Times.
  Alan has rightfully earned the recently bestowed title of Times 
senior Washington correspondent by serving 47 of his 51 years covering 
the Capital, covering all the stories, large and not so large, nearly 
one-half century of being a firsthand witness to the events of the day 
and, more importantly, reporting them accurately and intelligently and 
succinctly to thousands.
  Alan went to Watertown with impressive academic credentials. He was 
educated at Phillips Exeter Academy, Harvard University, and the 
Columbia Graduate School of Journalism; and, to this day, his writings 
reflect his remarkable education and intellect. But for all of that, it 
was his talent and hard work that helped him prove himself to editor 
and publisher Mr. Harold B. Johnson.

[[Page H4610]]

  It is amazing to me to think about how things have changed since Alan 
first arrived in Washington in 1951. He has covered the administrations 
of 10 presidents. He has covered our Nation's war and military 
deployments ever since the Korean Conflict.
  Alan's length of service is an important achievement. However, it is 
the manner with which he has served these 51 years that is indeed most 
impressive.
  I came to this town in 1992 and became the fourth Member of the House 
from New York's North Country area to be covered by Alan. For me, it 
was a real thrill, not the new office or duties of the town, even 
though that was all very exciting, but the opportunity to meet and work 
with this man.
  Like so many others, I grew up learning about the inside operations 
of our Federal Government through Alan's writings. Later, as a member 
of the New York State Senate, I looked to Alan's insightful articles in 
the respected Empire State Report to help me better under the 
connection of politics and government between New York State and the 
Nation's Capital.
  For someone like me, long a political junkie from northern New York, 
meeting Alan Emory was the literary equivalent of meeting Cal Ripken, a 
legend in their own time, legends who survive through a rare 
combination of talent, hard work, grace, and style.
  But for all of his talent, all of his skills and charm, the thing I 
think I admire most about Alan has been his sense of place, that all-
too-rare quality in a reporter who recognizes the difference between a 
news story and an op-ed piece, a man who has always understood that a 
news article must be about facts and that opinions are to be confined 
to other sections of the paper.
  Not to say that Alan is without opinion, nor that he is unable to 
express them. To the contrary, his weekly column on politics in the 
Sunday paper always informs, instructs and impresses with deft insight. 
But Alan has always known how to expertly write each story and where to 
place it. It is a skill sadly few others possess today.
  Happily, Alan will continue writing, will continue enlightening and 
informing but, hopefully, in a new way that will provide him and his 
wonderful bride and partner Nancy more time to enjoy their lives 
together, their family, their two sons Marc and John, and their 
daughter Katherine and their families. It is an opportunity they both 
richly, richly deserve.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, it is with honor that I rise today to state for 
the Record the partial achievements of a very remarkable man, to thank 
Alan Emory for his 51 years of contributions, and, on a personal note, 
to say that, in my nearly 30 years in public life, I have never met a 
reporter or a man in whom I hold higher respect and admiration.
  Thanks, Alan. You are the best.
  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. McHUGH. I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to associate myself 
with the remarks of my friend the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).
  Alan Emory currently resides in the 11th Congressional District, in 
Lake Barcroft, where he is a pillar of the community there. His respect 
reaches across regional lines in New York. He is a well-respected 
member of our community in Northern Virginia, where he and his wife and 
family has been active for a number of years.
  His political commentaries I think have been viewed nationally. He is 
very well-respected, and I am going to miss him. I would join my 
colleagues in wishing him and Nancy the very best in years to come.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments.
  Truly, I think Alan is admired by so many that there are a number of 
Members who care to share in this experience.
  Mr. Speaker, I include for the Record remarks by our colleague and 
friend the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon), who has some very, I 
think, insightful and kind words to say about this deserving man as 
well.
  Unfortunately, Chairman Solomon is involved in a meeting upstairs. 
But he has sent his best and I know wants to have the Congressional 
Record show his admiration for a very special man.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues, 
including my neighbor, Congressman John McHugh, to pay tribute to a 
true gentleman and veteran of the Washington Press Corps, Alan Emory. 
Alan is truly a dean of the Washington Press if ever there was one and 
is representative of the good old days of journalism when telling it 
like it is was the best measure of a journalist, not how much face time 
they can get as a talking head.
  Mr. Speaker, you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in this town with 
more wisdom and experience in the ways and the means of Washington than 
Alan. And the best part is, he's covered it for 47 of his 51 years 
while working exclusively for the same paper called the Watertown Times 
from a small upstate city of Watertown, New York. That sort of time and 
devotion is a rarity in itself nowadays and the people who read that 
paper have been done a great service all of these years by Alan's 
clear, concise and fair reporting. It must be comforting to know that 
for all those generations, he provided the readership with a window 
into the Capitol that they otherwise would have gone without.
  And I'm talking about an inside look that started before the outset 
of the Eisenhower Administration and has spanned across interviews with 
such American leaders as Nixon, Ford, Bush and Nancy Reagan, not to 
mention a host of other foreign dignitaries in travels with political 
leaders that have brought him to every corner of the world.
  Some, Mr. Speaker, might think it odd in this day and age for members 
of Congress like myself to recognize a political journalist like Alan. 
However, I can tell you it is because of his objectivity and fairness 
that I respect him such a great deal. He has covered me over the course 
of my career on a variety of issues even though his paper doesn't reach 
a large part of my district. And he has always conducted himself in the 
most professional manner, including in his profile of me after I 
assumed the Chairmanship of the House Rules Committee. I've never had a 
problem with someone who sheds light on some of my shortcomings as long 
as they were just as vigorous in their coverage of ways in which I 
served my constituents well.
  But perhaps most telling about Alan's career is his standing within 
the journalistic community and the Washington Press Corps. By their 
very nature, they're a tough lot to please. Still, Alan has managed to 
reach the leadership ranks of a whole host of press associations, 
including as President of the renowned Gridiron Club, and remains 
active to this day. I have always said one of the best measures of a 
person is his standing amongst his peers. By that measure, Mr. Speaker, 
Alan Emory goes unmatched.
  I would ask that all members of Congress join in honoring the 
outstanding career and public service of one of this town's most 
respected newsmen, Alan Emory of the Watertown Times. After 51 years, 
47 of them in Washington, he is still strong and exemplifies all that 
is good about his profession. And more than that, he is a clear 
demonstration to all of us that hard work can take you anywhere, even 
from a small daily in Upstate New York, to a one-man office in 
Washington, to the top of the ranks of his profession. Congratulations 
Alan, and many more years of success and happiness to you and your 
family.

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