[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 101 (Friday, July 24, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO SUSAN GAIL YOACHUM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 24, 1998

  Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Susan Gail Yoachum, a 
magnificent human being and extraordinary journalist of the San 
Francisco Bay Area who passed away on June 22, 1998. She was the 
devoted wife of Mike Carlson, the daughter of Betty and the late 
Charles G. Yoachum, and the sister and relative of Charles Yoachum and 
his family of Dallas.
  Susan Yoachum was a star from the moment she was born in Dallas, 
Texas on May 12, 1955. Her passion for writing emerged early in her 
life as she became the National Spelling Champion in 1969. She pursued 
her talent at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, from which she 
graduated in 1975 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in journalism and 
political science.
  She was a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, the Independent 
Journal in Marin County, the San Jose Mercury News, and the San 
Francisco Chronicle, covering some of the largest political stories of 
her era. Her talent for seeking out and delivering breaking stories 
went unmatched in political journalism. This talent was recognized in 
1990, when she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize for 
breaking news, and again in 1994, when she was honored as Journalist of 
the Year by the Northern California chapter of the Society of 
Professional Journalists. She earned a reputation amongst her peers and 
those about whom she wrote as a tenacious, witty, and sophisticated 
reporter, armed always with a penetrating question and a warm smile. 
Since 1990, she had covered national, state, and local politics for the 
San Francisco Chronicle, where she was promoted to Political Editor in 
1994. As a popular political analyst, she was often a guest on TV and 
radio programs, from CNN's ``Inside Politics'' to a myriad of Bay Area 
radio shows.
  In 1991, Susan Yoachum was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. 
During her seven-year struggle with breast cancer, she not only 
continued to produce brilliant work, but she also became a breast 
cancer activist. In an effort to raise awareness about this horrible 
disease, she frequently spoke to women's organizations, political 
groups, and fellow victims. In 1997, she courageously wrote about her 
own battle with cancer, announcing that after being in remission since 
1992, her cancer had returned. She strove to humanize the statistic 
that 180,000 women get breast cancer every year, personalizing the cold 
facts with her own face.
  Mr. Speaker, Susan Yoachum was an inspiration to us all. She educated 
us with her sharp journalistic talent, she personalized and publicized 
what breast cancer is about, she fought for a cure, and she made 
lasting contributions to our community and our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to a 
woman who lived a remarkable yet all too brief life. We extend our 
deepest sympathy to Mike Carlson and the entire Yoachum family. Susan 
Yoachum's life was an example of the strength of the human spirit, and 
because of her, hope lives on.

                          ____________________