[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 52 (Thursday, April 15, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E673]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO SARAH NEWCOMB McCLENDON

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 1999

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in 
salute of Texas-born reporter Sarah Newcomb McClendon and her 
pioneering efforts as a member of the Washington, DC press corps.
  Ms. McClendon was born in Tyler, Texas. She has been a reporter for 
nearly 70 years and has covered eleven Presidents since 1994. She has 
covered the White House with wit and directiveness for more than fifty 
years. Like a true Texas woman, she has earned respect from many for 
her toughness that is always tempered with a touch of charm.
  Prior to moving to Washington, Ms. McClendon received her journalism 
degree from the University of Missouri in 1931. She worked for the 
Courier-Times and Tyler Morning Telegraph in Tyler, Texas. She also was 
a reporter for the Texas newspaper the Beaumont Enterprise. In 1944 she 
became a National Correspondent for the Philadelphia Daily News. In 
1946 she made her pilgrimage to Washington, DC, where she founded the 
McClendon News Service which she still runs today.
  Her awards, which read like a who's who in journalism, include the 
Woman of Achievement Award for Texas Press Women, the National 
Federation of Women Award, Public Relations award from the American 
Legion and the first recipient of the Presidential Award for Journalism 
in Washington.
  Sarah McClendon has helped pave the way for many women journalists 
and writers. In a field where women are often not heard, she has not 
relied on good manners to do her job. Instead, she has made people 
listen and answer her tough questions often forcing many Presidents to 
do double takes.
  Her never-give-up interviewing style has made her both loved and 
feared. However, at the end of the day, she is the one who has asked 
the questions her readers care about most.
  Mr. Speaker, Sarah McClendon has covered Washington with persistence 
and good humor. Her ability as a reporter has demonstrated that she 
truly has printers ink coursing through her veins.

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