[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 2 (Thursday, January 24, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E20]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                IN MEMORY OF RADIO PERSONALITY JACK COLE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 24, 2002

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, radio listeners and fans of 
fine entertainment suffered a great loss on January 8, 2002, with the 
passing of Jack Cole. In a broadcasting career that spanned more than 
30 years, Jack provided both hard news and commentary to fans in 
Washington, DC, Boston, St. Louis, Phoenix, and South Florida. Early in 
his career, Jack worked in several jobs on Capitol Hill. His great love 
was journalism, though, and it is where he found his greatest success.
  Known throughout South Florida as the ``Inquisitor General,'' Jack 
Cole was a fixture on West Palm Beach radio stations since the 1980s. 
An unrepentant liberal, he interviewed the famous and the powerful, 
praising those he deemed worthy and condemning those who strayed from 
his ideal of honesty and sincerity. More than just a ``talk show 
host,'' Jack wrote and performed song parodies and entertained 
audiences with tales of his encounters with some of the 20th century's 
most interesting people.
  A brilliant man, Jack Cole infused his programs with references to 
opera, theater and classical music, and he educated his audiences with 
his take on famous events from world history. Jack's show, which he 
called ``World Headquarters,'' was truly a ``university of the air,'' 
and I was a frequent listener. Jack Cole has been referred to as a 
``renaissance man.'' I definitely agree with that assessment, and I 
will miss him greatly.

                          ____________________