[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 89 (Friday, June 28, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1193-E1194]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO JERRY L. BLOCKER, LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD WINNER, METRO 
              DETROIT SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DAVID E. BONIOR

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 27, 2002

  Mr. BONIOR. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a man whose 
leadership and achievements in broadcast television and journalism span 
the decades and have touched the lives of so many across southeastern 
Michigan and beyond. Each year the Metro Detroit Society of 
Professional Journalists holds its annual banquet, a celebration 
honoring local journalists and the recent work they have accomplished. 
This banquet, traditionally the biggest Society of Professional 
Journalists event of the year, also honors distinguished journalists 
who have shown outstanding dedication to journalism and whose 
contributions continue to leave a lasting impression on all those in 
the field, with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. This year, 
on June 26, 2002, the Metro Detroit Society of Professional Journalists 
honored three local journalists with Lifetime Achievement Awards, and 
among them they honored Jerry L. Blocker posthumously, who died on 
October 31 at age 70.
  A pioneer for African American journalists in Detroit, Jerry Blocker 
was truly a model and a mentor for so many television journalists. 
Hired by Channel 4 after the 1967 Detroit riots, his work paved the way 
for so many young African Americans with aspirations for television 
journalism. He anchored weekend newscasts until 1975, and following a 
long and prosperous career, he retired from broadcast work in the early 
1990s and established his own public relations firm, Jerry Blocker 
Enterprises, in Farmington Hills. Known for his characteristic low-key 
and matter-of-fact style, he devoted his life and profession to 
providing the highest standards of journalistic excellence,
  Jerry Blocker always gave one hundred percent in every aspect of his 
life; his work, his

[[Page E1194]]

community, his family and his friends. Those who had the pleasure of 
knowing him and the benefit of working with him will surely continue to 
remember him as a dedicated, faithful friend to all. He will truly be 
missed.
  I applaud Jerry Blocker and the Metro Detroit Society of Professional 
Journalists for their leadership, commitment, and service, and I urge 
my colleagues to join me in saluting them for their exemplary years of 
leadership and service.

                          ____________________