[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 7 (Wednesday, January 15, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S845-S846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BOB STEELE

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I rise to honor a man who over 
the course of three generations brought joy into millions of 
Connecticut homes, Bob Steele. Bob died on Friday, December 6 at the 
age of 91 after a wonderful life and career on and off the airwaves.
  Bob was with WTIC in the weekday early morning slot for an astounding 
55 years, from 1936 to 1991. And he even continued doing the show for 
the past decade, after his official retirement, on the first Saturday 
of most months. He hosted his last broadcast on November 2 of this 
year, at age 91.
  For all that time, we in Connecticut woke up with Bob, and that made 
our days a bit brighter. He would talk about the world. He would 
predict sports scores. He would play from his eclectic collection of 
music, and whistle some tunes himself. He would carefully pronounce and 
define the word of the day. He would tell corny jokes, which, I must 
admit, are my favorite kind. He would tell us the secret to making 
great scrambled eggs. He would remind us not to leave the house without 
our keys.
  The broadcast I have described may sound more fitting for a small 
town

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than for a State of nearly 3\1/2\ million people. But that is the way 
Bob was. He was always, pun intended, on our wavelength, always on our 
frequency.
  That is what made Bob a legend. That is what got him enshrined in the 
Radio Hall of Fame, the same hall where Jack Benny and Bob Hope are 
canonized.
  The life he lived and the legacy he leaves are even more amazing when 
you consider Bob's personal journey. He grew up in Kansas City, MO, 
with his mother, who rented rooms in their apartment to pay the bills. 
Bob made ends meet himself by delivering telegrams by bicycle and then 
delivering emergency drug prescriptions by motorcycle. After high 
school, he tried professional boxing as a welterweight, but couldn't 
quite hack it in the ring. So he headed out West to Los Angeles, where 
he got a few bit parts and took to announcing motorcycle races. Then, 
in the spring, 1936 season, a Hartford motorcycle race promoter 
recruited him. With no money in his pocket, not even enough to pay the 
YMCA the $1 deposit they required for a room, he came to Connecticut. 
Since then things have never been the same over the airwaves of our 
great state.
  We should have a special appreciation for Bob Steele today. In this 
era of nonstop news, shrill political debate, and shock jocks, Bob's 
voice, one of strength, warmth, kindness, and gentle humor, will 
resonate for generations.
  When he wasn't on the airwaves, Bob was a great family man, and a 
champion of literacy throughout Connecticut's communities. Bob helped 
create the Bob Steele Literacy Volunteers Reading Center in Hartford 
and wrote a book called, ``The Word for the Day: 65 Years of Wit & 
Wisdom on Mispronunciation.''
  Wit and wisdom were two things he had in surplus. One morning a few 
years ago, when Bob blew a cue, something that was very rare for 
someone so seasoned, he recovered gracefully. ``That 5-second pause was 
due to my inexperience,'' he said. ``I'm new here.''
  The word of the day, which Bob taught us every single morning, was 
his trademark. In that spirit, let me suggest that one word exemplified 
every day in Bob's life and career. That word is ``friend.''
  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his widow Shirley, their four sons 
Robert, Paul, Philip and Steven, and their grandchildren and great 
grandchildren. May God bless them and bless the memory of Bob 
Steele.

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