[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 89 (Tuesday, June 17, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S8007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE LIFE OF MEDIA REPORTING GIANT DAVID BRINKLEY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 172, which was 
submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 172) honoring the life of media 
     reporting giant David Brinkley, and expressing the deepest 
     condolences of the Senate to his family on his death.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I spend many of my Sunday mornings 
having coffee with Tony Snow, Tim Russert and Bob Schieffer. The Sunday 
morning talk shows are a chance for me--and I'm sure every Senator in 
this Chamber--to listen and participate in some of the best and most 
lively debates in America. While today's hosts are some of the best in 
the business, their foundation was built by a legend.
  ``This Week with David Brinkley'' was that foundation. His show was 
the first Sunday talk show I remember watching. David had a passion for 
politics and it showed on the air. He set a pattern for all the other 
hosts to follow. Last Wednesday, when David passed away at the age of 
82, America lost a friend.
  David's interest in journalism and politics started at a very early 
age. He was born in Wilmington, NC, on July 10 1920. David's first job 
in journalism was at the Wilmington Morning Star, where he wrote for 
the newspaper while still in high school. Following graduation, he 
attended the University of North Carolina and served in the North 
Carolina National Guard. In 1943, after his discharge from the service, 
David moved to Washington, DC, and landed a job with NBC as a radio 
reporter covering President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House.
  In 1956, David got his big break. He became a co-anchor with Chet 
Huntley during the Democratic and Republican political convention. I 
remember tuning in to David every night; in fact, I was probably the 
only 14-year-old in America that watched the conventions from gavel to 
gavel.
  David did such an outstanding job during the conventions that NBC 
decided to promote him to the nightly news. ``The Huntley-Brinkley 
Report'' premiered on October 29, 1956. This was NBC's nightly 
newscast, and it was the show that made David Brinkley a household 
name. Millions of Americans tuned in to the program nightly to get 
their news. Their show was so popular that, in the 1960s, David and 
Chet both had higher name recognition than the Beatles and John Wayne.
  What most Americans remember about the show was the way they signed 
off each night: ``Goodnight, Chet . . . Goodnight, David.'' It became 
one of the country's first catchphrases.
  David permanently said ``goodnight'' to ``The Huntley-Brinkley 
Report'' in 1970. He stayed at NBC for another 11 years, continuing to 
report, anchor and host a magazine show.
  In 1981, ABC arrived on the scene. The network offered him a Sunday 
morning talk show. ``This Week with David Brinkley'' was the first of 
its kind--an hour rather than 30 minutes, and it became a huge ratings 
hit.
  During his long and outstanding career, David covered 11 presidents, 
4 wars, 22 political conventions, a moon landing, and 3 assassinations. 
He wrote 3 books, won 10 Emmy awards, 6 Peabody awards, and in 1992, 
the Presidential Medal of Freedom--the Nation's highest civilian honor.
  David was just as well known for his wry sense of humor, fundamental 
decency and gentlemanly charm as he was for his one-of-a-kind writing 
style. I am told that he wrote all of his own scripts, which is rare, 
especially in today's world of the 24-hour news channels. In 1987, he 
said: ``it's the way I've written all my life, since I was 6 years old 
and working part-time at a local newspaper. I write the way I talk. 
Occasionally, rarely, because something happened while I was already on 
the air and I couldn't write it myself, somebody's written something 
and brought it to me. And I cannot read it. Can not!. . .  And it's not 
that the writing is so terrible. It's just that . . . I can't read 
anything that isn't mine.''
  My prayers and deepest condolences go out to David's family and 
friends for their loss. Mr. President, I close by asking my colleagues 
to join me in paying tribute to David Brinkley's life and his 
contribution to journalism and politics. There will never be another 
one like him. He will be missed.
  ``Goodnight, David.''
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed 
to, the preamble be agreed to, the motion to reconsider be laid upon 
the table, and that any statements relating to this matter be printed 
in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 172) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 172

       Whereas the Senate has learned with sadness of the death of 
     David Brinkley;
       Whereas David Brinkley, born in Wilmington, NC, greatly 
     distinguished himself as a newspaper reporter, radio 
     correspondent, and television correspondent;
       Whereas David Brinkley attended the University of North 
     Carolina and served in the North Carolina National Guard;
       Whereas David Brinkley's first job in Washington was 
     covering the White House in 1943 for NBC as a radio reporter;
       Whereas David Brinkley co-anchored ``The Huntley-Brinkley 
     Report,'' along with Chet Huntley, which was widely popular 
     during the 1960's;
       Whereas David Brinkley hosted ``This Week with David 
     Brinkley'' for fifteen years and it was the number one Sunday 
     program when he retired in 1996;
       Whereas David Brinkley covered eleven presidents, four 
     wars, 22 political conventions, a moon landing and three 
     assassinations;
       Whereas David Brinkley wrote three books, won ten Emmy 
     awards, six Peabody Awards, and in 1992, the Presidential 
     Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor;
       Whereas David Brinkley is considered by many to be the 
     premier broadcast journalist of his time;
       Whereas David Brinkley was well known for his wry sense of 
     humor, fundamental decency, gentlemanly charm, and his one-
     of-a-kind writing style will forever be remembered by his 
     friends, colleagues, and the countless members of the 
     television audience he touched week to week over his more 
     than fifty year career: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) pay tribute to the outstanding career of David 
     Brinkley;
       (2) expresses its deepest condolences to his family; and
       (3) directs the Secretary of the Senate to direct an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to the family of David 
     Brinkley.

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