[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S16117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

                   JAMES L. ``JAY'' JENKINS 1919-2003

 Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. President, I wish the honor to life of a 
remarkable North Carolinian.
  Jay Jenkins was one of North Carolina's finest. He was a member of a 
large and distinguished family descended from 18th century Scottish 
missionaries, and he left his own mark on our State and the South. With 
his passing, we have lost a great humanitarian.
  Jay's long career spanned his early years as a political reporter and 
later as a leader at the University of North Carolina.
  Many in North Carolina believe he was the best political reporter the 
State has ever known. He was always the one with the scoop. He had the 
best contacts and knew how to work them. He was a mentor to many, 
including Charles Kuralt, whose own distinguished career took him to 
CBS News, David Cooper, retired editorial page editor of the Akron, OH, 
Beacon-Journal, James Batten, the late president of the Knight-Ridder 
Publishing Co., Joe Doster, retired publisher of the Winston-Salem 
Journal and Eugene Roberts, retired managing editor of The New York 
Times. His competitors admired him at the same time they were wondering 
how he always managed to get the story.
  The qualities that made him such a good reporter were his 
straightforwardness and his integrity. He was concerned about writing 
what was really happening. He looked for pretension in politicians and 
avoided those personalities. His emphasis was the common man. He cared 
about North Carolina providing programs that truly met the needs of 
children.
  Jay counted among his close friends former Senator Jesse Helms, whom 
he met when both were students in the late 1930s at what was then Wake 
Forest College. He also was a close friend to former Governor and 
Senator Terry Sanford.
  His reporting also led to several journalism awards, including the 
National Sidney Hillman Award for investigative articles in the News & 
Observer exposing activities of the Klu Klux Klan in North Carolina. In 
1991, Jay Jenkins was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall 
of Fame.
  Jay later joined UNC system President Bill Friday as a senior 
assistant. During his tenure with the university system, he expanded 
the concept of public relations to be more than just reporting about 
the students. Most importantly, he originated and founded the 
television news show, North Carolina People, hosted by President 
Friday. This show is still running and remains popular in North 
Carolina. He was also was highly respected in the legislature, where he 
represented the university with distinction.
  ``I remember him as the best of his generation,'' President Friday 
said of Jay. ``He was a man of real integrity, honesty and plain raw 
courage. His motivation was always what was best for North Carolina.''
  Jay was an accomplished outdoorsman and athlete who played 
semiprofessional baseball. He was a devoted follower of the Atlanta 
Braves and his beloved Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
  A veteran of World War II, Jay served our country with distinction in 
the Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theater for 30 months.
  Jay was a true North Carolina treasure. We will miss him 
dearly.

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