[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 26 (Wednesday, March 3, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E289]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE MEMORY OF CHICAGO SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST STEVE NEAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 3, 2004

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember a respected 
journalist and good friend, Steve Neal. Steve was a strong and 
intelligent voice in Illinois politics for over two decades as a writer 
for the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. We lost that voice 
when he died on February 17th at the age of 54.
  Politics was fun to Steve. He enjoyed the game more than anyone I 
ever met. He enjoyed taking a story and finding an angle that had not 
yet been reported on. And, I for one can tell you that he knew how to 
praise as well as criticize. But, Steve was always willing to look at 
an issue or a person and give you his honest opinion.
  I will always remember Steve as the toastmaster of the greatest 
political discussions in Chicago, hosted over a great plate of food at 
Gene and Georgetti. It was at these Friday lunches, where scholars, 
historians, and elected officials of all backgrounds discussed 
everything from our thoughts on an upcoming election, to a discussion 
of a new book on philosophy.
  Steve's table did not discriminate along party lines and neither did 
his column. His weekly analysis addressed all sides of the political 
spectrum and every level of government with the same uncompromising 
objectivity and directness.
  Steve was born and raised in Oregon. He began his career covering 
sports for local papers, and after earning a graduate degree in 
journalism at Columbia University he moved to Chicago to work as a 
general assignment reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
  After six months, he was sent to Washington, DC to cover politics at 
the national level. Many journalists come to this town and never look 
back, but when the Tribune offered him a chance to return to his 
adopted home to write a column covering local politics, he took the 
opportunity and Chicago has benefited from his insight ever since.
  The column was always about politics, but the focus could easily be 
the American Revolution one day, ward level conflicts the next. The 
late Senator Paul Simon noted that he was one of only a few political 
writers with a sense of history. He knew the history behind each 
office, and was even more familiar with each office holder. He always 
looked for the story behind the story, and his writing reflected this 
sense of perspective. He also wrote several history books, on topics 
including Wendell Wilkie, Harry Truman and Dwight Eisenhower. He 
recently finished writing a book called Happy Days are Here Again, 
about the early days of the Franklin Roosevelt administration.
  Among his last columns was an assertion that James Madison was the 
most important founding father, and he provided the facts to back it 
up. Another column provided a historical perspective on the current 
Presidential primaries by citing specific details about the campaigns 
of Adlai Stevenson and Thomas Dewey. You always learned something more 
than his opinion when you read his column. You learned about our city, 
our state, and our country.
  Mr. Speaker, my thoughts are with Steve's wife, his two daughters, 
and the rest of his family today, and I ask my colleagues to join me in 
honoring the memory of this important and talented journalist.




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