[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 130 (Wednesday, September 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      REMEMBERING JOHN JAY GEDDIE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2007

  Mr. WOLF. Madam Speaker, I want to bring to the attention of the 
House the recent passing of a former Senate staffer and reporter, John 
Jay Geddie, of Sterling, Virginia, in my congressional district. I knew 
John for more than 15 years and always enjoyed reading his weekly 
columns. He died August 22, 2007, at Inova Fairfax Hospital of kidney 
failure and pneumonia related to the treatment of cancer. He is 
survived by his wife of 44 years, Shannon LaNelle Geddie of Sterling; a 
son, John L. Geddie of Reston, and a brother Michael Geddie of Kilgore, 
Texas.
  Below is an excerpt of remarks read at his funeral last week in 
Leesburg. Written by his son, these words truly capture who John was 
and what was important to him.

       Certainly, most of the people here are most familiar with 
     dad through his work here at the Loudoun Independent. The man 
     could write well and he was always quick with a story or a 
     good one-liner. He never felt that professionalism could be 
     glossed over simply because it was a local paper covering 
     mostly local news.
       My grandmother told a story about dad that I think says a 
     lot. The boys were obliged to work during summers. One 
     summer, my grandfather had gotten him a job hauling pulp 
     wood. Apparently, the heavy labor under the summer Texas sun 
     did not sit well with him. Dad came home exhausted and 
     covered in sweat and told his mother that it was his 
     intention to get a job where ``I have to wear a suit every 
     day.'' Apparently, no one expects you to sweat when you're in 
     a suit.
       That reporters wear suits must have played some part in his 
     calculations. While his mother wanted him to be a preacher, 
     he managed to avoid this while still maintaining her love and 
     support. Dad graduated from Marshall High School and went on 
     to earn his journalism degree at East Texas State University. 
     ETSU is now affiliated with Texas A&M University and known as 
     Texas A&M-Commerce. That my dad retroactively became an Aggie 
     is an irony that only Texans will understand.
       After graduation, he went off to work at the San Angelo 
     Standard-Times as a reporter. During this period, dad was 
     drafted into the army. His active duty lasted for 18 months, 
     where he served as a specialist at Fort Knox, Fort Hood, and 
     Fort Carson. As a `soldier-of my acquaintance' recalled it, 
     the closest he ever came to combat was throwing a stick at a 
     passing helicopter.
       Dad stayed at the San Angelo Standard-Times for several 
     years. During this time, he started dating another reporter 
     at the paper--Shannon LaNelle Harris. The pair married and 
     the marriage lasted for 44 years. Not long after they were 
     married, the young couple adopted their first needlenose dog. 
     As regular readers know, it was the first of many.
       From 1962-1972, dad worked for the Dallas Morning News. He 
     was among the reporters to cover the assassination of 
     President John F. Kennedy and the murder of Lee Harvey 
     Oswald. Later, he covered the appeals process of Jack Ruby. 
     Originally a believer in the Warren Report and the single 
     bullet theory, he was less certain as time went on. When 
     asked about a conspiracy, he said `I just don't know.'
       In 1972, he became the Washington Bureau Chief for the 
     Dallas Morning News, covering both state and national news 
     until 1981. During this period, Dad covered the political 
     scene in depth, being among the very first to break the story 
     of President Richard Nixon's resignation. He covered both the 
     Democratic and Republican conventions of 1976 and 1980, as 
     well as the campaign trips of President George H.W. Bush and 
     Howard Baker.
       After leaving the Dallas Morning News, he became 
     administrative assistant to Congressman Abraham 'Chick' Kazen 
     (D-TX) and later served as a speechwriter for the U.S. Senate 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works, serving closely 
     with Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX). During this time, dad also 
     began working as the Editor of the Loudoun Easterner, a small 
     direct-mail newspaper in Loudoun County. He eventually 
     retired from Washington to pursue this full-time. Very few 
     people are able to do what they love for so long.
       Under his stewardship, the Loudoun Easterner gained a loyal 
     following in Sterling and the surrounding areas. His unique 
     perspective and humor made him a fixture in the county. 
     Working with Publisher Beth Miller was a great experience for 
     dad. The pair of them could be seen lunching every day and it 
     is difficult to imagine closer friends. Her death was hard on 
     everyone, but dad took it especially hard. Wounds heal 
     though, and his relationship with Beth's daughters Amy and 
     Allyson grew even stronger.
       In 2005, he and Amy Burns started up a new paper, the 
     Loudoun Independent. Dad proved that he still had the skill 
     to produce a first rate paper.
       My dad was diagnosed with skin cancer in March. By the time 
     of the diagnosis, the cancer had already spread in the area 
     of his neck and lymph nodes. While not immediately life 
     threatening, treatment required a combination of radiation 
     and chemotherapy. At no time was he in pain and dad went into 
     work at the paper every day until almost the very end. 
     Eventually the treatment weakened him enough so that his 
     kidneys failed and the extra stress on his body made it 
     impossible for him to recover from pneumonia and septic 
     shock.
       Ever since I was a boy and my dad started working at the 
     Easterner--and later the Loudoun Independent, we knew that he 
     was not to be bothered on Mondays and Tuesdays. The paper 
     goes to the printer on Wednesday morning, so you have to 
     work until everything is done. My dad died on a Wednesday 
     morning. I don't go much for symbolism in life, but I 
     wonder at it. Tuesday is over and your labors are 
     complete. On Wednesday, you can sleep in and rest--then 
     get ready to start all over again.
       In retrospect I do feel blessed to have had John Geddie in 
     my life for so long. More than that, I'm thankful for those 
     last months we had together. Having been designated as his 
     driver/companion for all medical trips, I was able to spend 
     almost every day with him for the last three months. As 
     people get older, sometimes they forget why they love their 
     parents. Those last three months reminded me.
       Dad had something of a mantra when the conversation turned 
     to his health or potential dangers. He'd raise his hand, tilt 
     his head and say, ``Don't worry about me. I've had a good 
     life.'' He said it in a light way, but something in his tone 
     inevitably ended the conversation. While incredibly 
     frustrating at the time, it's a comfort to us now.

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