[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 116 (Tuesday, July 15, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO BARBARA WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2008

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a friend, 
a constituent, and a distinguished journalist. On June 30, 2008 Barbara 
Stambaugh Williams retired as editor of the Charleston Post and 
Courier. Although she will continue to provide weekly columns and serve 
as editor emeritus, her daily leadership of the paper will be sorely 
missed.
  I first met Barbara when I lived in Charleston, South Carolina in the 
1960s and '70s. At that time, I was a young political activist who ran 
for the State House of Representatives in 1970. Barbara was at that 
time a reporter for the Charleston News & Courier. In addition, she 
became the first woman assigned to cover the State Legislature. It was 
in that role that we first became personally acquainted. It was because 
of her coverage of that campaign that I came to the favorable attention 
of John West, who was the winning candidate for governor. In my race 
for the House, I went to bed election night having been declared a 500-
vote winner, but awoke to find that I was a 500-vote loser. When 
Barbara asked me what happened, I simply responded ``I didn't get 
enough votes.'' Her reporting of that story precipitated a call to me 
from Governor-elect West, and he invited me to become the first African 
American advisor to a sitting South Carolina governor. The rest is 
history.
  Barbara and I continued to cross paths even after I moved to Columbia 
to join the Governor's administration. I also watched her career with 
great interest. In 1976, she rose to the position of assistant managing 
editor of the News & Courier, which was Charleston's morning paper. In 
1981, the afternoon paper, The Evening Post, named Barbara its editor. 
This was historic as she became the first woman in modern times to 
serve as editor of a major daily newspaper in South Carolina. In 1990, 
she continued her trailblazing ascent and returned to the News & 
Courier as its editor.
  As was a common trend around the country, the morning and afternoon 
papers later merged, and in 1991, Barbara became the first editor of 
the Charleston Post & Courier. Her extraordinary career in journalism 
spans 47 years, 44 of those with Charleston newspapers.
  She is a member of several professional organizations, and in 1992, 
Barbara served as president of the National Conference of Editorial 
Writers, which includes newspapers in the United States and Canada. Her 
numerous awards include the 1962 King Award given to the outstanding 
newspaperwoman in South Carolina and the 1973 Byliner Award from the 
Central S.C. Chapter, Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta 
Chi.
  The city of Charleston and the State of South Carolina owe a 
tremendous debt of gratitude to her for providing decades of insight 
into the workings of our government and fair-minded opinions of public 
affairs at the local, state, national and global level. Although her 
skilled hand will no longer be guiding the Post & Courier on a daily 
basis, her influence on the newspaper will be felt for generations to 
come.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in 
congratulating Barbara Williams on an extraordinary career. This 
trailblazing journalist has made a lasting impact on her profession and 
her community. I thank Barbara for her important contributions, and 
wish her a happy and healthy retirement.

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