[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 17, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO LONGTIME WIREGRASS BROADCASTER, HOWARD PARRISH, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. TERRY EVERETT

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 17, 2008

  Mr. EVERETT. Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to longtime 
Wiregrass broadcaster and servant of his community, Mr. Howard Parrish, 
Jr., of Ozark, Alabama, who passed away July 28 at the age of 82.
  At the same time that local radio established itself as a vital link 
between rural America and the world, Parrish became a familiar and 
trusted voice for Ozark, Alabama listeners.
  A veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps, a graduate of Georgia Southern 
and a native of Atlanta, he moved to southeast Alabama in 1955, leaving 
the growing Atlanta radio scene and that city's first commercial FM 
station to help run the relatively new broadcast station in Ozark, 
WOZK, 900 AM.
  To his many Dale County listeners, Howard was the voice of WOZK. But 
he was much more than a friendly announcer. He was general manager, 
sales manager and chief engineer for WOZK and its FM counterpart, WOAB, 
for the better part of 45 years.
  Parrish likely delivered over 16,000 newscasts over the Ozark 
airwaves during his tenure at WOZK and WOAB-FM. Despite his continual 
Ozark broadcast duties, he also found time to construct radio station 
WELB in neighboring Elba in 1959 and he served as general manager of 
WDHN-TV 18 in Dothan, Alabama in the early 1970s, returning the 
struggling TV station to financial stability. He retired from WOZK/WOAB 
and all local broadcasting in 2002.
  Parrish leaves a long legacy of community service, both on the air 
and through volunteerism. Parrish was an active member of the Ozark 
Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and was a charter member of the local Civitan 
Club.
  Parrish was one of the Wiregrass's longest serving broadcasters and 
he shared a great love for communications. He was also well known in 
local amateur radio circles for his devotion to the hobby. He was a 
licensed radio amateur, W4IEO, for over 65 years.
  I wish to extend my condolences to his wife, Jane, and his children 
and grandchildren for their loss. Ozark's long-time ``voice'' may now 
be silent, but he will be long remembered.

                          ____________________