[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 15, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JIM LEHRER

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 15, 2011

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay 
tribute to a distinguished journalist. On May 12, 2011, Jim Lehrer 
announced that he is leaving the ``NewsHour'' as a regular anchor 
effective the week of June 6, the final step in a carefully planned 
retirement. He said he will still appear many Fridays to moderate an 
analysis of the week's news.
  Born in Wichita, Kansas in 1934, Jim Lehrer received an A.A. degree 
from Victoria College and a B.J. in 1956 from the University of 
Missouri before joining the Marine Corps. From 1959 to 1966, he was a 
reporter for The Dallas Morning News and then the Dallas Times-Herald. 
He was also a political columnist at the Times-Herald for several years 
and in 1968 became the city editor.
  Lehrer's newspaper career led him to public television, first in 
Dallas, as KERA-TV's executive director of public affairs, on-air host 
and editor of a nightly news program. He subsequently moved to 
Washington, DC to serve as the public affairs coordinator for PBS, and 
was also a member of PBS's Journalism Advisory Board and a fellow at 
the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Lehrer went on to join the 
National Public Affairs Center for Television. (NPACT) as a 
correspondent.
  Lehrer has been honored with numerous awards for journalism, 
including the Chairman's Award at the 2010 National Academy of 
Television Arts & Sciences News & Documentary Emmy Awards, the 1999 
National Humanities Medal, presented by President Bill Clinton and 
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and in October 2011, the National 
Press Club will present him with their top honor, the Fourth Estate 
Award. In 1999, Lehrer was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame 
with Robert MacNeil and into The Silver Circle of the Washington, DC 
Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He has 
won two Emmys, the Fred Friendly First Amendment Award, the George 
Foster Peabody Broadcast Award, and the William Allen White Foundation 
Award for Journalistic Merit and the University of Missouri School of 
Journalism's Medal of Honor. In 1991, he was elected as a Fellow of the 
American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Jim Lehrer on an extraordinary career. This trailblazing journalist has 
made a lasting impact on his profession. I thank Jim for his important 
contributions, and wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

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