[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 54 (Monday, April 16, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E522-E523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN RECOGNITION OF THE LIFE OF MIKE WALLACE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 16, 2012

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I rise 
today to pay tribute to Mike Wallace, a man whose determination and 
tenacity shaped investigative reporting as we know it today.
  Mr. Wallace died on April 7, 2012, surrounded by family in New 
Caanan, Connecticut. He was 93.
  Mr. Speaker, Mike Wallace was one of the original correspondents for 
the news program, 60 Minutes, and his reporting helped to cement the 
show's reputation for hard-hitting but fair journalism. He interviewed 
world leaders and celebrities, never shying away from difficult and 
often confrontational lines of questioning. Nevertheless, his 
impeccable research and balanced approach made him as respected as he 
was feared.
  The list of persons interviewed by Mike Wallace over the past half 
century reads like a Who's Who of the leading figures of the twentieth 
century: reverend and activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; famed 
surrealist painter Salvador Dali; former Palestinian leader and Nobel 
Prize Laureate Yasser Arafat; former Iranian leader Ayotollah Khomeini; 
civil rights

[[Page E523]]

advocate Malcolm X; first lady Eleanor Roosevelt; president Ronald 
Reagan; former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; then-Russian 
President Vladimir Putin.
  Despite his steely demeanor, Mike Wallace struggled with personal 
hardships, including the death of a son and bouts with depression. At a 
time when such vulnerabilities were often hidden from public view, Mike 
Wallace shared these challenges with American audiences. His bravery 
and openness helped to dissolve the social stigma around depression and 
made a tremendous impact on the lives of many Americans.
  Mike Wallace was honored with 21 Emmy Awards, five Peabody Awards, 
and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award. He was also inducted into 
the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1991. His legacy continues 
through the Knight-Wallace Fellowship program at the University of 
Michigan, which gives mid-career journalists the opportunity to explore 
new subjects of interest.
  Mr. Speaker, as we reflect on the life and legacy of Mike Wallace, 
one can be certain that his memory will be an inspiration for a new 
generation of journalists as well as for every American who values such 
a strong commitment to integrity and truth.

                          ____________________