[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 72 (Tuesday, May 13, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF ROBERT COCHRAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PATRICK J. TIBERI

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 13, 2013

  Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Robert 
Cochran upon his retirement from the U.S. House of Representatives. Bob 
has dedicated his life to public service. He came to the U.S. House of 
Representatives in October 1989. During his time Bob has reported the 
Joint Session speeches of Queen Elizabeth II, Boris Yeltsin, a State of 
the Union speech by President Bill Clinton, and the post-9/11 speech of 
President George W. Bush.
   Bob was born into a family of court reporters. His grandfather 
founded and operated a court reporting school in St. Paul, Minnesota. 
He taught stenotype to Bob's father, Robert Cochran, who later became 
an Official Reporter with the House of Representatives from 1964 to 
1984. Bob's father was the first machine stenographer to report on the 
House Floor.
   Bob first began his work for the federal government as a GS-2 file 
clerk for the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon. He 
began his court reporting career as a free-lance reporter for Alderson 
Reporting in Washington, D.C., where he reported government agency 
hearings for the Federal Communications Commission, Federal Trade 
Commission, and National Institutes of Health. He also covered 
congressional hearings for Alderson.
   In 1971, Bob moved to American Samoa to serve as court reporter for 
the High Court in Pago Pago. It was while he was in American Samoa that 
he met his wife, Mona.
   Bob and Mona returned to the continental United States in 1975. Bob 
began working as a free-lance reporter then went on to serve as an 
Official Reporter with the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, 
Maryland, and later the Circuit Court for Wicomico County, Maryland, 
until he joined the U.S. House of Representatives. Bob earned a BS in 
Business Administration from Salisbury State University, Salisbury, 
Maryland, in 1983.
   Bob is an avid photographer and runner, having completed several 
marathons and ultra-marathons (50-milers). He coached Little League and 
was a member of the Lions Club. He currently serves as an Official 
Reporter to House Committees, where he covers open and classified 
hearings and interviews, as well as Leadership press conferences.
   Bob is the proud father of four children and has eight 
grandchildren.
   Upon his retirement on June 2, 2014, Bob will leave behind a legacy 
that will permeate throughout the House for years to come. Through his 
dedication to this institution, Bob will always be a part of this 
nation's history. His talent and his wry humor will be missed.

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