[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 156 (Friday, January 2, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING JOE W. STRICKLAND ON HIS RETIREMENT AS CHIEF 
                          REPORTER OF DEBATES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 2, 2015

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Joe W. Strickland, 
the Chief Reporter of Debates, for his contributions to the House of 
Representatives during almost 22 years of service.
  The House has employed Official Reporters of Debates since 1873, when 
the Speaker of the House took control of the privately-run 
Congressional Globe and the verbatim proceedings of events were 
published as the Congressional Record--as they still are today.
  It was a five-man operation back then, and the Reporters were praised 
in the New York Tribune for their ``intimate knowledge of the 
precedents and practice of the House, and of the national events, great 
and small, which have passed in close review before their eyes.''
  Joe follows in that long tradition, noted in the Tribune, of 
``superior ability'' and ``efficiency,'' though the office is now under 
the supervision of the Clerk of the House and has grown to 43 people. 
Joe has worked diligently to achieve the daunting task of maintaining 
an accurate record not only of House Floor proceedings but of House 
Committee work, as well. In addition to his managerial 
responsibilities, he has been front and center, reporting seven State 
of the Union speeches and several Joint Meetings to receive messages 
from foreign heads of state, such as Afghan President Hamid Karzai and 
French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
  Joe was born in central Texas and graduated from Hardin-Simmons 
University in Abilene with a degree in music. A tenor, he regularly 
toured with an all-male quartet and performed at conventions and 
competitions from Moscow to Washington, DC, including engagements at 
the White House.
  After college, Joe co-owned a travel and tour company and pursued 
several other passions before turning his sights on court reporting. 
Joe attended court reporting school outside of Dallas, and he quickly 
earned a position as a real-time captionist for a television station. A 
mere three years later, his skills won him a place as an Official 
Reporter of Debates for the U.S. House of Representatives, reporting 
both Committee and Floor debates. The Clerk of the House promoted Joe 
to Deputy Chief of the office in 2000, and he became Chief Reporter of 
Debates in 2005.
  Joe is recognized by the National Court Reporters Association as a 
Registered Professional Reporter, a Certified Realtime Reporter, and a 
Certified Communication Access Realtime Translation provider--
qualifications that place him among the elite in court reporting.
  Mr. Speaker, the work of the Official Reporters of Debates has been 
an essential part of House operations for more than 140 years, and 
while the technology has changed, the dedication of the Reporters, like 
Joe, has not. We are sad to lose such a valuable member of the House 
Clerk's team, but we wish him and his family the very best during a 
long and happy retirement.

                          ____________________