[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 34 (Friday, February 27, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING MR. RANDY SWAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEVEN M. PALAZZO

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 27, 2015

  Mr. PALAZZO. Mr. Speaker, I stand today to honor longtime Broadcast 
Journalist and news anchorman, Mr. Randy Swan, of Mississippi's Fourth 
Congressional District, upon the occasion of his retirement from WDAM, 
Channel 7, a television station covering the region known as the Pine 
Belt.
  Ask anyone in the northern half of Mississippi's Fourth Congressional 
District who delivers their nightly news, and they will likely answer, 
``Randy Swan.'' For over 50 years, Randy's voice has narrated important 
events to the people of South Mississippi, first over radio, then 
television. For the past 38 years. it has been Randy's face in hundreds 
of thousands of Pine Belt homes as he reported the days' events on the 
evening news.
  Randy was born and raised in broadcasting. At the time of his birth, 
in 1947, Randy's father, Jimmy Swan, held a contest on WFOR radio 
station to name his newborn son. Out of more than six thousand entries, 
the winning name, James Randolph, was chosen to honor the memory of a 
young local man who had died fighting in World War II.
  Randy's broadcast career began at the age of three, talking on the 
radio while sitting on his father's lap, at WFOR. At the age of 
fifteen, he was working full-time in radio broadcasting while also 
attending high school. In the 1950s, Randy took to the television 
screen, singing on his father's music variety show, McCaffrey's 
Showtime.
  After graduating from Hattiesburg High School in 1965, Randy attended 
the University of Southern Mississippi, earning a bachelor's degree in 
broadcasting in 1970. It was 1976, the year of our nation's 
bicentennial, when Randy began his career at WDAM, as morning anchor 
and reporter for the station covering a large portion of South 
Mississippi. Within a short six years, Randy was named News Director 
and soon became the main anchor for the station--his was the face many 
area residents turned to for their news.
  In the 1990s, Randy served as Station Manager, News Director, and 
lead anchor at WABG in Greenville, Mississippi, but he returned to the 
Pine Belt and WDAM five years later.
  The span of his career has given Randy the privilege of sharing some 
of the best and worst moments in history. He claims that one of the 
most fulfilling aspects of his career is in helping others through the 
sharing of information. For example, Randy and his team remained 
steadfast in their on-air coverage in the aftermath of Hurricane 
Katrina. Thousands of residents relied on WDAM and the trustworthiness 
of Randy Swan to assist them with finding needed supplies and 
assistance in the recovery.
  His dedication and professional integrity earned Randy distinction in 
the Mississippi Associated Press Hall of Fame (2006) and the University 
of Southern Mississippi School of Mass Communications & Journalism Hall 
of Fame (2010). Randy has four children and is married to the former 
Millie Ivey. The family resides in Hattiesburg. I am proud to honor Mr. 
Randy Swan for an outstanding career in radio and television 
broadcasting in South Mississippi. We extend our appreciation for a job 
well done, and wish him all the best in retirement.

                          ____________________