[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 184 (Thursday, December 17, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE CAREER OF LYNDAL SCRANTON, SPRINGFIELD NEWS-LEADER SPORTS 
          JOURNALIST, AND CONGRATULATING HIM ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BILLY LONG

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 17, 2015

  Mr. LONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the remarkable 36-year 
career of Springfield News-Leader sports journalist Lyndal Scranton, 
and congratulate him on his retirement.
  Scranton got his start as the Sports Editor of Central High School's 
student paper, which transitioned to a position at the Springfield 
News-Leader when he was teenager in the fall of 1979. Ever since, he 
has written on area sporting events at every level, including the 1985 
Bass Pro Tournament of Champions and Jack Nicklaus' hitting golf balls 
at the `Top of the Rock' golf course.
  Namely though, he has been a staple of Missouri State University 
(MSU) Sports since the late 1980s and has cemented himself in MSU 
sports history. Scranton has written about MSU basketball since the 
team first joined the Missouri Valley Conference, through the 1999 
Bears' run to the Sweet 16, and up to present day with Coach Paul Lusk. 
His coverage of MSU football has now followed five head coaches' 
tenures, spanning from Jesse Branch to Dave Steckel. In his reporting 
on the MSU baseball team, he covered their mid-1990s NCAA tournament 
appearances, their College World Series contention in 2003, and their 
impressive 2015 season when the team fell just short of another trip to 
Omaha.
  Throughout his career, Scranton built a reputation as being an honest 
and to-the-point writer. Those who worked with him often remark that 
his genuine care for people and unwillingness to take cheap shots make 
him a rare gem from a bygone era of impartial journalism. He has even 
been a huge help to Legendary Sportscaster Art Hains. If Art ever needs 
to call for an expert opinion on horse racing, auto racing dating back 
to Larry Phillips at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds Track, or the NBA, 
Lyndal is Art's go-to man.
  All of his peers know--Hains included--that despite his making his 
living as a sports journalist, Scranton was first and foremost a sports 
fan. He is an avid supporter of the St. Louis Cardinals, the L.A. 
Lakers, loves to bowl, and also enjoys watching horse races at 
Oaklawn--that's not to mention that he makes some of the best bar-b-que 
in the Ozarks.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Missouri's Seventh Congressional District, 
I extend my appreciation to him for his dedication to sports journalism 
in our community and wish him the best of luck in his well-deserved 
retirement.

                          ____________________