[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 156 (Thursday, September 28, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1295]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 TRIBUTE TO RICK ELKINS' DEDICATED CAREER IN JOURNALISM AND SERVICE TO 
                             OUR COMMUNITY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2017

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
exceptional newsman and life-long journalist, whose desire and 
commitment to inform and strengthen the community led him to an 
impressive career in journalism spanning nearly four decades.
  Rick Elkins retired this August from the Porterville Recorder, 
leaving an unparalleled legacy of service not only to the newspaper, 
but also to the community he covered. As one of California's longest-
serving and most locally-invested journalists, Rick spent 22 out of his 
39 years in journalism at the Porterville Recorder before his 
retirement last month.
  Rick began his career as a reporter in January of 1976. Ever since, 
his inquisitive nature has yielded countless stories covering many 
facets of life. From our region's historic drought to the infamous 
Tulare County cocaine bust in the late 1980s, Rick kept the people of 
Porterville and the surrounding communities well-informed for decades. 
The magnitude of his service has earned him recognition as one of 
California's great journalists.
  There are many individuals around our community who turned to the 
Porterville Recorder to learn what was happening in Porterville and 
Tulare County because of Rick's professionalism and dedication to 
truthful news coverage. His career and contributions reflect his 
attitude toward treating the community as a family, among which was his 
leadership in returning the Porterville Recorder's focus to local news 
first. As the Representative for California's 23rd Congressional 
District, I greatly value the importance of an informed citizenry and 
holding elected officials accountable. The press plays a key role in 
that. I always looked forward to being interviewed by Rick--he always 
had his thumb on the pulse of the community and got to the crux of the 
issues on the community's mind. This approach to journalistic integrity 
was also reflected by how he ran the Porterville Recorder, earning the 
respect of his reporters, staff, and the local community. Rick's 
reporting reflected his passion to make sure his readers got the facts 
of the story and he respected them enough to allow them to draw their 
own conclusions.
  I am confident Rick's legacy will live on for generations to come and 
that his contribution to our community will have a lasting impact. I 
thank Rick for his lifetime of service to journalism and his lasting 
impact on Porterville. I'm sure Rick is looking forward to spending 
more time with his wife, Doris, and Dana, his daughter, as he begins 
this new chapter of his life. I wish Rick and his family happiness in 
his retirement and look forward to his continued involvement in our 
community.

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