[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1123-E1124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF ED ACKERMAN, RECIPIENT OF THE 2019 MEDIA AWARD FROM 
                 THE LUZERNE COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MATT CARTWRIGHT

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2019

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor sports writer Ed 
Ackerman. Ed received the 2019 Media Award from the Luzerne County 
Sports Hall of Fame at the 35th annual dinner on August 11, 2019 for 
his remarkable career in journalism.
  Each year, the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame honors those who 
have brought fame and recognition to the state of Pennsylvania through 
their outstanding achievements and contributions in athletic endeavors.
  Starting at 17 years of age, Ed began his storied sports writing 
career for Pittston's Sunday Dispatch. For 52 years, Ed has covered 
some of the most seminal moments in Pittston

[[Page E1124]]

sports history. From reporting on the undefeated Pittston Area High 
School football team to breaking the news that one of the most 
recruited running backs in the country, Jimmy Cefalo, elected to attend 
Penn State University, Ed has been at the forefront of Pittston sports 
history.
  Ed has served in various journalistic positions throughout his five-
decade career. In the early 1980s, Ed was the managing editor of the 
Sunday Dispatch in Pittston. His personal column has been running for 
over 30 years and continues today, appearing in the Greater Pittston 
Progress. In addition to writing, Ed serves as a full-time professor of 
Communication Arts at Luzerne County Community College, where he has 
taught since 1990. Ed is also heavily involved in his community as a 
member of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick and the 
Pittston Lettermen's Club and is currently the longest serving member 
of the Citizens Advisory Board of the Greater Pittston Salvation Army.
  Ed's outstanding work has not gone unnoticed. For his column, the 
Pennsylvania Newspapers Publishing Association honored him with a First 
Place Keystone Award. Additionally, Ed received the Excellence in 
Teaching Award from the National Institute of Staff and Organizational 
Development, and the Pittston Memorial Library presented Ed with the 
Jean Yates Award for his service to the library. The Greater Pittston 
YMCA awarded Ed with a lifetime achievement award in 2016. Further, his 
likeness appears in the Pittston Inspiration Mural, forever cementing 
him as a fixture of the Pittston community.
  It is an honor to recognize Ed as the recipient of the 2019 Media 
Award from the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame. May his story and 
journalism career serve as an inspiration to the next generation of 
Pennsylvanians striving for excellence.

                          ____________________