[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18973]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          REGARDING BOB WHITE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, October 1, 2002

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a giant in the South 
Texas community and a unique American patriot, Bob White, a legendary 
pioneer in broadcasting in the Coastal Bend, upon the occasion of his 
retirement.
  The General Manager of KIII, Channel 3, in Corpus Christi, Texas, Bob 
is a broadcast veteran, having spent 33 years in Corpus Christi. After 
service in the United States Navy, Bob dedicated his entire career to 
Texas broadcasting.
  In 1977, he won the prestigious Abe Lincoln Award, an award presented 
annually to one television manager in the United States for excellence 
in broadcasting. He later served as President of the Texas Association 
of Broadcasters.
  After beginning his broadcasting career in radio, he eventually spent 
33 years in Corpus Christi television, setting the pace for excellence 
and telling the stories about numerous memorable events. In 1970, KIII-
TV was cited for the excellent coverage and public service in telling 
the stories and showing the pictures of Hurricane Celia which so 
damaged the South Texas area. KIII used portable generators and car 
lights to power and light the pictures; they were up for two days 
before any other station joined them on the air.
  A consummate businessman, Bob understood the value and dynamic of the 
Hispanic consumer long before the Census did. He followed Hispanic 
stories, and nurtured the Domingo Pena Show in the latter years of the 
20th Century, the only Hispanic television program in South Texas for a 
long time.
  The Domingo Live program is still broadcast each Sunday and is the 
longest running live, local Spanish language program in America. KIII 
sits proudly atop the TV ratings in Corpus Christi in very large 
measure due to the inspired following KIII acquired in the years Bob 
pursued Hispanic stories.
  A native Texan, his proudest achievements are his 3 children, 4 
grandchildren, and his 42-year marriage to his wife, Joyce. Bob is a 
pillar of our community. He has hosted and organized the Driscoll 
Foundation Children's Hospital Children's Miracle Network Telethon at 
KIII which began in 1985 and raised nearly $1.5 million dollars in 
2002. Bob is an invaluable member of the Chamber of Commerce, the 
Convention and Tourist Bureau, the Art Museum of South Texas, and 
numerous other South Texas service organizations.
  Bob began his broadcasting career in Port Arthur, Texas, then moved 
to Bryan-College Station, Texas. In 1961 he went to Houston; in 1967 he 
moved to Fort Worth; then in 1969 he came to Corpus Christi. His 
journey from radio to TV came via KIII-TV. He became General Manager in 
1972.
  I ask my colleagues in the House today to join me in commending the 
broadcasting career of a pioneer in South Texas television, Bob White.

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