[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 8838-8839]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF KUP'S COLUMN ON ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM O. LIPINSKI

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 2003

  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to place in the 
Congressional Record an article by Steve Neal, a political editor for 
the Chicago Sun Times. The article, entitled Kup's column turns 60--and 
still going strong, is about Irv Kupcinet, the greatest and most 
influential columnist that Chicago has ever had, and one of the most 
influential columnists in the history of America.
  Steve Neal wrote the following:

       He is without peer.
       Irv Kupcinet, who is celebrating the 60th anniversary of 
     his column, is one of the more durable institutions in the 
     history of American journalism. ``Kup's Column,'' which 
     started in January 1943, is the nation's longest running 
     newspaper column.
       ``He'll delve into every phase of local enterprise and 
     activity . . . business, politics, nightclubs, the theater, 
     sportsband . . .'' the old Chicago Times announced in a house 
     ad. ``Intimate, sprightly, his column will be brimming over 
     with names that make news.''
       In his first item, Kup reported that Irving Berlin berated 
     the cast of his musical revue, ``This is The Army,'' after a 
     published report that they tired of the road tour and wanted 
     to resume their military duties.
       Kup also disclosed that state Sen. Abraham Lincoln Marovitz 
     (D-Chicago) was about to enlist in the Marines, and that 
     comedian Joe E. Lewis, who was then performing at the Chez 
     Paree, would soon be embarking for North Africa to entertain 
     U.S. troops.
       In looking back, Kup says that first six months of the 
     column were the most difficult. But then he soon found a 
     voice and went on to become one of the nation's more 
     influential columnists.
       He has appeared as a character in a Saul Bellow novel and 
     two of Otto Preminger's classic films. Kup is the only living 
     Chicago journalist to have a bridge named after him. The 
     Kupcinet Bridge is on Wabash Avenue over the Chicago River.
       His success is no accident. Kup is a man of incredible 
     drive and energy. He is fair, honest, accurate, and has more 
     contacts than anyone else in the newspaper game.
       He met with future President Gerald R. Ford when they were 
     teammates on the 1935 College All-Star football team. Kup, a 
     quarterback who played at North Dakota and later for the 
     Philadelphia Eagles, stood behind Ford, a center for the 
     University of Michigan.
       ``I have a somewhat different view of the president of the 
     United States,'' Kup later remarked.
       ``I've always liked Kup,'' Ford told me in a 1996 interview 
     at his home in Vail, Colo. ``He's a good friend and a darned 
     good reporter. One of the best.''
       Kup loves Jerry Ford. But his favorite president is Harry 
     Truman, whom he met when Truman was about to be nominated for 
     the vice presidency at the 1944 Democratic National 
     Convention in Chicago. He gave Kup a card on which he wrote: 
     ``Kup, you're entitled to admission, the front door and the 
     back door is always open.''
       Truman's portrait still hangs behind Kup's desk at the 
     Chicago Sun-Times. Clifton Truman Daniel, the late 
     president's grandson, said Truman felt a bond with the 
     Chicago newsman because ``they were both straight shooters 
     and were comfortable with each other.''
       In the final stretch of the 1948 presidential campaign, 
     when Truman was trailing in the polls, he told Kup: ``I'm out 
     slugging doing the best that I can. No man can do more.''
       Kup may have been the only columnist in America who gave 
     Truman a chance to win. Truman later confided to Kup that the 
     reason he fired Gen. Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War 
     was that MacArthur ``wanted to use the atomic bomb against 
     the Chinese.''
       It was Kup who got the scoop when Truman decided not to 
     seek re-election in 1952. Kup also accurately predicted that 
     Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson would be drafted that year as 
     the Democratic presidential nominee.
       At the 1956 Democratic National Convention, Kup noted that 
     the young John F. Kennedy was the ``brightest young hope to 
     emerge from the conclave.''
       Kup championed civil rights in his column and provided a 
     forum for such voices of freedom as the Rev. Martin Luther 
     King, Jr., Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and the Rev. Jesse L. 
     Jackson.
       When Bill Clinton won the presidency, Kup was among the 
     strongest advocates for lifting the barrier against gays in 
     the military. Kup also supported Truman when he issued his 
     executive order to desegregate the armed services.
       Kup is probably more identified with Frank Sinatra, than 
     any other show business personality. A half a century ago, 
     Sinatra won the Academy Award for his role in ``From Heaven 
     to Eternity.'' Kup persuaded Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures 
     to give Sinatra this part.
       It should be noted that Stella Foster, Kup's associate for 
     34 years, is a major contributor to the success of the 
     column. Kup's late wife, Essee, also was an integral part of 
     the column.
       On May 18, a celebration of Kup's 60th anniversary will be 
     held at the Hilton Chicago.

[[Page 8839]]

     The proceeds will go to the Chicago Academy for the Arts. 
     Larry King is scheduled to be the master of ceremonies.
       Playboy Chief Executive Officer Christie Hefner and her 
     husband, former state Sen. William A. Marovitz, are 
     cochairing this special event with Kup's grandchildren, David 
     Kupcinet and Kari Kupcinet-Kriser. For more information, call 
     (312) 595-1400.

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