[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 17] [House] [Pages 22552-22554] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND LIFE OF EDWARD R. BRADLEY Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1084) to honor the contributions and life of Edward R. Bradley, as amended. The Clerk read as follows: H. Res. 1084 Whereas Edward R. Bradley was born on June 22, 1941, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Whereas he graduated in 1964 with a degree in education from Cheyney State College; Whereas he taught during the day at William B. Mann Elementary in Philadelphia and spent his evenings working at local radio station WDAS for free; Whereas in 1965, when riots broke out in Philadelphia, Ed Bradley, lacking recording equipment, covered the riots from a neighborhood pay phone; Whereas Ed Bradley's coverage of the Philadelphia riots earned him a full-time paid position with WDAS; Whereas Ed Bradley was hired in 1967 as a reporter for WCBS radio in New York; Whereas in 1968 he was the only African American on air at WCBS, or at any New York City radio station; Whereas he joined CBS News in 1971 as a stringer in its Paris bureau, covering the Paris Peace talks, and remained with CBS News for 35 years; Whereas he was transferred in 1972 to CBS Saigon bureau to cover the Vietnam War and while covering the War in Cambodia was injured by a mortar round; Whereas he covered Jimmy Carter's campaign in 1976 and served as a CBS news floor correspondent for coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions; Whereas he became the first African American White House correspondent for CBS news from 1976 to 1978; Whereas in 1981 Ed Bradley joined 60 Minutes as an on-air correspondent and remained with 60 Minutes for 26 years; Whereas in 2000, Ed Bradley was the only television journalist granted an interview with condemned Oklahoma City Bomber, Timothy McVeigh, which earned him an Emmy award; Whereas Ed Bradley received numerous awards of distinction for his in-depth reporting and coverage, including 20 Emmy awards, Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award (2006), Paul White Award (2000), Damon Runyon Award (2003), Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award (1995), and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists (2005); and Whereas in addition to invaluable contributions to journalism, Ed Bradley's reporting also spurred social activism and change with his report on AIDS in Africa, ``Death by Denial,'' which helped influence the pharmaceutical industry into discounting and donating AIDS drugs to Africa: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) recognizes and honors the contributions of Edward R. Bradley as an award winning American journalist; and (2) expresses its deepest condolences upon his death to his wife, Patricia Blanchet, surviving family members, and friends. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio. General Leave Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Ohio? There was no objection. Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might consume. Known best for his investigative reports on the CBS news program 60 Minutes, Ed Bradley won 19 Emmy Awards throughout his journalism career, including one for lifetime achievement in 2003. Just one year after graduating from college, he reported on the Philadelphia riots and earned a position with a local radio station. He became a reporter for CBS News in 1971, where he remained for 35 years and took on projects that were challenging and oftentimes a call for action. His June 2000 report, ``Death by Denial,'' for example, helped expose the AIDS crisis in Africa and convinced the pharmaceutical industry to donate medicine to the region. His report the previous year, called ``Unsafe Haven,'' prompted Federal investigations into America's psychiatric hospitals. In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Ed Bradley is remembered by his friends for leading a personal life of balance, virtue and humor. He loved to jump on stage with his good buddy and friend, Jimmy Buffett, who nicknamed Bradley ``Teddy Bear'' and referred to him as a great journalist who still knew how to have a good time. In November of this year, after a long and private struggle with leukemia, Ed Bradley passed away. He leaves behind him a legacy of journalistic talent and achievements, as well as a personal story of courage and determination. I urge my Members to join me today in supporting H. Res. 1084, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield as much time as he might consume to the sponsor of this resolution, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady). Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the [[Page 22553]] committee and the ranking member for allowing me to speak and also for bringing this bill up so quickly. Edward Rudolph Bradley was born on June 22, 1941, in West Philadelphia, about 8 blocks from my house. He attended my alma mater, St. Thomas More High School. He graduated about 3 years ahead of me. I knew him personally, saw him in school, and he always was a gentleman and someone who always helped anyone who needed any help in any manner. With him being a senior and me being a freshman, I needed a lot of help, and he always took the time to do that. He taught at William B. Mann Elementary in Philadelphia and spent his evenings working at a local Philadelphia radio station, WDAS, for free. In 1965, when riots broke out in Philadelphia and Philadelphia was in a major turmoil, Bradley, lacking recording equipment, covered the riots from a nearby pay phone and did an excellent job reporting back and also trying to soothe the problems we were having there. Bradley's coverage of the North Philadelphia riots earned him a full- time paid position with WDAS. Bradley was hired in 1967 as a reporter for WCBS radio in New York. In 1968 he was the only African American on air at CBS, or at any New York news radio station. Ed Bradley joined CBS News in 1971 as a stringer in its Paris bureau, covering the Paris peace talks, and remained with CBS News for 35 years. He was transferred in 1972 to CBS Saigon bureau to cover the Vietnam War and, while covering the war in Cambodia, was injured by a mortar round. Ed Bradley covered Jimmy Carter's campaign in 1976, served as a CBS News floor correspondent for coverage of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, which he covered and reported very fairly. Bradley became the first African American White House correspondent for CBS from 1976 to 1978. In 1981, Bradley joined 60 Minutes as an on-air correspondent and remained with 60 Minutes for 26 years. In 2000, Bradley was the only television journalist granted an interview with condemned Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, which earned him another Emmy Award. Bradley received numerous awards of distinction for his in-depth reporting and coverage, including 20 Emmy Awards, Lew Klein Excellence in the Media Award, 2006; Paul White Award, 2000; Damon Runyon Award, 2003; Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, 1995; and Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists in 2005. In addition to valuable contributions to journalism, Bradley's reporting also spurred social activism, but also spurred change with his reporting on AIDS in Africa, ``Death by Denial,'' which helped influence drug companies into discounting and donating AIDS drugs to Africa. He is survived by his wife, Patricia Blanchet. He will surely be missed in the City of Philadelphia, and we in the City of Philadelphia are extremely proud and honored to call him one of our own. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton). Ms. NORTON. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank my good friends on both sides for bringing this resolution forward before the 109th Congress ends. Mr. Speaker, Ed Bradley was much honored by his peers, the best honor always to receive, from those who judge harshest and judge best. It is very appropriate that Ed Bradley would be honored here in the halls of the Congress of the United States. Perhaps he was destined to be honored in any case, because he was a pioneer, a first of his kind. We are still in an era when the first blacks are coming forward and we honor them simply for piercing the iron veil of race, but we honor Ed Bradley in this Chamber today as a leader of his profession. Indeed, we honor Ed Bradley because he became, in his profession, an admired American figure. That is very hard to do in the field of journalism today. Journalism is almost down there with Members of Congress, but there are journalists who are universally admired, and Ed Bradley was one of those journalists. He was in, perhaps, the most difficult aspect of journalism, at least that for which he became best known, investigative journalism, and, indeed, he was part of the premier investigative journalism program, 60 Minutes. What Ed Bradley did is really difficult to do. You have got to be fair, but you have got to ask very hard, uncomfortable questions. Somehow he was able to do that without having people dislike him, and without having the television audience believe he had overreached. Here is a man who began as an elementary school teacher and went to the top of the journalism profession at a time when blacks were not supposed to be in the journalism profession at all. Bradley excelled in his profession in ways that you have just heard from the sponsor of this resolution, 20 Emmys and all the rest. I also want to say that here is a man who had many friends who loved him despite his fame and fortune. Would that Members of Congress could be loved in spite of their profession, not because of it. Two of those who loved him most, are also dear friends of mine, Charlayne and Ron Gault. Charlayne Gault is the functional equivalent of Ed Bradley in journalism as a woman who entered this field at a time when there were very few blacks at the New York Times and in television. Some of us may have seen the memorial service to Ed Bradley that was televised. It was a real testament to the fact that Ed Bradley loved life. All of us workaholics here in the Congress who are about to go home need to have looked at that memorial service, because Ed was remembered as much for his love of jazz, a jazz aficionado, as he was for his extraordinary reputation as a journalist. Now, most of us are likely not to be remembered for being in Congress at all, but the notion of being remembered for loving life and living life and yet going to the top of your profession, there is no better life than that. Thus, it is with great pride that I rise to thank the sponsors of this resolution for honoring a man who did honor to his profession. We give honor to his family by reminding them that he is still remembered and will not be forgotten in his profession and in the life of our country. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume to conclude for our side. I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1084, as amended, a resolution that honors the life of Ed Bradley. Most of us know Ed Bradley from his 25 years of work on the CBS news magazine 60 Minutes, and his many interviews with world figures, celebrities and cultural icons. The men and the women who sat in the chair across from Bradley doing his 60 Minutes interviews were figures of importance, people to whom we should pay attention, and we could rely on Bradley to make sure that no skeleton in the darkest corner of his subject's closet was safe from the tenacious journalists. Bradley got his break by covering the 1965 riots while working part- time for free at a Philadelphia radio station. His talent did not go unnoticed for long. Bradley caught the ear of New York, and CBS radio hired him in 1967. He became the lone African American to report the news on the airways in New York. Bradley went on to work in international television news in 1971. He worked for CBS news in Paris, Vietnam and Cambodia, where he proved himself as the quintessential journalist in sometimes dangerous situations. {time} 1400 During his coverage of the Vietnam War, Bradley was injured by shrapnel from a mortar shell, a true testament to his devotion to getting a story. Bradley began working on the 60 Minutes news show in 1981, and he remained there until his death last month from leukemia. I had the opportunity to be sitting close to the mayor of the City of Chicago at the Democratic Convention [[Page 22554]] when he and Ed Bradley got into a serious exchange, one that everybody in our city always remembers. A tenacious style and hard-hitting coverage earned Bradley many accolades and awards over the years. He won 19 Emmys and countless other awards by bringing us some of the most memorable television news moments over the past 25 years. Whether he was standing on the floor of a Presidential convention, sitting across the table from a world leader, teaching us about the AIDS epidemic from a remote region of Africa, reporting about war and humanitarian crises in Vietnam or Cambodia, or calling from a public phone booth in Philadelphia to report on the 1965 riots, Bradley was a welcome guest in our homes and hearts for almost 40 years. I again express my strong support for this resolution that honors Ed Bradley. Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, For nearly 40 years, Ed Bradley dedicated his life to journalism and uncovered some of history's greatest stories. His legacy, his life's work, is a story for all of us to admire. Ed was a man of journalistic integrity, he not only set a high standard for his fellow journalists; he also helped to break down barriers in a field that traditionally has not reflected the true diversity of our Nation. For most of his life, Ed sought the truth in matters that affected the American public. From his initial coverage of the Vietnam War to his award-winning report on AIDS, his contribution to history will not go unnoticed or forgotten. Throughout his career, Ed took interest in the role of African- Americans in journalism and politics. He always found time to talk to minority youth and helped inspire new generations to enter both of these professions. When we last spoke, he expressed interest in the work of the Congressional Black Caucus. Ed Bradley was only 65. He had so much left to give, but let us not forget his story, his commitment to enriching American lives, and his belief in a better world. Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1084, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds of those voting having responded in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________