[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24416]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING ``THE LEAF-CHRONICLE'' FOR ITS 200 YEARS OF SERVICE TO MIDDLE 
                               TENNESSEE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHN S. TANNER

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2008

  Mr. TANNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the long history 
of ``The Leaf-Chronicle'' newspaper in Clarksville, Tennessee, which is 
now in its 200th year of serving Clarksville, Montgomery County and 
Middle Tennessee.
  ``The Leaf-Chronicle'' was officially formed in 1890 by a merger 
between two local journals, ``The Tobacco Leaf'' and ``The Chronicle,'' 
which dated back to 1808. For two centuries, the people in our 
community have been well-served by a quality daily newspaper that 
fairly and thoroughly covers the stories so important to our families 
and businesses. Twenty-two men and women have had the honor of serving 
as Publisher of the Clarksville newspaper, including the current 
publisher, Andrew Oppman, and his immediate predecessor, my friend Gene 
Washer, who served 17 years as Publisher until his retirement earlier 
this year.
  We are particularly proud of the newspaper's coverage of Fort 
Campbell and the 101st Airborne Division, which are an integral part of 
our community in Montgomery and Stewart counties and the surrounding 
area. The journalists of ``The Leaf-Chronicle'' show their support 
through extensive coverage of our military families and others in the 
community whose support of our men and women in uniform is unwavering.
  ``The Leaf-Chronicle'' has always been known for its strong opinions 
page, where it has boldly editorialized on local, state, national and 
international issues. In fact, because of the reputation of the 
newspaper's powerful editorial page, all operations were suspended 
between 1862 and 1865 when Union troops occupied Clarksville during the 
Civil War.
  Publication was also threatened in the early morning hours of January 
22, 1999, when a tornado ripped through downtown Clarksville, leaving 
behind it a path of destruction, including severe damage to the offices 
of ``The Leaf-Chronicle.'' The staff, however, determined to publish a 
newspaper to cover such an important story, gathered at Mr. Washer's 
home. The next day, subscribers still received the paper on their 
doorsteps, this time with eight pages of in-depth coverage and 
photographs of the storm and its impact on Montgomery County.
  Following the storm and until completion of its current, state-of-
the-art facilities, the newspaper staff was temporarily based in an 
empty supermarket that featured a sign reading ``Foodland--Fresh,'' 
which was poignantly changed to read ``The Leaf-Chronicle--Fresh 
Daily.''
  As we reflect on the long service of ``The Leaf-Chronicle'' to its 
readers, it is important to think of all the historic moments that have 
happened in the last two centuries in Tennessee, across this country 
and throughout the world. Middle Tennesseans have had ``The Leaf-
Chronicle'' to report daily on those historic events, provide 
insightful analysis and help record history as it happens.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and our colleagues to join me in recognizing 
the long history of ``The Leaf-Chronicle,'' expressing gratitude for 
its service to our community and wishing its staff all the best as the 
newspaper enters its third century of quality journalism.

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