[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          IN RECOGNITION OF SPORTSCASTER DON LADAS' RETIREMENT

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                       HON. DEBORAH L. HALVORSON

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday May 19, 2009

  Mrs. HALVORSON. Madam Speaker, today I rise to recognize Don Ladas 
for his service to Joliet, Illinois for over fifty years as an 
unparalleled sports voice on 1340 WJOL Radio and working for the Herald 
News, which has made him a sports icon in Will County. Ladas, WJOL's 
longest full-time employee in history, has recently announced his 
retirement. Out of all of WJOL's radio legends over the years, none 
have had the staying power and impact that Don Ladas has had.
  For forty-seven years, Ladas has covered a wide variety of sports for 
WJOL including bowling, football, basketball, baseball, and softball, 
and has broadcasted thousands of local high school sporting events. He 
was the host of the oldest bowling show in the United States called, 
``Ten Pin Topics,'' which aired Monday through Saturday. In addition to 
his daily bowling show, Ladas also hosted a weekly sports program 
called, ``Shooting the Breeze.'' For the past thirty years, Ladas also 
has been the editor and publisher of his own monthly magazine called 
``Will County Sportsman.''
  His professionalism and his dedication to sports have earned him a 
place of recognition in the following: the Illinois Sportscasters Hall 
of Fame, the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame, the Illinois State 
Bowling Hall of Fame, the Joliet Junior College Hall of Fame, the 
Joliet and Will County Hall of Pride, the Will County Bowling Hall of 
Fame, and the Minor League and Pro Football National Hall of Fame in 
Canton, Ohio for his work in the media. Also, in July of 2008, author 
Gary Seymour published a book following Ladas' career entitled, The 
Voice of Joliet: the Life and Times of Hall of Fame Radio Sportscaster 
Don Ladas.
  As one of the most revered figures in Joliet's sports scene history, 
sportscaster Don Ladas has left his mark on the world of radio and 
sportscasting and will serve as an inspiration to all individuals just 
enetering the mass media field of broadcasting. It is with great pride 
that I recognize all of his many accomplishments upon the event of his 
retirement.

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