[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13926]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


                A TRIBUTE TO VAN HARDEN AND BONNIE LUCAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LATHAM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2011

  Mr. LATHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Van Harden and 
Bonnie Lucas of the ``Van and Bonnie in the Morning'' radio show. Van 
and Bonnie are Iowa radio icons and broadcast their show daily on the 
legendary Newsradio 1040 WHO. Van and Bonnie are winners of multiple 
coveted Marconi Awards from the National Association of Broadcasters, 
including their most recent, which is why I stand before you today. I 
am honored to announce that Van and Bonnie have been declared the 
winners of the 2011 ``Personality of the Year Award'' among medium-
sized market radio stations by the Marconi Radio Award Selection 
Academy.
  What makes this award so exciting for Van and Bonnie, and for Iowa, 
is that it exemplifies the rewards of hard work from humble beginnings. 
Van Harden was raised in Adel, Iowa, where he developed his passion for 
the intimate Iowa communities that make our state so great. Van knew he 
wanted to turn his passion into a career by promoting and informing 
Iowans on the radio. His dream became a reality after graduating from 
Drake University in 1973, where he majored in broadcast journalism and 
got his first on-air job with KDLS-AM in Perry, Iowa. After jobs in 
Tulsa, Oklahoma at KWEN-FM and KRNT-AM in Des Moines, he became the 
host of the morning program at 1040 WHO-AM in Des Moines in 1986.
  Similarly, Van's co-host, Bonnie Lucas of Monroe, Iowa, has been with 
the WHO morning program for 17 years. Bonnie's first job in radio began 
in 1979 at KRNT, where she was a former co-worker of Van's. In the 
seven and a half years Bonnie spent at KRNT, she worked in the traffic 
department, served as secretary to the General Manager, worked as the 
Assistant Sales Manager and finally went into sales for KRNT. After 
Bonnie started her own small fitness center business and worked for a 
communications company, she tried out for Van's co-host position in 
August 1994 and has been with the award-winning program ever since.
  Van and Bonnie's commitment to Iowa is virtually unparalleled as they 
are up every morning by 3:30 a.m. to be on the air by 4:59 a.m. They 
have made a name for themselves as the most listened to morning show in 
the state and bolstered an already esteemed radio station with their 
enthusiasm, knowledge, creativity, and family-friendly humor. They do 
an exceptional job of utilizing WHO's 50,000 watts to connect with each 
Iowan who tunes in and leave their listeners with a smile as the day 
begins.
  Van and Bonnie have provided years of sunshine to our state's early 
risers, and I am honored to recognize the most recent affirmation of 
their stellar broadcasts. I congratulate Van, Bonnie, their 
correspondent Mark Allen, and all of their coworkers as they continue 
to wake up Iowa with a smile.

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