[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8218-8219]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO TOM McAVOY

 Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. President, today I recognize a 
native Puebloan, sometimes critic, and staple

[[Page 8219]]

of Colorado's political journalism, Tom McAvoy.
  Tom McAvoy has been with the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper in Colorado 
for over three decades, including 21 years of covering the Colorado 
statehouse. For the past 7 years, he has served as the Chieftain's 
editorial research director and a member of its editorial board. He 
will retire at the end of May, but I hear he will continue to make an 
occasional appearance in the editorial section.
  Tom graduated from Pueblo's Central High School in 1964 and from the 
Southern Colorado State College in 1968, before going on to earn a 
master's degree in journalism from Ohio State University. He served in 
the National Guard after college and went on to work for the Associated 
Press, joining the Chieftain in 1977.
  Coloradans have truly benefited from Tom's canny political analysis 
over the years. He set the standard for reporters covering State 
government and politics for regional papers, keeping in mind the big 
picture for the State even as he paid special attention to what was 
important from the local angles.
  In particular, he has been a faithful fighter for shedding light and 
stimulating public discourse about the lifeblood of the West: water. In 
numerous articles and editorials, he has outlined for his readers the 
issues surrounding and complicating water use in the agricultural 
heartland that is southern Colorado and served as a megaphone for their 
interests to legislators.
  Tom wrote in an editorial last year, ``Our obligation is to the 
public, not the office-holder.'' To recognize his committed coverage of 
the Colorado statehouse, the Colorado Press Association awarded Tom its 
inaugural Shining Star in 1995 for being the best all-around reporter.
  Many reporters who cut their teeth on Colorado politics will tell you 
that Tom's example and mentorship helped them become better eyes and 
ears for their own communities.
  He also proved that showing up is half the story: there is a legend 
that the only time Tom ever took a leave of absence is when he came 
down with the West Nile virus. That dedication to his work speaks of a 
deep love and sense of responsibility for his hometown community, and 
it earned him the respect of his peers and his subjects alike.
  Southern Colorado will miss Tom McAvoy's voice on the issues that 
matter to the region, but I have a feeling his wife Sue and their three 
children will have to share him in retirement with his continued 
service to his community.

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