[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      CONGRATULATIONS, TOM SUITER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Holding) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLDING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Tom Suiter, a 
sports reporter for WRAL News in Raleigh, North Carolina.
  Recently, Mr. Suiter was inducted into the North Carolina Association 
of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He was honored for his long, successful 
career, filled with quality work and many achievements that include two 
regional Emmy Awards and 17 overall nominations.
  Mr. Suiter was hired by the late Senator Jesse Helms, who was then 
the vice president of WRAL. Mr. Suiter later became the station's lead 
sports anchor in 1981.
  Over the past 33 years, his coverage of all levels of sports, from 
high school to college to pro, has made him a local legend in Raleigh 
and the Triangle. He is the host of the award-winning sports show 
``Football Friday,'' which airs coverage and highlights of local high 
school football games on WRAL. The television segment will be in its 
34th year this fall.
  Mr. Suiter makes a point to recognize the achievements of high school 
athletes, both on and off the field. During a segment each week, he 
hands out the Extra Effort Award, recognizing local students for their 
achievements not only on the playing field, but in the classroom and in 
the community.
  Referring to his love of high school sports, Suiter said, ``I had 
such a good experience playing high school sports. I felt like there 
was a need, and we should highlight these kids who work so hard every 
day.''
  Mr. Suiter has interviewed numerous legendary coaches, such as UCLA's 
John Wooden and Duke's Coach K. In his time at WRAL, he covered 37 ACC 
basketball tournaments and 25 Final Fours. He did so with passion and 
professionalism and influenced the community greatly.
  Suiter's passion and support of athletes on all levels make him one 
of the many bright stars in our community back in North Carolina, and I 
extend to him a heartfelt congratulations.
  Thank you, Tom Suiter.

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