[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5307]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING DAVE McCONNELL

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me 
in recognizing Dave McConnell, who this year is observing his 50th year 
in the District of Columbia at WTOP Radio, where he has provided 
outstanding service to radio listeners in Washington, D.C. and the 
national capital region.
  For five decades, Dave McConnell has been the deeply crisp golden 
voice the national capital region has tuned in to for news. Dave has 
brilliantly made himself the preeminent reporter the region can trust 
to get the news straight. Dave's grasp of the complicated news of the 
day is so profound that he can summarize it in a few short edifying 
sentences. So significant has been Dave's talented voice, his peerless 
dedication to unbiased reporting, and his vast knowledge of Congress 
and of Washington that WTOP owes part of its continued success to Dave 
McConnell.
  A graduate of the University of Maryland, Dave McConnell was drafted 
to work for Armed Forces Radio before returning to the Washington area, 
where he first worked at WTTG Channel Five and WMAL before starting at 
WTOP in 1965, where he has remained for 50 years.
  Dave continues to thrive in his career. His popular ``Today on the 
Hill'' reports are broadcast each weekday, each hour in the morning and 
afternoon, with the occasional special reports. Dave has provided 
exemplary coverage of 12 presidential elections, five inaugurations, 
and countless political changes. He has been the recipient of a host of 
honors. Among the most notable are his recent Career Achievement of the 
Radio and Television Correspondents Association award in 2013 along 
with his 2001 AIR Lifetime Achievement Award and the Society of 
Professional Journalists Hall of Fame award in 1999.
  Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress, like residents of the District of 
Columbia, where WTOP is located, and the entire national capital 
region, have benefited from Dave's straight forward and always unbiased 
reporting. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Dave 
McConnell for 50 years of extraordinary reporting with WTOP Radio.

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