[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12290]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE DENVER PRESS CLUB, A NATIONAL 
               TREASURE CELEBRATING ITS 150TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DIANA DeGETTE

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2017

  Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, one year after Colorado became the 38th 
state, in 1877 a group of Denver journalists formed the nation's first 
press club. Now celebrating its 150th Anniversary, the Denver Press 
Club is significant to our community and our country in a number of 
ways.
  What started as a means for frontier-town rival reporters to play 
poker, tap into a barrel of Taos Lightning whiskey and debate the news 
of the day became a magnet for some of the most famous names in the 
field, defenders of the First Amendment and strong advocates for the 
values of journalism that are so critical to our democracy.
  In its early years, the club met in various spots, including the 
``cyclone cellar'' of Wolfe Londoner's grocery store before he was 
elected mayor of Denver, a term cut short due to a scandal that his 
journalist friends covered with gusto. He was later elected president 
of the Colorado State Press Association.
  As the club grew, it met in local hotels, among them the prestigious 
and famous Brown Palace. The club's own prestige increased as it 
brought national speakers and performers to Denver, awarded honorary 
membership to several U.S. presidents, brought the International League 
of Press Clubs to Denver in 1906 and served an instrumental role in 
elevating Denver's profile and meeting the needs of national media when 
the city hosted the 1908 National Democratic Convention.
  A permanent home for the club was built with the help of an architect 
team that included the designer of the Denver Public Library, Daniels & 
Fisher department store and Red Rocks Amphitheater. In 1986, this 
structure was named a Historic Landmark, and the Society for 
Professional Journalists designated the club a ``significant historical 
place in journalism'' in 2008. It was listed on the National Register 
of Historic Places this year.
  Oh, and of course the building includes a card room, home to one of 
the oldest card games in Denver.
  But the Denver Press Club's nearly 500 members do a lot more than 
play games and socialize, though. They work to strengthen and promote 
journalism while educating the public on matters that reflect the 
importance of empowered and free media.
  Through the years, the membership has included renowned reporters, 
editors, cartoonists, and authors, several of them Pulitzer Prize 
winners, who made their mark in the pursuit that has long been the 
watchword of many journalists: comforting the afflicted and afflicting 
the comfortable.
  Among the luminaries on The Denver Press Club's historic roster was 
Damon Runyon, for whom the club has named its cornerstone award, given 
to people whose careers have embodied his style and verve. Recipients 
have included Molly Ivins, Tim Russert, Jill Abramson, Frank Deford, 
Katie Couric, Carl Hiassen, Bob Costas and many others.
  The club also awards scholarships in Runyon's name to Colorado's top 
journalism students, as well as a separate award in coordination with 
the University of Colorado Boulder for outstanding crime reporting 
that's named for the late Al Nakkula, who was on the police beat for 
decades. These activities and others serve to raise awareness of what 
good journalism means to Colorado and the United States. And that cause 
is more relevant now than ever, amid vast changes to the media 
landscape in recent years and new, unexpected challenges.
  The Denver Press Club has long played its part in shining a light on 
our city and helping democracy thrive. As it celebrates its 
sesquicentennial, I am proud and honored to congratulate the club's 
members on its legacy, and to wish them all the best in the future.

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