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EXTENSIONS of REMARKS 8915 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS LOWELL THOMAS, LIFELONG Chose Ohio As His Birthplace

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EXTENSIONS of REMARKS 8915 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS LOWELL THOMAS, LIFELONG Chose Ohio As His Birthplace March 29, 1974 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 8915 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS LOWELL THOMAS, LIFELONG chose Ohio as his birthplace. It was the tiny the shortage of many petroleum based mate­ SUCCESS town of Woodington in Darke County, on rials, especially diesel fuel, gasoline and Ohio's western border. His father was Dr. asphalt cement, severe burden has been Harry George Thomas, who moved his family placed upon the highway building industry to Colorado shortly thereafter. Lowell, how­ and all Federal and State agencies charged HON. CLARENCE J. BROWN ever, did return to attend high school in With the responsibility of maintaining our OF OHIO Greenville, 0., for one year. State, County and City road systems, due The newscaster's early success was fore­ to the shortage of asphalt cement, and; IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES shadowed by his college career. He attended Whereas, the Federal allocation program Thursday, March 28, 1974 Valparaiso College in Indiana and after two has not included asphalt cement under a short years he was awarded two degrees, the mandatory allocation by the Federal Energy Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I B.S. and M.A. Later, he attended the Univer­ Office and there has, therefore, been nothing know that many of my colleagues share sity of Denver and won the same two degrees proposed under any Federal Regulation which with me the respect and affection for one all over again; probably to prove the point, would require the continued manufacture of of broadcasting's most enduring person­ except that he won them in a single year on asphalt cement as a product thereby severely alities, Lowell Thomas. his second try. damaging the maintenance of our National, It is to his 7 p.m. newscast that many By 1930, the 38-year-old Thomas was an State and local systems of highways and established author-traveler-adventurer-lec­ jeopardizing the economy of the United of us listen as we drive home in the eve­ turer-raconteur, entitled even at that youth­ States of America and each State thereof by nings after finishing our day on the Hill. ful age to look backward on an incredibly alloWing a situation to exist which coUld in The newscast is a favorite, because al­ lively and successful life. One day in that due time create a crisis of very severe mag­ though it always covers the hard news, year, he got a telephone call from a man from nitude due to the fact that our economy including the unpleasant events of the the Columbia Broadcasting Company, as it is inseparably tied to the road system of day, it also always contains an item or was then known. He asked Thomas to meet this nation; two of what is good in the world and illus­ with him and William Paley, who had just Whereas, the road building industry is re­ trates that a little humor is often re­ bought the radio network. sponsible :!or the employment of many hun­ In Paley's office, Thomas was put in front dreds of thousands in this country; there­ membered long after the problems are of a microphone. fore, it is essential that same form o:! protec­ either solved or forgotten. "When you hear the buzzer," said Paley, tion be afforded the continued future of this Columnist George Condon of the "start talking." industry: Now Therefore Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote a March 24 "What about?" asked Thomas. Be it resolved by the Senate of the Gen­ column about Lowell Thomas' lifelong "Anything. Talk 15 minutes. Then stop." eral Assembly of the State of Indiana, the success and his start in the broadcasting There were three standby musicians in the House of Representatives concurring: business in which Mr. Thomas' unique studio. Thomas ordered them to play "some­ Section 1. The United States Congress, the personality is aptly portrayed. So that thing oriental" and began to talk of his ad­ Federal Energy Office and the President of ventures in such places as India, Malaya and the United States are hereby requested to my colleagues have an opportunity to Afghanistan. He never faltered or groped for take into full consideration the possib111ty share this insight, I wish to insert it in a word. At the end of 15 minutes, precisely, he of enacting Federal RegUlations that would the RECORD at this point: stopped talking. place asphalt cement under a Mandatory (From the Cleveland Plain Dealer, That was the big audition that led to the Allocation Program and insure its continued Mar. 24, 1974] first Thomas newscast a few days later, when production at a level that is Within reason­ LoWELL THOMAS, LIFELONG SUCCESS he brushed aside typewritten manuscripts in able limits that wlll insure the continued (By George E. Condon) favor of the evening newspaper and set a new maintenance of our highway system. pattern for all radio newscasting. Forty-four Section 2. The Secretary of the Senate is To mention the name of Lowell Thomas, as years have passed since then, and Lowell directed to transmit copies of this Resolution I did a few columns ago, is to trigger an im­ Thomas still is on the air five nights a week. to the President of the United States of pressive reaction from a lot of people who That's what you call an authentic success America, to the Chief of the Federal Energy count the famous radio newscaster-author­ story. Office and to the Congressional Delegation of world traveler among their favorite Ameri­ the State of Indiana. cans. And why not? He is a singular person­ Adopted by Voice Vote this 13th day of ality; a unique, enduring, immutable part of February 13, 1974. a medium that has experienced radical MANDATORY ALLOCATION FOR mutation. ASPHALT CEMENT Perhaps more important than Thomas' in­ credible achievement as a broadcaster in lasting some 44 years is that he is one of the WKBW JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST few great ones who were able to survive an HON. VANCE HARTKE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY early success in life. To hit the top in youth OF INDIANA probably is one of the most unfortunate IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES things that can befall an ambitious person, Friday, March 29, 1974 even if he is terrifically talented. HON. THADDEUS J. DULSKI Show business is full of middle-aged zomb­ Mr. HARTKE. Mr. President, I ask OF NEW YORK ies who once were youthful phenoms. They unanimous consent that a resolution IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES won success, some of them, before they had adopted by the Senate of the State of Thursday, March 28, 1974 to shave, and it was very perpleXing to them Indiana pertaining to a mandatory al­ that oldsters should have exaggerated the location program for asphalt cement be Mr. DULSKI. Mr. Speaker, Robert diffi.culties of making good. When their ca­ Ross, executive director of the Muscular reers sagged, as careers have a way of doing, printed in the RECORD at this point. a lot of them weren't able to cope With ad­ There being no objection, the resolu­ Dystrophy Associations of America, Inc., versity. Success can be a momentary, freak­ tion was ordered to be printed in the has sent me the following letter lauding ish thing and a person's talent has to run REcoRD, as follows: Buffalo TV station WKBW and Tom deep for it to be extended into the middle A SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION XXXVI Jolls: years and, certainly, beyond that. MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIA­ Part of the continuing success of Lowell Memorializing Congress, the President and TIONS OF AMERICA, INC., Thomas, I suspect, is a great sense of per­ the Federal Energy Office to enact federal New York, N.Y., March 18, 1974. sonal balance that has been helped no end regulations placing asphalt cement under a mandatory allocation program DEAR CONGRESSMAN DULSKI: I believe you '11 by a prevailing sense of humor. No man who be interested to know that a signal contribu­ is able to laugh at himself possibly could Whereas, the highway system of the United tion the welfare of citizens in your area allow his ego to take him far from the right States of America is essential to both the to path. Thomas has been known to break up on economy through its interrelated network and elsewhere throughout the country­ the air completely over a slip of the tongue of State, County and City roo.d systems and especially children and adults affiicted by that another newscaster would regard as dis­ to the national defense of the United States neuromuscular disease--has bee made by astrous. It obviously takes a strong sense of of America, providing access into every state WKBW, Buffalo, New York through the ef­ humor to find hilarity in one's own mishap. and every section of this nation in time of forts of Tom Jolls. Perhaps another part of the Thomas secret emergency, and; In very large measure, it's thanks to in­ 1s in his shrewd beginning. That is to say, he Whereas, the energy crisis has precipitated dividuals like Tom and stations like WKBW 8916 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS March 29, 1974 throughout the United States that Muscular proven method relies on the two essential Rassias' method is not simply the in­ Dystrophy Associations of America has been ingredients in the educational process troduction of a new level of energy. lt im­ able to make such gratifying progress toward which do not depend on the sumptu­ portantly involves substance, in the form increasing public awareness of the life-and­ of a carefully worked out syllabus, which.
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