Paul Stacke

PAUL STACKE

Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to recognize Paul Stacke, a widely respected figure of Minnesota radio who is retiring today after 48 years in the business.

Paul began his broadcasting career in 1955. Since that time, he has worked at radio stations in cities throughout Minnesota, including Albany, Morris, Duluth, and St. Cloud, where he was a member of the award-winning news staff of AM 1240
WJON.

While he has had a few different responsibilities over the years, Paul's most notable contribution was at WJON as the station's political reporter. In this position, Paul brought the latest to his listeners by covering the senators, governors, and State and local leaders in Minnesota politics and asking them the tough questions people wanted answered.

Paul also brought national politics back home through interviews with political figures who serve the people here in Washington, from a speaker of the House to a President of the United States.

There are many people in the media who have the skills to take themselves to a successful career. Paul is qualified in this way, but he is also more. Besides being a professional, Paul is genuine.

Bringing this quality into an interview is what makes him a one-and-only. In doing so, he compels the people he is interviewing to show the same side of themselves.

In interviews with political leaders, the result is that his listeners got to hear the "real" person who represents them.

This is why Paul is a respected man in Minnesota, and why his contribution to Minnesota radio will be missed. The entire State of Minnesota—especially the St. Cloud area—was fortunate to have him on the air.

Unfortunately, our work here in the Senate keeps me from attending his retirement party this evening back in St. Cloud, MN. But if I were in attendance there tonight—among Paul, his wife Carol, and his family, friends, and colleagues—I would thank him for his inestimable contribution to keeping me and so many other Minnesotans informed.