[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 19, 2001)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1147] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING JIM TRAVIS OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE ON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT FROM WSMV--CHANNEL 4 NEWS ______ HON. BOB CLEMENT of tennessee in the house of representatives Tuesday, June 19, 2001 Mr. CLEMENT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Jim Travis of Nashville, Tennessee, on the occasion of his retirement from WSMV-- Channel 4 after twenty years working as a political reporter for the station. Travis is often referred to as the ``Dean of Nashville Political Reporters'' due to his thirty-plus-years experience covering Tennessee politics, first at the local ABC affiliate, where he spent ten years on-air, and then upon moving to the NBC affiliate. While Jim's retirement is well deserved, his presence on Nashville television will be greatly missed. Travis began his journalism career as an announcer in Oklahoma at the University of Tulsa campus radio station more than forty-one years ago. After college, he spent several years working at television and radio stations in Alabama. In 1970, Travis made his move to Nashville, Tennessee, working for the local ABC affiliate which made the transition from Channel 8 to Channel 2 during that time period. He furthered his education, graduating from the University of Tennessee at Nashville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Economics. Beginning in the seventies, he made his mark on Tennessee politics, covering the administrations of Governors Dunn, Blanton, Alexander, McWherter, and Sundquist, as well as numerous sessions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Jim's institutional knowledge of Tennessee politics and political figures is legendary. In 1982, Jim was awarded the coveted George Foster Peabody Award for excellence in journalism, along with several of his colleagues at WSMV--Channel 4. In recent years his coverage of the ongoing budget debate in the Tennessee General Assembly has garnered high ratings for the station time and again. Although he has always been first and foremost a journalist, Jim enjoys bluegrass and classical music, as well as operating a ham radio and amateur photography. His love of ham radio began years ago, as a child, and while serving as a radio operator in the U.S. Army from 1963-1965. Jim is also known for his love of life and close observation of personalities and people. Perhaps those traits have best served him in his chosen field along with his quiet smile and discerning demeanor. Jim Travis is a beloved figure whose work has impacted literally thousands of Tennesseans over the airwaves during his career. He will be greatly missed upon his retirement, but deserves the very best that life has to offer both now and in the years to come. ____________________