- Record: Extensions of Remarks
- Section type: Recognition
- Chamber: House
- Date: April 9, 2026
- Congress: 119th Congress
- Why this source matters: Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
RECOGNIZING DEE ARMSTRONG ON HER GEORGIA BROADCASTERS HALL OF FAME
INDUCTION
HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.
of georgia
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Mr. BISHOP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heart full of gratitude and a voice that remembers the countless evenings when a familiar presence brought comfort to homes across Columbus and south Georgia— Ms. Dee Armstrong—on the occasion of her induction into the 2026 Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame on March 27, 2026, at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
heartbeat in a community. Dee's life and career have been that steady pulse—a presence many of us leaned on in moments of joy and sorrow, a voice that announced births, mourned losses, celebrated triumphs, and called us to care for one another. She began that calling as a teenager, balancing high school classes with weekend shifts at Columbus, Georgia Radio Station WDAK, tutored by a demanding but kind mentor who saw in her something the rest of us would come to know as courage—the courage to stand, to speak, and to be counted.
stepped into a television anchor chair and, with a clarity of purpose and a tenderness of spirit, she became the youngest television anchor in the country. That milestone was only the first of many. She moved through newsrooms with humility and grit—from WRBL in Columbus, Georgia, to WSBT in South Bend, and back home to WTVM in Columbus, Georgia—where she became more than an anchor. For three decades she was a companion for viewers, a steady hand on the tiller when storms came, a warm laugh at the start of the day, and a thoughtful voice at the close of evening. Families invited Dee into their living rooms, trusting her to tell their stories honestly and to hold their grief and their joy with equal care.
doing so she broke yet another barrier—not for the sake of records, but to give a stage to those whose voices needed to be heard. Her guests ranged from national figures to neighbors with quiet heroism. She used her platform not to show how bright she could shine, but to make others glow. Whether interviewing community leaders, championing health awareness through “Buddy Check 9,” or telling the stories of children whose futures we all should protect, Dee made us feel seen and made us, in turn, want to do better for one another.
far more human: the woman who knelt to help a child, who organized a ball to raise money for a wig so a little girl could smile again, who taught Sunday School with the same patience she used before a camera. She has been a mother to four sons, a grandmother of seven, a great- grandmother, a singer in choirs, a mentor, a stalwart friend. When life pulled her into unexpected chapters—repairing apartments with her own hands, selling life insurance, running a flea market—she met each turn with the same faith and industrious spirit that shaped her reporting. Nothing about Dee was showy; everything about her was real.
life that belonged to others. It honors the nights she spent preparing scripts so a community could be informed, the hours she gave to causes that saved lives, the long conversations with young people who needed a word of encouragement. It honors tears shared and wiped away, and the countless ordinary moments when she chose kindness over convenience.
Every newsroom has its stars, but few become family. For Columbus and the Chattahoochee Valley, Dee Armstrong became family. Her voice soothed anxious parents, her reporting spurred action, and her compassion taught us how to be better neighbors. Her induction into the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame is not merely about a career well executed; it is a community's way of saying thank you to a woman who gave her talents away freely and asked for nothing in return.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife Vivian, and me along with the more than 765,000 people of Georgia's 2nd Congressional District in celebrating Dee Armstrong—not only for the accolades, but for the grace, the courage, and the relentless, tender care she has shown a region that loves her dearly. May her example continue to remind us that true greatness is measured in service, in small mercies, and in a life lived toward others.