Rep. Darryl Owens' Tribute to Bob Schulman
Present on House of Representatives' Floor
January 17, 2008

Honored colleagues, we are blessed to live in a state where many colorful, outspoken, and passionate men and women make their profound mark on this great planet.

Famous Kentucky sports stars and senators, corporate giants and country singers are legendary for speaking their minds and hearts when the cause was just and true.

Today we add another name to Kentucky's list of legends by honoring my good friend Bob Schulman who passed away at the age of 91 last week.

While we can't claim Bob as a native son - he hailed from New York CIty - we were glad to adopt him when he relocated here.

His journalism skills were honed at the New York University and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and when combined with his quick wit and strong opinions, he became a standout media celebrity in Louisville in no time.

Bob's weekly "One Man's Opinion" editorials on WHAS-TV and radio station were much anticipated and discussed in Louisville living rooms, boardrooms and courtrooms, stirring debate and quite often arguments.

Like his trademark bowtie, Bob's commentary and writings sparked discussion and usually left the reader or viewer in a better frame of mind for having heard this thoughts on the subject of the day.

Because his opinion was so revered, Bob became one of the country's first full-time news critics, evaluating local, regional and national journalism performances through a column called "In All Fairness" which ran in the Louisville Times and the Courier-Journal from 1974 through 1981.

Bob also developed a series of "Minding the Media" reports for WHAS and hosted a weekly public radio discussion program, "Good Authority," which later moved to WHAS radio.

Bob joined the University of Louisville in 1984 and helped create forums and seminars to foster better communication between Kentucky news media, courts, and attorneys. Bob also wrote John Sherman Cooper:   Global Kentuckian .

In 1990, Schulman joined John Yarmuth, now congressman for Kentucky’s 3rd District, and three other investors in creating an alternative newspaper, LEO. For the first few years, Schulman wrote regularly for the publication.

Bob lived a full, fantastic life, but as with most legends, his time with us seemed too short as Bob's lovely wife and also my dear friend Louise Schulman would no doubt agree.
She and Bob have contributed much of their time to the arts and many charitable causes in Louisville and Kentucky, always rooting for the downtrodden and lending their voices where they could make a positive difference.

There will never be another Bob Schulman. But the essence of Bob will always be around, prodding us to ask questions and whispering for us to challenge the status quo.

I'm proud to present House Resolution 44 to Mrs. Louise Schulman honoring her beloved husband Bob.