(Rep. Walorski (middle) at a Mishawaka event last summer, with broadcast industry representatives J Chapman, Nicole Gustafson, Dave Arland, Aaron Ramey, John O’Brien, and Merry Ewing.)
The Indiana Broadcasters Association is stunned to learn of the death of Second District Congresswoman Jackie Walorski and three other people in a deadly car accident in northern Indiana on Wednesday.
“Representative Walorski was a no-nonsense Republican who was also a fervent advocate for her constituents. She was a former broadcaster, too, working as a camera operator at WSBT-TV in South Bend. Every visit with Jackie, whether at her Mishawaka office or on Capitol Hill, began with a reminder that time is short and that those who come to speak with her should get right to the point. That candor is sometimes missing from discussions with members of Congress, and we join with the people of her district to mourn her passing and the other lives lost in the Elkhart County accident,” said IBA Executive Director Dave Arland.
Also killed was the driver of the other car, Edith Schmucker, and Walorski staffers Emma Thomson and Zachery Potts.
“Jackie served the people of South Bend, Elkhart, and many other communities in northern Indiana with a mix of good humor and a serious commitment to local concerns. We will certainly miss those conversations that revealed how much she loved the people of her district and serving them in Washington,” Arland said.
