Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Monsignor John Brenkle on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his ordination. Monsignor Brenkle has been a pillar of the community in my hometown, St. Helena, California, for 25 years.

Monsignor Brenkle has had a long and distinguished career in the church. He attended St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, California, and was ordained on June 14, 1958 through the Archdiocese of San Francisco. He received his Doctorate in Canon Law from The Catholic University of America in 1962. He served as Chancellor of the Diocese in Santa Rosa until 1971, followed by two years of teaching in Zambia. He came to the Napa Valley in 1979 as Parish Administrator at Our Lady of Perpetual Health in Calistoga before being assigned as Pastor of St. Helena Catholic Church in 1983, where he has been ever since.

Monsignor Brenkle stands out in the larger Napa Valley community as an example of the best aspects of his faith. He serves on numerous local boards, including Catholic Charities, the Board of Directors of Justin-Siena High School, Catholic Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Napa Valley, California Human Development Corporation and the St. Helena Mayor's Multi-cultural Committee.

Monsignor Brenkle never fails to answer the call for the working poor and less fortunate in our community. He is a champion for Napa Valley farm workers and low-income individuals. He was a driving force to create a successful farm worker program for day laborers, and helped establish low income housing at three major sites in the Valley. Father Brenkle also founded a Hispanic Scholarship Program which has raised tens of thousands of dollars over the years. Father Brenkle continues to be a significant advocate for worker's rights and social justice, particularly in hospitals and vineyards throughout the region.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to congratulate Monsignor John Brenkle for his 50 years of service to the Catholic Church and the people around him, and to thank him for his innumerable contributions to our community. I join all those whose lives he has touched in wishing him many more years of fulfillment.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and also thank you for your great work on this bill, Mr. DeFazio, and thank you especially for paying for the bill.

Mr. Speaker and Members, county governments don't receive property tax for lands owned and controlled by the Federal Government. However, they are obligated to provide services in those areas. The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was created to compensate local governments for the tax exempt status of the public lands within their county. If we fail to reauthorize this important program, teachers will be laid off, kids will be short-changed on their education, and county roads will go unmaintained.

In my district, over 1.2 million acres are controlled by the Federal Government. The National Forest Service

land in my district is twice the size of the State of Rhode Island, and every acre, every acre is exempt from property tax. In one of my counties, 40 percent of the roads are within the National Forest. So that county is responsible for maintaining the roads that run through the very property that is exempt from the taxes that pay for our roads.

It's unconscionable for the Federal Government to walk away from this obligation to rural local governments. Rural counties have no other options. We have made a commitment on this issue. Now let's live up to our word.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the all too short lives of Keith and Jaynie Paulson, Vince Whiteley, and Jennifer Drake, residents of my district, who died tragically in a small plane crash on May 23, 2008.

The epitome of the all-American family, Keith and Jaynie Paulson moved to the village of Albion on the Mendocino coast in northern California in 1976 and immediately became an integral and respected part of the community. A former high school science teacher from the Bay Area, Keith originally planned to develop hydroponic greenhouses.

Once he purchased a tractor, he was hired to do jobs for neighbors and then through word of mouth he found a niche digging trenches and installing underground utilities. In 1977, Paulson Excavating was born with Keith at the helm and Jaynie the chief financial officer. By 1981, the company had grown to the point of bidding on jobs in and outside of Mendocino County installing telecommunications components and doing projects for public agencies including cities, counties, special districts and the State. Their workforce grew from a core of 15 to as many as 75 employees.

Known and respected by their peers for exemplary business practices, the Paulsons were also beloved by colleagues and neighbors on the Mendocino coast, where their roots were deep. They raised two children, Amy and Brian, and were involved in their school, sports and other extra curricular activities. Bryan continues the work of Paulson Excavating. Amy is mother to the 3 Paulson grandchildren: Lincoln, Jackson, and Anna.

Jaynie served on the Mendocino Unified School District Board from 1991 until 2004. Keith also served for a short time on the school board and was the coach of the Mendocino High School golf team. He was a member of the Albion-Little River Volunteer Fire Department for 7 years and held various officer positions. A meticulous and expert pilot for 25 years, Keith was appointed as pilot representative to the Little River Airport Advisory Committee in 2007 by the County of Mendocino.

The tragedy, which took their lives, also claimed Amy's husband, Vince Whiteley, a graphic artist from Windsor and Bryan's long-time girlfriend, Jennifer Drake from Albion. The Mendocino coast community is left with a hole in the hearts of so many. Accolades and tributes to this sterling couple and their children's mates help the grieving as we try to make sense of their loss.

Madam Chair and colleagues, please join me in conveying our deepest sympathy to the children, loved ones, and the community, during this sorrowful time as we recognize and honor the lives and contributions of Keith and Jaynie Paulson and Vince Whiteley and Jennifer Drake.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Richard R. Niemann on the occasion of his retirement from the Napa Valley Unified School District after 39 years of teaching. Richard will be truly missed by his friends, colleagues and most of all, his students.

Mr. Niemann received his B.A. in History and Business Administration from Fresno State University and went on to graduate studies in International Relations at the University of the Americas in Mexico City in 1969. His love for learning led him to get his teaching credential from Fresno State University in Standard Secondary-History, Economics, Political Science, and Business. In 1976, Mr. Niemann received a Life Administrative Credential in Education and his M.A. in History from Sonoma State University in 1981.

Mr. Niemann has devoted his life to the education of others and has greatly influenced many of the students and faculty members he has worked with. He is not only a phenomenal educator, but a sterling role model for the

community. Among many other achievements and activities, Mr. Niemann was co-chair of the NVUSD Educational Plan Committee for the new American Canyon High School from 2005-2006. He also coordinated National History Day for Napa County Schools, with more than 2,000 students participating annually from 2000-2004. Mr. Niemann has reached out to get others involved, serving as a delegation leader for the ``People to People'' Student Ambassador Program. The program attracted participants from Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, and Australia. He has been a mentor teacher, track coach, and has always made himself available after hours to work with parent volunteers.

Mr. Niemann strives to not just teach history, but to experience it. He has traveled to 49 countries on six continents. He has consulted with educators and observed schools in Mexico, Fiji, Russia, Germany, Japan, Central America, South Africa, India, Kenya, Thailand, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize Richard R. Niemann for his many years of service to the Napa Valley, and to thank him for his contributions to the community. I join his wife, Marsha, his children, and our colleagues in wishing him the best as he enters this new phase of his life.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Lee Hudson, who is being honored by the Napa Valley Grapegrowers as their Grower of the Year on Friday, May 16, 2008. Mr. Hudson is being recognized for his outstanding contributions to the wine grape industry and the larger community of the Napa Valley.

Hudson Vineyards has established itself over the last 25 years as one of the truly great vineyards of the Napa Valley. Mr. Hudson found his love for winemaking early on, receiving his B.S. in Horticulture from the University of Arizona and continuing his education in Viticulture and Enology at the University of California, Davis. Mr. Hudson's dedication and passion to his craft shows in the number of critically acclaimed wines that Hudson Vineyards has produced and continues producing today.

Throughout his career, Lee Hudson has set a lofty standard for farming in the Napa Valley. These high standards are reflected not only in the quality of his fruit and clients, but also in the loyalty of his employees. In recent years, Mr. Hudson has brought significant benefits to some of his field-based employees by offering after-hours English courses and low-cost housing options on the ranch.

Mr. Hudson is a great role model for other growers in the industry through his innovation, progressive farming techniques, and managing vineyards and surrounding land with a ``systems approach''. This ``systems approach'' makes Hudson Vineyards stand out among the rest in land stewardship and land conservation. Mr. Hudson sets a tremendous example with his strong advocacy for the preservation of agriculture in the Napa Valley, as well as his active involvement with the Napa Valley Grapegrowers.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate at this time that we thank Mr. Lee Hudson for the incredible work he has done on behalf of the Napa Valley. As a respected grape grower he has advanced the reputation of Napa Valley grapes and wine, and has been a model citizen and superb steward of the land.

Madam Speaker, I have had the honor for the past 10 years to represent in the House of Representatives the Napa Valley, an area known throughout the world for its immense beauty, environmental consciousness and bountiful agriculture. This evening, the Jack L. Davies Napa Valley Agricultural Land Preservation Fund will celebrate an act of foresight and wisdom that has helped the Napa Valley to earn its lofty reputation: the creation of the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve.

In 1968, the Napa County Board of Supervisors passed Ordinance No. 274, creating the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve. The ordinance ensured that agriculture and open space were the ``highest and best use'' of our land and should be preserved for those uses. This unprecedented action revolutionized land use policy nationwide and paved the way for other landmark measures, such as measure J, to help preserve agricultural land.

Among its many virtues, the establishment of the Ag Preserve proved that responsible land stewardship and a thriving economy were not mutually exclusive values; indeed, the Napa Valley owes much of its economic prosperity and special quality of life to the preservation of its agricultural and open space lands.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to honor Napa County Supervisors Dewey Anderson, Jack Ferguson, and those former Supervisors who are with us in spirit Henry Wigger, Julius Caiocca and Pete Clark for having the foresight to protect the land so that future generations could enjoy the majesty of the Napa Valley. We also salute those who are working today to preserve and protect agricultural land and open space in Napa County.

Madam Speaker, I rise today along with my colleagues Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, and you as Speaker of the House of Representatives, to honor the contributions of Carroll L. Estes, PhD. Dr. Estes is one of our country's most highly acclaimed leaders in the field of aging, who has combined distinguished scholarship with a sustained commitment to public sociology.

Dr. Estes was raised in Texas by her mother, Carroll Cox Estes, an artist and writer, and her father, the late U.S. District Judge Joe E. Estes. She received her AB in Sociology from Stanford University, her MA in Sociology from Southern Methodist University, and her PhD from the University of California, San Diego. Her first book, The Decision Makers: The Power Structure of Dallas, published in 1963, gained notoriety on both local and national levels at the time of President Kennedy's assassination.

Over her 40 year career, Dr. Estes has been passionately devoted to improving the health and economic security of vulnerable and underserved populations, with special concern for women, older persons, and ethnic and racial minorities. Through research, teaching, and public service, she has steadfastly worked to advance the public good and the interests of America's most powerless and disenfranchised populations. She is an internationally recognized policy advisor in the field of social insurance, Social Security, Medicare, and long term care.

Dr. Estes has authored and co-authored eight books and more than 150 scientific articles and coedited 15 books. Her research, including her groundbreaking book, The Aging Enterprise (1979), has contributed to understanding of the impact of social policy on the elderly. Her latest book, Social Insurance, Social Justice and Social Change will be published in 2009.

Dr. Estes's current scholarship is focused on the social movements surrounding the privatization of social insurance programs for the elderly. She is also working on the missing feminist revolution in old age policy and studies of the long term care ombudsman program and access to elder mental health services.

In 1979, Dr. Estes cofounded the Aging Health Policy Center, and in 1985 it was approved by the University of California Board of Regents as the Institute for Health & Aging (IHA). Dr. Estes was appointed its first director and served for nearly two decades. She was also chairperson of the Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences in the School of Nursing from 1981 through 1992.

Dr. Estes's service extends far beyond academia. She was a consultant to U.S. Commissioners of Social Security and the U.S. Senate and House Committees on Aging and was a member of Federal commissions, committees of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences, and private foundation boards. She is past president of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), the American Society on Aging (ASA), and the Association for Gerontology in Higher Education (AGHE), and past national vice-president of the Older Women's League. Dr. Estes is a long-time member of many advocacy organizations induding: the Gray Panthers, Responsible Wealth, the Older Women's League (of which she was national vice president). She worked directly with both Tish Sommers and Maggie Kuhn, who continue to inspire her activism.

In 2006 Dr. Estes received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, where she is currently vice chair. She is also a current member of the Sonoma County Council on Aging.

Most important among Dr. Estes's many contributions is that of mother and grandmother to her daughter Duskie Estes, her son-in-law John Stewart, and her precious granddaughters Brydie and Mackenzie.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate that Dr. Carroll L. Estes, PhD, is being honored at a University of California, San Francisco, symposium celebrating her 40 years of policy research and leadership in health and aging. We are grateful for her many contributions as a distinguished scholar, inspiring teacher, influential policy advisor, institution builder and advocate for the most vulnerable in our Nation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Bill Kearney, who is being honored by the Lakeside Wellness Foundation for his years of service to the citizens of Lake County. Mr. Kearney is being recognized for his outstanding contributions to Sutter Lakeside Hospital as well as the community at large.

Bill is deservedly known as ``Mr. Community.'' Having previously served in the US Army in both Korea and Vietnam, he has since served on the Board of Sutter Lakeside since 1999 and has been President of the Board since 2005. He has given countless hours to the hospital over the years and always goes the extra mile, be it helping with physician recruitment or serving as a community ambassador. He also serves as the emcee of the annual Lake County Stars awards, lending his considerable charm and wit to what is always a memorable evening.

Mr. Kearney is not only a hero in the Lake County non-profit and health care communities, but a business leader as well. He owns two successful pharmacies and hosts a radio show discussing health issues. Bill is equally generous with his time and abilities in the business community. He has served two terms as President of the Chamber of Commerce and is affiliated with all local service organizations. He also leads the co-op for small pharmacies in Northern California.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure to recognize Bill Kearney for his many years of service. He has been a model citizen and leader in Lake County, his presence has enriched the lives of everyone in our community and I am honored to call him a friend. I join his wife Dana, four children and twelve grandchildren in wishing him continued success and fulfillment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Duane Hill, affordable housing trailblazer and friend, upon his retirement after 33 years as founder and executive director of Rural Community Housing Development Corporation. Based in Ukiah, Mendocino County, RCHDC is Northern California's largest rural nonprofit housing development organization.

Duane Hill recognized the overwhelming need for affordable housing in rural areas when cities were receiving substantial housing subsidies and few resources were being distributed in rural areas. He assembled a board of influential volunteers and embarked on a campaign of community awareness and public education that led to the incorporation of the Rural Communities Housing Development Corporation in 1975.

Under Duane Hill's leadership, RCHDC grew from its original $500 investment and staff of two to its current $3.3 million operating budget with assets worth more than $200 million. The agency has built 19 developments from the ground up that together provide 528 affordable rental apartments. By purchasing nine large housing developments, RCHDC also preserved 400 units of rental housing that were in danger of conversion to market-rate.

The agency has provided first-time homebuyers with more than 350 self-help homes in 30 subdivisions scattered throughout rural Northern California, and has 126 more in development. RCHDC now manages 1,000 affordable housing units and serves between 1500 and 2000 people annually. The agency also has $30 million worth of future projects in the pipeline. In 2008, RCHDC will complete rehabilitation of 144 new units in Del Norte County, one of the most underserved areas of the State, as well as an additional 50 units in Humboldt County. In Kelseyville, RCHDC's new farm worker housing will not only provide agricultural workers with a suitable place to live, but will also help to ensure the viability of agriculture as an economic, employment and cultural resource for Lake County.

Duane's steadfast resolve to see projects through to completion, coupled with his uncanny ability to build consensus and marshal both human and financial resources has created an inventory of affordable housing stock that has served as both a home and a springboard to upward mobility for thousands of low-income rural Californians.

He is on the forefront of campaigns for housing bonds and community development funding. He built his own ``self-help'' home and started a program for RCHDC employees to do the same. Under Duane Hill's leadership, RCHDC has become nationally recognized as an innovator in rural housing development. The California Housing Consortium inducted RCHDC into the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame. Just last month, Duane received the prestigious National NeighborWorks Association's 2008 Lifetime Achievement award

Madam Speaker, Duane Hill has earned the respect of his colleagues and community. Through visionary leadership, technical expertise and quiet persuasion, Duane Hill has invented, built and sustained the community development movement in rural Northern California. For these reasons and for the lasting impact RCHDC continues to have in rural Northern California, it is appropriate that we honor Duane Munfort Hill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Brenda Deen Schildgen, the 2008 recipient of the University of California, Davis Prize for Undergraduate Teaching an Scholarly Achievement. The prize is awarded to recognize scholars who are successful not only in their research, but convey their excitement and love of scholarship to students they teach. Dr. Schildgen is an eminent scholar of medieval European literature and biblical studies, but her hallmark at UC Davis is imparting her knowledge and passion for these subjects to students.

Born in London to a Russian mother and Indian father, Dr. Schildgen was the first in her family to go to college. Her Jewish mother and Muslim father sent her to a French convent in England through high school. Crossing the Atlantic for college, she earned a bachelor's degree in English and French at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, a master's and Ph.D. in comparative literature at Indiana University and a second master's, in religious studies, at the University of San Francisco.

Her path to an academic career was also unconventional. Dr. Schildgen served for 8 years as a lecturer at UC Davis before she was hired in 2002 as a full professor of comparative literature--an almost unheard- of jump in academia, where faculty typically climb, rung by rung, from assistant professor to associate professor to professor. In addition to her research and teaching, Dr. Schildgen has been instrumental in building UC Davis' highly praised University Writing Program and has been a staunch advocate for the development of writing skills not just in English courses but across all disciplines.

A scholar who works with literature in English, Italian, French, Spanish, Greek and Latin--she describes herself as ``dabbling'' in

Sanskrit as well--Dr. Schildgen has written five critically acclaimed books and edited four others, as well as authoring some three dozen scholarly articles and more than a dozen invited book or article reviews. An internationally respected authority on Dante, Chaucer and the gospel of Mark, especially in the context of Islam and Judaism, she has lectured throughout the United States, in India, the Middle East and Europe, and received numerous fellowships, grants and awards from the National Endowment for the Humanities and other prestigious organizations.

Madam Speaker and colleagues, it is appropriate at this time for us to acknowledge and thank Dr. Schildgen for her years of exemplary work as a scholar and educator, and congratulate her on receiving this well deserved award. Her commitment to inspiring and educating students has been unwavering, and she deserves our collective recognition and thanks.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 40th Anniversary of Youth Educational Services, an innovative community-based organization at Humboldt State University in Humboldt County, California.

Youth Educational Services (YES) trains students for volunteer positions throughout the community, encouraging leadership, communication and interpersonal skills. This well-directed service aids students in becoming successful in all aspects of program direction and management. The skills developed at YES open up a variety of future career opportunities and many students who once served as volunteers have gone on to have a positive impact in Humboldt County and around the world.

Over the past 40 years, YES has created over 70 volunteer programs that address the diverse needs of local residents and provide students with a myriad of service-learning opportunities. Their efforts facilitate active student participation in social change by addressing the needs of the local community.

A wide range of local organizations began as programs at Youth Educational Services, contributing to the overall health of our community. Outstanding examples include, Humboldt Open Door Clinic, which provides high quality, affordable, accessible health care and education to the county; Humboldt State University's Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, an on-campus educational center for sustainable technology and resource conservation; and 4-H Trail, a therapeutic horseback riding program for children with disabilities.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate that we recognize the Youth Educational Services program at Humboldt State University for their outstanding achievements and contributions to the community over the last 40 years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend and former high school classmate, William D. ``Bill'' White, who has retired from the Napa County District Attorney's Office after 35 years of dedicated public service in law enforcement.

Bill grew up near Lake Berryessa in Napa County and attended a small county elementary school that was variously housed in a county roads building, a laundromat, and a teacher's home before a proper elementary school was built. When he moved to the ``city schools'' in St. Helena, he prospered. He was on the high school football and track teams, was both vice president and president of the Student Body Council and Model U.N. representative.

Bill began his law enforcement career shortly after he graduated from St. Helena High School. He enrolled in Napa Valley College and soon thereafter joined the campus police force.

In 1973 Bill began working for the Calistoga Police Department as a patrolman and as a police dispatcher and later worked as a patrolman with the Suisun Police Department in Solano County. Bill joined the Napa County Sheriffs Department in 1977 and distinguished himself over the next 18 years as a patrol deputy, narcotics investigator, and homicide investigator.

He joined the Napa County District Attorney's Office as an investigator in 1995, later becoming supervising investigator in 2004 and chief investigator in 2005. In these years he became an expert in domestic violence and homicide investigations. In the course of his career he has worked on more than 3,000 domestic violence cases and became a court-approved expert in investigating these crimes.

Madam Speaker, Bill White has provided an invaluable service to the people of Napa County for many years, and it is fitting and proper to honor him today and wish him well in his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Gundlach Bundschu Winery in Sonoma County, California on the 1501h anniversary of its founding.

In the 150 years since the winery was established on March 12, 1858, California's wine industry has become the fourth largest wine producing region in the world and Gundlach Bundschu has played an integral part in that growth. It is the oldest family owned winery in the state and the sixth generation of the founding family continues to live, farm and pioneer the production of fine wines on the same vineyard land that was originally purchased by their great-grandfather's grandfather.

Each generation has weathered unique challenges that defined them and the California wine industry and has met those challenges with ingenuity and resolve. Company offices and wine vaults were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, severely curtailing what had been a thriving business. The family was able to continue with limited production until the passage of prohibition in 1919, which forced the winery to close. After the repeal of prohibition, Gundlach Bundschu wine grapes were once again in demand, but the family winery wasn't restored until 1973. Today, the modern winery is dedicated to sustainable farming at its best.

The family has always been an integral part of the community and a leader in civic affairs. They were instrumental in initiating the first Vintage Festival in Sonoma, a celebration of the annual grape harvest that has been held continuously for 110 years. Now, in celebration of its Sesquicentennial, Gundlach Bundschu has commissioned a theatrical presentation that will tour nine cities throughout the United States in the spring and fall of 2008.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we acknowledge Gundlach Bundschu on the 150th anniversary of its founding. As California's oldest family owned winery, Gundlach Bundschu is truly a testament to the enduring quality and character of California wine, and to its place among the nation's finest wineries.

Madam Speaker, I extend my deepest regrets for the passing of Congressman Tom Lantos. His death is an enormous loss to Congress and our Nation. I always deeply admired his unwavering commitment to human rights. In this area, he believed our Nation could reach a higher standard, and we are all better off because of it.

Madam Speaker, I first met Congressman Lantos when I was an aide in California's 19th Assembly District. I had a high regard for him then and am honored that I was able to serve with him in Congress. My sincerest condolences go to his wife Annette, his two daughters, Annette and Katrina, his 17 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize John Mikolajcik in honor of his service to the city and people of American Canyon, California.

Mr. Mikolajcik was bom in Cohoes, New York, on April 30, 1921. He received his call of duty a day after Pearl Harbor. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, where he served 4\1/2\ years as a mess sergeant. In 1954 he built and opened the Mid City Nursery in American Canyon, a nursery which has continued to flourish throughout the years. He began his career of public service when he was appointed to the American Canyon School Board, which was consolidated into the Napa Valley Unified School District, serving a total of 22 years. Thanks to the guidance of Mr. Mikolajcik, American Canyon now has three

elementary schools, two middle schools and a high school projected to open in the near future.

Mr. Mikolajcik was a strong proponent of American Canyon during his tenure on the Napa City Council, where he served two terms from 1980 to 1988. Mr. Mikolajcik was at the forefront of the negotiations to integrate American Canyon into Napa County, and in 1992 that goal was achieved. He continued in his civic efforts and served one term on the Napa County Planning Commission, where he was involved in the formation of a volunteer fire department and a water and recreation district.

Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we thank John Mikolajcik for his years of dedication and service on behalf of the Napa Valley. He has been a model citizen and leader in American Canyon and his presence there has enriched the lives of everyone in our community.