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[Page H8264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING THE LIFE OF JOHN McARTHUR
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from
California (Mr. LaMalfa) for 5 minutes.
Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great
constituent and also a great friend. His name is John McArthur. He
passed away recently at the age of 96.
John was just 21 years old in 1944 when his father died, tragically,
of a heart attack, meaning John was tasked to take over the family
farming and ranching business. In fact, if the name ``McArthur'' sounds
familiar to those of us from northern California, that is because his
family founded the town of McArthur, California, where he lived much of
his life.
In the years since, John has helped establish many important staples
of his community, including the McArthur Volunteer Fire Department, the
McArthur Firemen's Carnival, the Fall River-Big Valley Cattlemen's
Association, and the Junior Livestock Sale. He and Shirley were very
involved in the fair each year and the events that went on there.
John actually introduced new crops to the Fall River Valley by
providing the first 10 acres for growing strawberries in McArthur.
Lassen Canyon Nursery, among others, remains a thriving business
operation more than 60 years later.
John and his business partners also tried their hand at planting and
growing potatoes. I am a rice grower in real life, so we had a little
bit of a rivalry for the starches that go on your plate and a little
fun with that.
While they were successful, they ran into trouble when it actually
came to harvesting the crop. Through that failed endeavor, he
established that the land was right for growing potatoes and was soon
able to lease it to successful potato growers for many years
thereafter.
On a personal level, John and his wife, Shirley, were known for their
welcoming nature. Their home was always open, hosting friends and
neighbors for cocktail hours or just hanging out at the McArthur
residence overlooking the valley. They have an amazing view off their
back deck, looking over the valley there.
The events became so frequent that John and Shirley thought that
maybe it would be better to cut down on the Old Crow a little bit and
slip some iced tea in there. But John and Shirley, they are those type
of people. People just wanted to be around them.
On my trips up to the McArthur area, whether it was for the fair or
just passing through, I frequently liked to stop in and visit with
them. John always had a smile, a laugh, a good story, and a very
welcoming nature about him. It is one of the fortunate parts of being
able to serve in an elected capacity these years I have at the State
level and now here in the Congress.
His life spanned nearly a century. He outlived most of his childhood
friends, but his personality, coupled with his generosity, kindness,
and involvement in his community, ensured that he had no shortage of
new friends.
During his time on this Earth, he has been a witness to a lot of
change. He watched as California's population grew from 4 million to
over 40 million today. He was always fighting for agriculture, adding
to our water supply, and sticking up for rural values.
Ask anyone in McArthur, John was clearly a pillar of the community
that bears his last name. He helped to establish it early on and
continued to help grow it through the years until his last days.
As a friend, I will miss him. I know he is sorely missed up there.
Blessings to Shirley and blessings to all of the McArthur family in
that great community, one that I am always proud to represent and very
happy when I get a chance to visit and hang out with folks.
Indeed, he is a pillar, and they don't make them like John McArthur
anymore. Let's hope his legacy helps spawn new generations of people
with that same attitude, that same strength, that same can-do that has
made America strong, made his community strong, and made the fiber of
northern California the great place it is.
____________________
