[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 26 (Tuesday, March 4, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E367-E368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO JAMES G. SANDMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 4, 1997

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Col. James G. 
Sandman, U.S. Air Force retired, for exceptional service to the 
community of Sacramento while serving as executive vice president of 
the Sacramento Association of Realtors since 1979. After 17 years of 
dedicated service, he and his wife, Barbara, are retiring.
  A native Californian, Colonel Sandman's contributions have not been 
limited to his service with SAR. A member of a prominent Stockton 
family, he was graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point 
in 1947 and went on to a distinguished career in the U.S. Air Force 
until retiring in 1976. One of the highlights of Colonel Sandman's Air 
Force career was to be stationed at the newly opened Air Force Academy 
for the graduation of the first class of Air Force cadets.
  While serving in the Air Force, Colonel Sandman contributed to his 
country in a number of very important roles. He served as a command 
pilot and navigator during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, served on 
the Pentagon's Command and Control Staff, was part of a special 
exchange program and attended the Royal Air Force Staff College in the 
United Kingdom. His last tour of duty was commander of the Air Force 
Recruitment Wing for the Western Region. At one point, Colonel Sandman 
was chosen as the subject for a recruiting poster which was nationally 
distributed and displayed. During his military career, Colonel Sandman 
was honored with the Legion of Merit with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Air 
Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
  Immediately following his Air Force career, Colonel Sandman 
established himself in the Sacramento community by working on various 
political campaigns and managing a highly successful shopping center 
development project.
  As executive vice president of the Sacramento Association of 
Realtors, Colonel Sandman led the organization as it 
quickly established itself as a concerned member of the community at 
large. Under his leadership as its chief staff member, SAR became a 
major contributor to charitable causes in the community and could 
always be counted on in a crisis. Included among his significant 
accomplishments are the conversion of a board-owned book multiple 
listing service to a board-owned computer multiple listing service, the 
building of a state-of-the-art headquarters for Sacramento Realtors, 
complete with an auditorium that is used by many organizations in the 
community, and the initiation of discussion with six Realtor 
associations in the surrounding areas regarding a regional association 
system.

  Within the broader Realtor community, Colonel Sandman represented SAR 
with the highest of integrity and dedication. He served as director of 
the management committee for the Real Estate Land Use Institute, member 
and chair of the California Association of Realtors' Executive 
Officer's Committee, member of the National Association of Realtors' 
Executive Officer's Committee, and several other NAR and CAR 
Committees, including a stint on the CAR Executive Committee. He has 
also served on the California Department of Real Estate Task Force on 
Professional Standards.
  Locally, Colonel Sandman is a past trustee of the American Red Cross, 
is involved with the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, the 
Sacramento Area Commerce and Trade Organization [SACTO], and regularly 
contributes to a number of local charities and causes.
  As an association executive, Colonel Sandman distinguished himself 
within that group's ranks as well. He is a past member of the American 
Management Association and is a member of the California Society of 
Association Executives. He served as a board member and president of 
CSAE and was awarded that group's Association Executive of the Year 
Award in 1987. He also earned the ASAE's highest designation, Certified 
Association Executive and just recently was awarded the first

[[Page E368]]

and only National Association of Realtors' Lifetime Realtor Certified 
Executive designation.
  In recognition of these contributions made to his country, California 
and the local Sacramento community, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
saluting James G. Sandman and wishing both he and his wife, Barbara, 
luck and happiness in their retirement.

                          ____________________