[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 150 (Friday, October 31, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2157]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO A.G. ``BUD'' HARRISON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 31, 1997

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege and honor to pay tribute 
to the exceptional public service career of my dear friend and one of 
San Mateo County's most dedicated public servants, A.G. ``Bud'' 
Harrison, upon his retirement from the Burlington City Council. His 
extraordinary devotion to serving his community, as well as his 
longtime commitment to educating young people about the importance of 
civic involvement, make him a genuine hero to all of us who care about 
the Bay Area.
  Bud's strong belief in public service is rooted in his background and 
has been proven repeatedly throughout the course of his 67 years. Born 
in San Francisco, his future political intentions were foreshadowed at 
a young age when his classmates at Balboa High School elected Bud 
president of the senior class. After his graduation in 1948, he 
volunteered for a far more meaningful type of service in the U.S. Air 
Force. Bud spent 4 years in the military, aided his country during the 
Korean war, and was discharged in 1952 as a staff sergeant.
  After his military career ended, Bud enrolled at the University of 
San Francisco, where he graduated in 1957 with a secondary teaching 
credential. It was then that he began his career which was destined to 
influence the lives of literally thousands of young men and women, as 
he became a political science teacher at Capachino High School.
  Both of my daughters, Annette and Katrina, were privileged to be 
among those fortunate students in Bud's classes, and they recall his 
lessons with great fondness and appreciation. Remembered Annette: ``In 
a time of great cynicism, he infused his pupils with a strong sense of 
civic activism and an appreciation for the remarkable role of politics 
in America.'' Katrina described Bud's ``enthusiastic spirit which 
imbued his students with a love of public service.''
  In Bud's 33 years at Capachino High School, and in his 16 years as a 
political science instructor at the College of San Mateo, he made a 
lasting contribution not only to lives of thousands of young people but 
also to the success and stability of our democratic system of 
government. For this, Mr. Speaker, we are all in his debt.
  Bud's most significant lessons were those of his own example. He did 
not preach mere platitudes about public service to his students; 
rather, he was an inspiring example of the impact that a sole 
individual can have by becoming involved in his or her community. His 
35-year career spanned a wide variety of local offices and an even 
broader array of well-represented and appreciative constituents. The 
citizens of Burlingame elected Bud to three terms as their mayor, as 
well as to 12 years of service as a city councilman. In addition, But 
worked tirelessly as a San Mateo County supervisor, as a Burlingame 
planning commissioner, civil service commissioner, and a member of the 
Library Board of Trustees, and as a longtime member of the board of 
directors of ReCare, formerly Easter Seals, and as the director of the 
San Mateo County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and in a host of other 
important civic positions.
  Through all of these challenging posts, and all of Bud's dynamic 
efforts to make Burlingame and San Mateo County a better place to live 
and raise a family, he has been loyally and lovingly supported by his 
wife of 44 years, Doris, by his four children, Chuck, Mary, Terry, and 
Cheri, and by his six grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, as Bud Harrison's distinguished career in public service 
comes to a conclusion with his retirement from the Burlingame City 
Council, I ask all of my colleagues to join me in paying tribute to 
this outstanding man, an example of the best that our communities have 
to offer, and a true role model to all those he has taught in his 
classes and in his life of community activism.

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