[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 64 (Tuesday, May 19, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E899-E900]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING CALVIN AND MARJORIE BRIGHT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY A. CONDIT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 1998

  Mr. CONDIT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a pair of very special 
friends of mine--Calvin and Marjorie Bright--and to recognize them as 
they become the first recipients of the Bart Bennett Community Award.
  This award, given by the City of Modesto in my district in 
California's great Central Valley,

[[Page E900]]

is in honor of Calvin and Marjorie's tireless efforts of putting others 
before themselves and working for the betterment of our community.
  Not only are these people pioneers in local housing, they have given 
back to the community time and time again. Perhaps Community Housing 
and Shelter Services Executive Director Diana Olsen summed it up the 
best when she said, ``I can't think of anyone else that deserves this 
award more.''
  Calvin and Marjorie were volunteering their time and efforts before 
voluntarism became popular. I'd like to take a moment to focus on some 
of their achievements. Not only did they establish the Bright Family 
Foundation which includes the Marjorie H. Bright Scholarship Program 
for students at California State University Stanislaus, Modesto Junior 
College, University of the Pacific and San Jose State University and 
other universities in Utah and Oklahoma; they also sponsor a medical 
fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco School of 
Medicine.
  Particularly poignant to me is the fact that despite their success, 
they have never forgotten their roots in helping provide scholarships 
for students from their high school alma mater, Beggs High School, in 
Beggs, Oklahoma. I am honored to call Calvin and Marjorie my friends. 
The Bright Foundation also actively supports the Children's Crisis 
Center and the Boy Scouts of America.
  Calvin formed Bright Development in 1971 in Modesto. The firm has 
built approximately 3,000 single-family homes, in addition to 
townhouses, apartments and commercial office buildings. He founded 
Bright Foods in Turlock in 1956, one of the first frozen prepared food 
processing plants on the West Coast. Bright Foods and FM Stamper of St. 
Louis were merged and renamed Banquet Foods in 1966. Banquet was later 
sold to RCA Victor in 1969.
  Marjorie Bright worked actively in the couple's food processing and 
building businesses. She was the personnel and labor relations manager 
of Bright Foods and now serves as the general manager of Woodside 
Management Group. Woodside has more than 100 employees and manages 
approximately 3,000 apartments.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I stand before the House of 
Representatives and ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Calvin and 
Marjorie Bright for their outstanding service to our community.

                          ____________________