[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E182]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO THOMAS R. GOLDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 11, 2003

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Thomas R. Golden who 
died at home in Freestone, CA, on November 3, at the age of 81. Mr. 
Golden and his partner Jim Kidder had lived in Freestone since 1970, 
turning the old Freestone Hotel into a center for culture and politics 
in Western Sonoma County.
  Tom Golden was well-known as a patron of the arts, and in this 
capacity was the friend and collaborator of artists Christo and Jean-
Claude whose Running Fence snaked through Sonoma and Marin Counties in 
1976, a 24-mile curtain that ran from Cotati to the Pacific Ocean. Tom 
met the artists during one of the county hearings on the controversial 
project and immediately became an advocate and supporter. He continued 
his association for the next 28 years, traveling around the world to 
help on other Christo projects. During this time, Tom collected works 
by the couple that became the largest private collection in the world 
and have now been donated to the Sonoma County Museum.
  Tom was born in Indiana and moved to California in the 1930s. He 
spent time as a Trappist monk, in the Merchant Marine, and as a buyer 
for a grocery store chain before becoming a real estate broker. He and 
Jim renovated San Francisco properties before moving to Sonoma County 
where Tom pressured officials to adopt strict historic preservation 
laws and served on the Sonoma County Historic Landmark Commission.
  He is survived by Kidder, his partner of over 50 years, as well as by 
his sister Joan Sonsini, his brother Jim Golden, and several nieces and 
nephews.
  Mr. Speaker, Thomas Golden was known for the warmth and liveliness he 
brought to his friendships, his commitment to the culture of his 
community, and his world-wide collaborations with Christo and Jean-
Claude. Many considered him the unofficial mayor of Freestone. It is 
fitting to honor him today for a life that meant so much to the art 
world in general and to Sonoma County in particular.

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