[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 41 (Thursday, March 13, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E476]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING THE LIFE OF SAM KARAS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 13, 2003

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Sam Karas. 
He passed away on February 26, in Monterey, California. He was an 
actor, an activist, a salesman, a storyteller, a singer, a dancer, a 
father, a husband and most notably, a friend. He is survived by his 
wife, Edie, his three daughters Penelope Lockhart, Judith Karas, and 
Rachel Holz, and four grandchildren.
  Sam was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, by a poor family of 
Greek immigrants. Growing up he loved three things: ``The Shadow'' pulp 
novels, apple pie and basketball. Upon graduating from high school, he 
moved to Monterey to serve as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States 
Army during World War II. Despite lacking a college education, Sam was 
able to quickly rise to the rank of 1st lieutenant, and his enrollment 
in the armed services was the beginning of what would be a lifelong 
dedication to public service.
  Among others, Sam served on the board of trustees of the Monterey 
Peninsula Unified School District and was one of the original 
organizers and board members of the Human Rights Commission. Sam also 
served with the California Coastal Commission, the Natividad Medical 
Center Foundation, the Monterey Jazz and Pop Festivals, the Wharf 
Theater, the Monterey Film Commission, the California Film Commission, 
and the Monterey Peninsula College board of trustees. In addition, the 
ACLU, the NAACP, Monterey County, the Sierra Club, and the Carmel Meat 
Company, which he founded, have honored him.
  Sam started this small meat company shortly after marrying his wife 
Edie in Monterey in 1944, and he sometimes cooked large pots of stew 
for the homeless along the railroad tracks. Owning this company gave 
him many other opportunities to reach out to the homeless, a cause that 
remained close to him over the next half a century and spurred him to 
become entrenched in the Monterey community.
  It was frequently said that Sam represented the wrong communities of 
Monterey County, as he was mostly concerned with issues such as poverty 
and health care--issues pertinent to the Salinas Valley, not the 
Monterey Peninsula. Sometimes the trivial complaints of his 
constituents bothered him, but that was Sam's character: he wanted to 
help the people that truly needed helping. A smooth-talking, glad-
handing politician he was not. Sam often came at his opponent with 
disheveled hair, fraying suits and sweaters, and a penchant to comment 
bluntly, but he never shied away from confrontation. He had an innate 
sense of right and wrong, and he pursued justice doggedly. He wanted 
the best for everybody.
  The Central Coast of California has mountains and beaches, but on 
behalf of this House, I wish to celebrate the life of Sam Karas: a man 
whose spirit made Monterey County a scenic paradise and a more just 
society.

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