[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 63 (Wednesday, April 30, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E814-E815]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TRIBUTE TO JAMES L. FERMAN, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 29, 2003

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of the late James 
L. Ferman Sr., a pillar in the Tampa Bay society, whose devotion to his 
company was second only to his dedication to family and his remarkable 
commitment to strengthening his community.
  A native of Tampa, Ferman joined the Navy in 1942 after graduating 
from H.B. Plant High School and Emory University. After serving his 
country in both the Atlantic and Pacific as an intelligence officer and 
commander of a submarine chaser, James Ferman Sr. came home to oversee 
the expansion of his father's automobile company. Under his watch, 
Ferman Motor Car Company became the oldest continuously operating 
dealership in the country and one of the biggest dealerships in the 
state.
  Today Ferman Motor Car Company employs almost 1,000 people in four 
counties, and James Ferman Sr., the father of this company, was known 
for treating these employees like his own family. The integrity with 
which he led Ferman Motor explains why so many employees have stayed 
with the company for decades.
  James Ferman Sr. was also known for his work outside of the company. 
The 1966 Civitan Club's Citizen of the Year dedicated

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much of his life and wealth to charitable causes in Tampa Bay and 
beyond. Ferman served the community in countless capacities including 
as a board member of the Port Authority, the Chamber of Commerce, the 
United Way and the University of Tampa, and as an active member of the 
Hyde Park United Methodist Church.
  James Ferman Sr.'s contributions to making Tampa Bay a better place 
to live will never be forgotten and will continue to inspire 
generations of citizens to serve and lead their communities as he did. 
On behalf of all of us, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to 
his family.

                          ____________________