[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 104 (Tuesday, July 15, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1481]]


          RECOGNIZING THE HONORABLE REVEREND DOUGLAS L. SIDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 15, 2003

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Reverend 
Douglas L. Siden for his outstanding leadership in the San Francisco 
Bay Area community. Doug Siden has been an ordained American Baptist 
Minister for 48 years. On July 28, 2003, a reception will be held to 
honor him on the occasion of receiving a Doctor of Humane Letters from 
the American Baptist Seminary of the West and to recognize his many 
years of community service.
  Doug Siden, a resident of Alameda, CA, has always been committed to 
social justice, the environment and to youth. As a young minister in 
the 1960s, he first demonstrated his leadership abilities by advocating 
for the establishment of parks in his community. He developed an inter-
racial church that supported fair housing and the integration of the 
community. He marched with Cesar Chavez to support farm workers' rights 
and marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. during the civil rights 
movement. Several times, Doug went to Washington, DC, to advocate for 
civil rights legislation as the representative of the inter-faith San 
Francisco Conference on Religion, Race and Social Concern.
  Through the years, Doug has always been in the forefront of 
leadership. He was the first pastor of a newly created church in San 
Mateo, CA; first director of urban strategy for his Northern California 
regional church; first chairman of the San Francisco Night Ministry; 
first Area Minister for his denomination's churches from San Francisco 
to the Oregon border; and first Regional Camp Executive Director for 
the American Baptist Churches of the West. Doug is proud of his 
leadership role in the establishment of two-year round camps for 
children, youth, adults, and families of all ages in the Santa Cruz 
Mountains and the High Sierra near Lake Tahoe.
  Doug is currently devoted full-time to public, community, and church 
service. He was elected to the East Bay Regional Park Board of 
Directors in 1992 and currently serves as the Board's Vice President. 
He is involved in leadership roles in a myriad of other organizations, 
including President of Martin Luther King, Jr. Freedom Center and Chair 
of the Seafarers Ministry of the Golden Gate. Secretary of Interior 
Bruce Babbit appointed him an Advisory Commissioner for the Point Reyes 
National Seashore and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 
Additionally, he serves on the Board of Directors of the Chabot Space 
and Science Center in Oakland, the Rotary Club of Alameda, and the 
American Baptist National Conference.
  I join the friends and colleagues of Reverend Douglas L. Siden in 
expressing congratulations as he receives a Doctor of Humane Letters. I 
also join in thanking him for his years of service. He is the epitome 
of community activism from which we have all benefited.

                          ____________________