[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1571]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




A TRIBUTE TO ALLEN B. GRESHAM FOR FOUR DECADES OF PUBLIC SERVICE TO SAN 
                     BERNARDINO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 23, 2003

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay 
tribute to Allen B. Gresham, a legendary attorney and highly respected 
community leader for more than four decades in San Bernardino County, 
California. Mr. Gresham is retiring from full-time practice after 41 
years of building one of the top legal firms in Inland Southern 
California, and nearly as long helping make our community a better 
place.
  My friend Allen Gresham grew up in El Centro, California and received 
his law degree from Stanford University before joining a San Bernardino 
law firm in 1959. In just 3 years, he was named as a partner, and 
became the senior partner by 1978. Gresham, Savage, Nolan and Tilden 
now has 27 lawyers and is one of the most respected and accomplished 
law firms in Southern California.
  Mr. Gresham served as president of the San Bernardino County Bar 
Association in 1969 and as a fellow of the American College of Trial 
Lawyers for the past 25 years. He was named one of the ``Best Lawyers 
in America'' for the past decade, and was honored as one of the top 
lawyers in America in 2001. He was selected as one of the top five 
business litigators in the Inland Empire in that year, as well.
  Almost from the beginning, Allen Gresham was active in our community. 
He has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of San Bernardino since 1960, 
and has been a director of Arrowhead United Way since 1964. He was a 
director of the San Bernardino County Symphony Association from 1967 to 
1973 and rejoined the board in 1989--serving as its president for the 
next 4 years.
  In 1971, Mr. Gresham stepped up his activities dramatically, 
beginning 32 years of service in two groups that have helped ensure 
that San Bernardino County grows economically and in its educational 
opportunities. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of the San 
Bernardino Community College District--and has been reelected for 8 
consecutive terms. As board chairman for 3 of those terms, Mr. Gresham 
has helped a sleepy community college of a few thousand students grow 
into an academic powerhouse that today serves more than 30,000 on two 
campuses.
  In that same year, Mr. Gresham joined Inland Action, Inc., a service 
group formed by community leaders to maximize the economic development 
of San Bernardino County, and to ensure that the county retains the 
benefits of Norton Air Force Base. Over my 25 years in Congress, I have 
worked closely with Allen Gresham and the other members of Inland 
Action to keep the Inland Empire high in the attention of the Federal 
Government. Although Norton was closed in 1988, the group has continued 
to strive for economic progress, and was a significant factor in 
winning community control of the former base in 1998. There is no doubt 
in my mind that the efforts of Allen Gresham and the other members of 
Inland Action has helped ensure that San Bernardino County is on course 
to be an economic powerhouse for decades to come.
  I have always looked forward to the annual Inland Action trips to 
Washington--not least because a meeting with Allen Gresham was always a 
joy. He provides a combination of personal stability with an amazing 
ability to laugh at himself and bring laughter to those around him. His 
engaging and informed participation is one of the reasons Inland Action 
has forged numerous ties to lawmakers and federal officials that have 
paid off handsomely for the San Bernardino area.
  Allen Gresham has received many well-deserved honors over his life of 
community service. He was named Citizen of the Year by the local board 
of realtors in 1975, Distinguished Citizen by the Military Airlift 
Command in 1988, Citizen of Achievement by the League of Women Voters 
in 1991 and received the San Bernardino County Bar Association's ``John 
B. Surr Award'' for outstanding service to the legal profession in 
1999.
  Mr. Speaker, as Allen Gresham retires from active practice, he is 
also stepping down from his role in Inland Action to give him more 
personal time with his wonderful wife of 49 years, Clara Thompson 
Gresham. Please join me in wishing them well in their retirement years, 
and thanking them for all of the many, many years they have devoted to 
their community.

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