[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 141 (Wednesday, October 8, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IN HONOR OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ROBINSON JEFFERS TOR HOUSE 
                               FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 25th anniversary of 
the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation. Robinson Jeffers lived in 
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, from 1914 until his death in 1962, and 
the stone house and tower that he built there provided a powerful 
inspiration for his poetry. It is thanks to the hard work of many local 
residents that we are fortunate to have Tor House preserved for us 
today as an important part of our local history.
  The heirs to the property, Donnan Jeffers and his wife, Lee, were in 
agreement that the buildings should be preserved as a literary shrine 
to Donnan's father, Robinson Jeffers, and that the property should have 
public and educational uses as a museum and scholarship center. Many 
local and national figures were involved in creating awareness of and 
raising money for the project: actress Dame Judith Anderson, 
photographer Ansel Adams, National Trust President James Biddle, 
publisher Ward Ritchie, Carmel resident Maggie Downer, Rockefeller 
advisor Joe Lee, poet and Monterey Peninsula College instructor Allston 
James, and many others. Also instrumental in the purchase of the Tor 
House was Carmel resident, former California State Senator, Fred Farr, 
who at the time was chair of the National Trust, Monterey Council.
  With the generous contributions of many individuals and the Carmel 
City Council, the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation, Inc., a non-
profit organization, formally took possession of the property on 
February 28, 1979. Building upon the prescient and extraordinary 
efforts of many people in the late 1970's, subsequent Robinson Jeffers 
Tor House Foundation Boards and docents during the Foundation's 25 year 
history have worked tirelessly and successfully to make the dream of 
preserving Tor House a reality.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join the city of Carmel-by-the-Sea in 
honoring the dedicated work of the Robinson Jeffers Tor House 
Foundation. Their 25th anniversary is a tribute to the remarkable 
effort by the Tor House Foundation to preserve the property and the 
buildings of Carmel's revered and internationally known poet, Robinson 
Jeffers.

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