[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 166 (Monday, November 17, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


           HONORING WILL GILL, JR., SENIOR FARMER OF THE YEAR

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                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, November 17, 2003

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Will Gill, Jr., as 
the Madera County Chamber of Commerce and Madera County Farm Bureau 
Senior Farmer of the Year. Mr. Gill will be recognized at the Madera 
County Farm Bureau's 82nd Annual Members Meeting and Senior Farmer 
Presentation on November 6 in Madera, CA.
   Will's dedication to his country and his strong work ethic have 
brought much success for him and his family. He has contributed 61 
years to Madera County agriculture. Mr. Gill's family, natives of Iowa, 
migrated to Porterville, CA, in the 1870s and an agriculture legacy 
began. By the 1940s, the family's ranching operations were flourishing 
in Porterville and Madera. Upon the death of his father, Will, and his 
wife Jane, moved from Southern California to Madera to manage the 
family's local agriculture interests. Not long after his arrival, he 
was sent to Fort Sill, OK, where the U.S. Army needed his service in 
the midst of WWII. Mr. Gill served as an army sergeant of the Military 
Police in the China-Burma-India Theatre. In 1946, Will returned to 
Madera and resumed his work in the family's crop and livestock 
investments, which included oat and alfalfa hay, cows, and stocker and 
feeder cattle.
   As a proud member of many organizations and the recipient of several 
awards, Will is no stranger to his community. He served on Governor 
Ronald Reagan's Advisory Committee on Foreign Trade, was past-president 
of the Madera Rotary Club, a member of the Madera County Air Pollution 
Board, a 60-year member of the California Cattlemen's and National 
Cattlemen's Associations, and the list goes on. Will was named Madera 
County Cattleman of the Year in 1963 and California Livestock Man of 
the Year in 1972. His favorite venture, raising quarter horses, has 
made his 53-year membership to the American Quarter Horse Association 
particularly enjoyable. The list of Will's achievements and commitments 
goes on, reinforcing his benevolent character.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Will Gill, Jr., for being 
named Senior Farmer of the Year by the Madera Chamber of Commerce and 
Madera County Farm Bureau. His contributions to America's agriculture 
communities have been invaluable. I invite my colleagues to join me in 
commending Mr. Gill for this achievement.

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