[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 103 (Thursday, July 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S8676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       SALUTE TO HARRY AND DAVID

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, 70 years ago--in the fall of 1934--
Harry Holmes from Medford, OR traveled to New York City armed with 
nothing more than a dream and 15 boxes of Royal Rivera pears, which had 
been grown on the orchard in the beautiful Rogue Valley owned by Harry 
and his brother David. Their goal--in the midst of an economic 
depression--was to convince New York business executives that a box of 
their pears was a perfect Christmas gift.
  A week of meetings, however, yielded no success, and the pears were 
beginning to ripen. In an attempt to prolong the pears, Harry kept the 
window of his hotel room wide open, transforming his room into a make-
shift refrigerator.
  With just 2 days left in his trip, Harry was introduced to G. Lynn 
Sumner, an advertising man. Sumner met with Harry that afternoon, and 
before business was discussed, Harry had Sumner tuck a towel into his 
shirt collar and taste one of the pears.
  ``I took a bite out of my pear and found that Harry had taken a wise 
precaution,'' said Sumner. ``The juice burst . . . and poured down over 
me. . . . At the same time, I sensed the full flavor of the most 
luscious pear I had ever tasted.''
  Sumner was so impressed he immediately agreed to help Harry promote 
his product. That night he drafted a letter to be sent with each box of 
pears, asking the recipient just to taste a pear and imagining what a 
wonderful Christmas gift a box of them would make.
  The next morning, each of the 15 boxes of pears, along with a copy of 
the letter, were sent to America's most prominent business leaders. 
Before Harry left New York to return to Oregon, he had 500 orders in 
hand.
  Seven decades later, Harry and David is the Nation's largest and most 
well-known direct marketer of gourmet food and fruit gifts. It ships 
more than 7.5 million gifts per year, including 4 million during the 
Christmas holiday season. Harry and David's parent company, Bear Creek 
Corporation, is also a leading employer in Southern Oregon, providing 
3,000 full-time and part-time jobs year around, and 11,000 jobs during 
the holiday season.
  I am proud to congratulate the good folks at Harry and David for 70 
years of providing millions and millions of families around the world 
with delicious food and countless Christmas memories.
  I am also reminded of the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said, 
``Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the 
most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are 
tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the 
most lasting bands.''
  In saluting Harry and David, I do more than salute a business. I also 
salute the ``cultivators of the earth''--the farmers and orchardists 
who do the work necessary to make the land blossom with an abundance of 
treasures. I am confident that their hard work and the hard work of all 
those at Harry and David will help to ensure that the best days of this 
company are yet to come.

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