[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 114 (Tuesday, September 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1657]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO JAMES A. GALLAGHER

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 21, 2004

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I rise today to 
pay tribute to James A. Gallagher, who is retiring after 28 years as 
the voice and face of the San Mateo County Transit District, which 
operates throughout my Congressional District. For almost three decades 
Mr. Gallagher has worked to improve our community, and he has left a 
lasting mark on the agency and the Bay Area as a whole. Both his 
colleagues and the citizens of San Mateo County will miss his 
leadership.
  Born in Fresno, California, James Gallagher joined the United States 
Marine Corps were he served our country for two years. After his 
service in the Corps, James worked for several newspapers throughout 
the region, before becoming the sportswriter, copy-editor and city 
editor for the Redwood City Tribune in my district.
  James left the newspaper industry to become the fifth employee hired 
at the San Mateo County Transit District in March 1976. Back then the 
transit district operated in a dozen cities in San Mateo County and 
served 7,500 riders per day. Today, SamTrans connects 100,000 people 
each day to all 20 communities in the county, as well as cities from 
San Francisco to Gilroy, California. SamTrans has become a major player 
in transportation in the Bay Area through its gifted employees, and 
due, in no small measure; to the perseverance of Mr. Gallagher. James 
rose up through the ranks at SamTrans, from the Public Information 
Officer to the Director of Administration and Marketing and finally the 
Deputy General Manager.
  Mr. Speaker, when James went to Stanford University, he would have to 
race his teammates each week to make the traveling squad for the 
university track team. His friends like to say that even then he was 
racing to catch the bus. At SamTrans, James worked tirelessly to ensure 
that not one resident would have to run to catch the bus. He will be 
remembered as someone who, among other things, attempted to make the 
county accessible for those who were underprivileged, underserved and 
underrepresented. Mr. Speaker, James A. Gallagher's contribution to the 
growth of SamTrans cannot be measured or replicated. I urge my 
colleagues to join me in paying tribute to James A. Gallagher, and 
wishing him well on his well-deserved retirement.

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