[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 4, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E8]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING RAY STRONG ON HIS 100TH BIRTHDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. LOIS CAPPS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 4, 2005

  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the artistic 
contributions of Ray Strong, on the occasion of his 100th Birthday.
  Ray Strong has contributed to the Santa Barbara community not only 
through his art, but also through his passion and commitment to 
education and his dedication to the preservation of our environment. 
His generosity has touched many, including those young artists 
fortunate enough to paint with Ray as part of the Oak Group. Ray Strong 
has assisted in raising money for a number of environmental causes and 
has brought awareness to many conservation issues through his work.
  In addition to exhibiting throughout the United States, Ray Strong's 
work is held in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian 
Institution. I am fortunate to have had some of Ray's pieces grace the 
walls of all three of my Congressional district offices. Locally, Ray 
has been honored by Santa Barbara Beautiful and is revered by many in 
this community for his generosity, spectacular talent and his passion 
for our physical environment.
  Ray Strong's enthusiastic dedication to recording the landscape 
around us reminds me just how precious our natural surroundings are. 
His commitment to environmental causes and his contributions to the 
American realist tradition are commendable. Ray Strong is a talented 
artist, generous teacher and role model to many. I am privileged to 
know Ray and I continue to be awed by his many talents.

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