[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF BRUCE HORACE CARLSON AND MATT FRIDAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2005

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor two dear friends from 
the 17th Congressional District of California, Mr. Bruce Horace Carlson 
and Mr. Matt Friday. Both Matt and Bruce are devoted community 
activists whose volunteerism and generous spirits have enriched the 
Monterey Bay region through their work in education, social justice, 
politics, the environment, health and the arts. Matt and Bruce are soon 
leaving the Monterey Peninsula and moving to Oregon.
  Bruce Horace Carlson was born on April 13, 1942 in Pittsburg, 
California. Bruce moved to the Monterey Peninsula in 1986 and as long 
as I have had the pleasure of knowing him, he has been a tireless 
advocate for Democratic politics and civil rights. In 1999 he became a 
founding board member of the Monterey County Gay, Lesbian and Straight 
Education Network (GLSEN). He was a founding member of the Monterey 
County Coalition for Fairness and was a founding board member of the 
Monterey County Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Task Force. He was the co-
director of Monterey's first Gay Pride Parade in 1992 and has been 
involved in several annual Pride Days since then. To say Bruce has been 
active in local and national Democratic politics would not go nearly 
far enough in describing the level of his contributions. Bruce has 
played a signifIcant role in the 27th Assembly District since 1996 
holding various offices and committee seats. He has been a 
Representative for the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee in 
Monterey County since 1994 and has been a board member of that body 
since 1996. In addition to his many hours of organizing and 
volunteering locally, Bruce has been a delegate to the California State 
Convention as well as being a delegate to the Democratic National 
Convention held in Los Angeles in 2000.
  Mr. Matt Friday was born on September 21, 1950 in Ottumwa, Iowa but 
has made his home on the Monterey Peninsula for over three decades. In 
those three decades, Matt has made an enormous and everlasting impact 
on this community in areas as diverse as education, the environment, 
health. the arts, as well as social justice and politics. I cannot 
think of any other individual in my district who has donated more time 
to these issues than Matt. Matt has tirelessly dedicated his efforts to 
the Monterey Bay community as a volunteer teacher, a co-founder of 
several environmental projects, a board member for the Monterey County 
AIDS Project (MCAP) and a frequent contributor to numerous local 
publications. Matt is also a respected and accomplished organizer in 
the area of human rights and has organized dozens of educational 
community forums on issues such as hate crimes, racism, and the PATRIOT 
Act.
  In the area of politics, Matt will leave behind a legacy of 
thoughtful, energetic and strategic volunteering, planning and 
organizing from which this community continues to benefIt. Matt 
Friday's name is synonymous with progressive politics on the Peninsula; 
to say he embodies politics does not overstate the level of his 
political activism in my district. It would be a futile effort to 
attempt to list all of Matt's contributions to local politics but some 
of his most notable achievements have been to co-organize a very 
successful precinct captains program with neighboring Santa Cruz County 
during the 2004 election, serving as Chair of the 27th Assembly 
District from 1999-2003, appointed to be a member of the California 
State Democratic Central Committee since 1996, serving as co-President 
of the Bay Area Municipal Elections Committee 2003-2004, and acting as 
an observer and commentator for KlON-TV during the 2000 Los Angeles 
Democratic National Convention.
  It is evident that Matt and Bruce will be missed for all of their 
contributions and volunteerism to the community, but Mr. Speaker I must 
also say that I will profoundly miss Matt and Bruce for their kind, 
warm, and generous spirits. I have spent many evenings in their 
wonderful home in Del Ray Oaks talking politics and human rights and 
admiring their gorgeous terraced garden which they lovingly cultivated 
over the years. I have always felt as if Matt and Bruce were a part of 
my extended family in my district. I will miss them both personally and 
professionally.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity on the floor of 
this great House to thank Matt Friday and Bruce Carlson for their 
generosity of spirit and for the everlasting contributions they have 
made to the Monterey Peninsula. I wish them all the best as they embark 
on a new chapter in their lives.

                          ____________________