[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 55 (Monday, May 2, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E838]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING FATHER ART

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANE HARMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 2, 2005

  Ms. HARMAN. Mr. Speaker, there are those who make their mark on the 
community with great fanfare, a need for recognition, or in service of 
a particular agenda. And there are those who serve the community 
quietly, with grace and humility--like Reverend Arthur R. Bartlett, a 
man whose life has been marked by love for his country and remarkable 
concern for others.
  Most in the sea-side community of San Pedro, in the southern part of 
my Congressional district, know him as ``Father Art,'' a testament to 
the Reverend's lifelong dedication to a community that is a gateway to 
the Pacific, home to generations of seafarers, and has twice been the 
hub of a world-wide war effort. As a young man, Father Art built ships, 
worked the docks, supplied countless Navy sailors and taught U.S. Army 
soldiers to fly B-17 bombers.
  But Father Art is best known for the aid and support he has given to 
merchant seafarers of all nations, creeds and faiths. As Program 
Director for the Seamen's Center in San Pedro for the past 47 years, he 
has provided the stabilizing influences of church, home and community 
to many who passed through San Pedro Harbor. Through training programs, 
counseling and hospital visits, he has provided hope to those who had 
none or nowhere else to turn.
  Father Art has also touched the lives of many who settled in San 
Pedro and fell victim to the ravages of alcoholism. He is the founder 
of Beacon House, the only recovery facility for male alcoholics in San 
Pedro and a true ray of hope for the entire community.
  The respect and admiration that he earned from local residents and 
the concern that he demonstrated for San Pedro Harbor led Mayor Tom 
Bradley to appoint Father Art to the Los Angeles Board of Harbor 
Commissioners in 1981.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with enormous pride and gratitude that I recognize 
The Reverend Arthur R. Bartlett's life achievements and commend him on 
receiving the Seamen's Church Institute's 2005 Guiding Angel Award.

                          ____________________