[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1319]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO DON ORGAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2006

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Don Organ, my old 
friend and advisor, of Marin County, California, who died June 21, 
2006, at the age of 77. Don advised me on my first congressional 
campaign in 1992 and continued to be a valued supporter through the 
ensuing years,
  Don's career in politics evolved after he retired from a 27-year 
career managing nonprofit organizations, mostly in the public health 
field. After my 1992 campaign, he went on to develop a political 
consulting business with his wife Doris that focused primarily on 
Democrats and women candidates. He ran Barbara Boxer's ``Be a Boxer'' 
campaign as well as efforts for local candidates such as Marin Assessor 
Joan Thayer, Judge Vernon Smith, Community College Trustees Eva Long 
and Greg Brockbank, and City Council Members Paul Cohen, Barbara 
Heller, and Carole Dillon-Knutson.
  Born in Minneapolis, Don was raised in Los Angeles and graduated from 
Pomona College. After serving in the Korean war, he studied education 
at UC Berkeley and taught high school for a short time before entering 
the nonprofit world. With his wife Doris and his two sons, he moved 
around the country to pursue this work, and the family lived in 
Wyoming, Chicago, Washington, DC, Birmingham, and Kansas City, before 
settling in Fairfax in Marin County in 1987.
  Don soon joined the Marin Democratic Central Committee, ran 
unsuccessfully for the Marin Community College Board, and rapidly 
became a political fixture in the county. He was an active member of 
the National Women's Political Caucus in Marin where his support was so 
valued that he was the only male included in their 2006 Movers and 
Doers Calendar.
  That first unsuccessful campaign for College Board is fondly recalled 
by Don's son Kris: He recruited my brother Larry and me to walk 
precincts with him, which I thought was pretty bold of him, as he and 
Mom had just moved to Marin County the year before. Larry and I were 
the established names in Contra Costa County.
  We handed out a piece of literature Dad had put together stating his 
goals for the College, giving his background and including a 
photograph. We walked a Novato precinct, and a voter said to him, ``Oh, 
I'm glad I met you in person. You look fat in this picture, but you're 
not fat. Fat people should never get elected, because they're lazy. 
But, I'll vote for you.'' Dad replied with his broad smile, ``Well, I'm 
glad we met too. All this precinct walking has been good for me.'' 
Then, he told his boys, ``That's how important a good picture is!'' He 
came in last for the College Board, but I think those lessons made a 
difference in handling other candidates whose pictures were always the 
best.
  Don is survived by Doris, his wife of almost 52 years, and two sons, 
Kris Organ, Executive Director of Service Employees International Union 
Local 949 and his daughter Serena; and Larry Organ, civil rights 
attorney, his wife Susan and 3 daughters, Robyn, Meg, and Jane, all of 
whom live in Marin County.
  Mr. Speaker, Dan Organ enriched Marin with his work and his support 
of many candidates, both men and women, who are leaders in the 
community. His family has asked that we ``keep his memory'' in our 
hearts. I will certainly do that as I mourn the loss of this friend and 
colleague whom I valued as an ally in my endeavors on behalf of 
California's Sixth District.

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