[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 95 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO JIM BURKE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. WILLIAM M. THOMAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 19, 2006

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague Mr. Costa to 
honor the life of our friend, Jim Burke, a Bakersfield community 
leader, philanthropist, and businessman, who passed away on Monday, 
July 17, 2006. In Bakersfield, the name Jim Burke is synonymous with 
generosity.
  Jim was born on August 1, 1925, in Bakersfield, California, to Mr. 
and Mrs. James Joseph Burke, a family with Kern County pioneer roots. 
His great grandfather, Daniel Burke, came to Kern County in 1864 from 
Ireland. Jim graduated from Kern County Union High School in 1943 with 
accolades as a scholar, athlete, and president of the student body. He 
attended Stanford University for a year before joining the Navy and 
serving on the USS Midway and the USS New Mexico. After two and a half 
years of service in the Navy, Jim returned to Stanford and graduated in 
1948 as an Industrial Engineer. In 1950, Jim married Bebe Rinker and 
they subsequently had a daughter, Michele (Mikie).
  Jim began his career in the parts department of Haberfelde Ford in 
1949, became a partner in the Haberfelde family business in 1964, and 
purchased the remaining business interest in 1972. In 1977, he renamed 
it Jim Burke Ford and it has since become one of the largest Ford 
dealerships in the country, with over 370 employees. Jim cared deeply 
for his employees and customers and was known to buy back a vehicle if 
a customer had an unresolved vehicle problem with Ford in order to 
address the issue with Ford himself.
  Throughout his life, Jim's passion was in the areas of education and 
health care. He worked with educators to create ``The Ford Dimension,'' 
which is a program that for 32 years has taught high school students 
about the private enterprise system and the practical problems of the 
business world.
  In 1994, over 200 Ford Dimension alumni from across the nation 
founded the Jim Burke Education Foundation in his honor. Later in 2003, 
Ford Dimension alumni and the Jim Burke Education Foundation created a 
leadership program, Dream Builders, to develop leadership and life 
skills in high school seniors and share with them the value of civic 
responsibility as a lifetime commitment.
  Jim also actively worked to address the hospital and healthcare needs 
in Bakersfield. He was a founding director of the Friends of Mercy 
Foundation, which assists in the healthcare needs of the local 
community, and he served as Chairman of the Mercy Hospital Board of 
Trustees as well as a director of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital.
  Jim was also involved with numerous organizations in the community 
such as the Campfire Girls, Better Business Bureau, the Trade Club of 
Greater Bakersfield, Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce, the California 
State University Bakersfield Foundation, and served as chairman of the 
Kern County Business Outlook Conference. Jim was also very active in 
the Catholic community. Jim's fundraising efforts and work with the 
Sisters of Mercy addressed the special needs of others, such as 
construction of the Madison Place, a model low-income housing project.
  Over the course of his life, Jim received numerous awards and honors 
for his service to the community and business achievements. In fact, in 
1976, he was recognized with the Time Magazine Quality Dealership Award 
for his outstanding business performance and involvement in the 
community. In 1995, Jim was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame 
and he received a Honorary Doctorate from California State University, 
Bakersfield in 1997.
  Yet no award will ever capture the true humanity, strength, and 
leadership that Jim achieved. Throughout his life, Jim and his family 
continuously strived to better our community and help others, with 
humility and true compassion. Jim was immensely successful in his 
efforts and we will never know the full extent of the impact Jim's 
kindness and compassion had. On this day, we rise, on behalf of a 
community in mourning, to remember with great appreciation Jim Burke, a 
man who embodied the civic generosity and leadership that is uniquely 
American and that has made Kern County such a great place to live. 
Accordingly, we offer our deep condolences to Bebe and his family.

                          ____________________