[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 123 (Wednesday, September 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING JACQUELIN ``JIM'' SMITH HOLLIDAY II

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 26, 2006

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of one of 
California's most distinguished historians, Mr. Jacquelin ``Jim'' Smith 
Holliday II. Jim Holliday was a teacher and author, and was much sought 
after as a lecturer throughout the State of California.
  Jim was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1924. He attended 
Midshipman School at Northwestern University and was commissioned as an 
officer in the Naval Reserve. During World War II he served aboard the 
escort carrier USS Santee in the Pacific theater. After the war he 
attended Yale University, graduating in 1948 with a major in history. 
Graduate school at the University of California at Berkeley brought him 
to California, where he received his Ph.D. in 1959.
  His professional career was rich and varied. He was a research fellow 
at the Henry E. Huntington Library in San Marino, assistant director of 
the Bancroft Library in Berkeley, executive director of the Oakland 
Museum of California, associate professor of history at San Francisco 
State University, associate editor of American West magazine, and 
lectured at Monterey Peninsula College. As executive director of the 
California Historical Society, one of his most notable accomplishments 
was the creation of a large traveling photographic exhibit depicting 
the story of 110,000 Japanese Americans in internment camps during 
World War II.
  Jim is remembered especially for his books on the California Gold 
Rush. The World Rushed In, published in 1981, and Rush for Riches: Gold 
Fever and the Making of California, published in 1999, helped Americans 
to understand the complex drama of the gold rush and its effect on a 
later urban, industrial America. PBS film producer, Ken Burns, stated, 
``No one writes better of California's irresistible past; I am a huge 
fan.'' I hosted Jim's talks on his books at the Library of Congress.
  Jim was also prominent in local activities. As a resident of Carmel, 
California, my own home town, Jim served on the Forestry Commission and 
was a trustee of the Robinson Jeffers Tor House Foundation. He was one 
ofthe founders of the Carmel Residents Association, and in 2001 was 
named Carmel's ``Citizen of the Year.''
  Jim was married twice; his first wife was Nancy Adams, with whom he 
had three children: Timothy, Martha, and William. He is survived by his 
second wife, Belinda Vidor Jones.
  Jim Holliday was often controversial; his opponents remember him as 
fierce and outspoken. His friends remember his great energy, 
generosity, and loyalty to principles and friendship. It can be said of 
him that he made an art of life--and of history.
  I recall Jim being one of the persons who symbolized the California 
saying: ``Bring the Men to Match My Mountains.'' His voice was deep and 
strong, like the California ocean. His choice of words, big and bold 
like our Redwoods and his passion for life, universal like thunder.
  Mr. Speaker, Jim Holliday lit up the room whenever he walked in--his 
passing will leave a void, but his works, will fill the gap. We are 
proud to call him our friend and will sorely miss him.




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