[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E47-E48]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF IKE LIVERMORE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 9, 2007

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today for the 
solemn purpose of commemorating the life of a monumental figure. Ike 
Livermore was one of the great leaders of the conservation movement, 
and as much as anyone in the 20th century, he was responsible for 
preventing the development, division, and exploitation of California's 
last unblemished areas. But his legacy far exceeds a crusade against 
the intrusion of the modern world into the wilderness. In the life he 
lived and through the ideas he championed, Ike Livermore reminded us 
that the obligation to protect our natural heritage is not a burden, 
and though the battles and compromises may not be easy, the reward for 
perseverance is a richer existence for all.
  Ike Livermore lived an adventurous life. At the age of 15, he and a 
friend took mules across a rough section of the central coast for 10 
days without crossing a single road. This was the trip that formed the 
basis of his long-standing opposition to the construction of Highway 1 
on the coast. Having graduated from Stanford, he traveled to the 1936 
Olympics as a member of the Unites States' baseball team. Subsequent to 
completing his M.B.A. degree, again at Stanford, he served as a 
Lieutenant in the United States Army during World War II. Here he was a 
witness to history during the invasions of Sicily, Okinawa, and Iwo 
Jima.

[[Page E48]]

  After returning to California, Mr. Livermore first founded a mule-
packing company in the southem Sierra and then a small lumber mill near 
his family home in Northern California. In 1952 he went to work as 
treasurer at Pacific Lumber Company, and helped promote sustainable 
logging practices during the heyday of the California logging industry. 
Many of the areas he advocated be protected as wilderness were near 
areas being logged by the company, but Ike understood the need for 
balance in resource management.
  In 1967, he gladly accepted a request to join the cabinet of 
California Governor Ronald Reagan as the Secretary of Resources. During 
his time in the Reagan Administration, Ike was a fierce opponent of 
several attempts to build roads over these passes he himself had 
walked, and finally convinced the Governor to scuttle plans to build 
two roads over the highest passes. His wisdom is readily apparent: the 
areas in question have now been designated Sequoia National Park and 
the John Muir wilderness. He was also instrumental in the creation of 
Redwood National Park on the northern Coast. Marshalling the same 
arguments he had made in his master's thesis 30 years earlier, he 
convinced members of Governor Reagan's cabinet that the economic 
benefits of wilderness far outweighed other potential uses of the land. 
Such reasoning is the foundation of the important modem understanding 
that the preservation of wild land can be as valuable as its 
exploitation.

  Ike's heart was always in the wild country, and throughout many years 
in the enviromnental community he caused others to share his 
appreciation of unspoiled natural beauty during expeditions all over 
the state. Among his favorite places in the high Sierra Nevada was the 
long, mostly undeveloped stretch from Yosemite National Park to Walker 
Pass. While operating his mule-packing venture he covered much of this 
territory, and after he had folded the business and moved on with other 
pursuits, he continued to return to the area for many years leading 
Sierra Club expeditions and fighting to oppose development.
  Madam Speaker, many people will gather at the end of the month to 
remember Ike, and all the good that he has done. But it takes more than 
great accomplishments to earn a place in people's hearts. Ike Livermore 
was, above all, a great and kind man. Loving towards family and 
friends, calm and respectful in his conduct, a strong and passionate 
leader for the causes he championed, Ike's life is a model for future 
generations. His works did not define him, but were a reflection of the 
man who gave so many his wisdom arid guidance. He will long be 
remembered as a true, Californian, a visionary environmentalist who 
understood the balance of man and nature, and realized that both must 
be allowed to prosper.
  Madam Speaker, it is appropriate at this time that we remember and 
celebrate the life of Ike Livermore. His accomplishments are 
innumerable, but he leaves behind a greater legacy of personal 
involvement in the wilds of California. He proved by example that one 
can be an industrialist and an environmentalist, and after his 
retirement from public life, he remained active fighting for wilderness 
all over the state. His life will long be remembered, even as his ideas 
continue to bear fruit.

                          ____________________