[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 168 (Thursday, November 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING BILL AND LUCY KORTUM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 1, 2007

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I join you 
here today to honor Bill and Lucy Kortum for their outstanding 
contributions to Sonoma County, the State of California and the Nation. 
Having made significant changes to the environmental consciousness in 
California and beyond, among other good works, Bill and Lucy have 
changed the world permanently--for the better.
  Bill's priorities were clear from the time he was young, growing up 
in Sonoma County where he could hike or travel anywhere in the county. 
His father told him, ``Enjoy it now, because when you grow up, it will 
be gone.''
  Determined that wouldn't happen, Bill has contributed in many ways to 
protect the valued lifestyle of the community. That work has had 
lasting effect around the world, and resulted in a long list of notable 
accomplishments. For example, as co-founder of COAAST (Californians 
Organized to Acquire Access to State Tidelands), Bill led the fight to 
ensure the public's right to use California's 1,300 miles of coastline. 
Out of that came the California Coastal Protection Initiative, a 
ground-breaking measure that created the Coastal Commission to regulate 
development along the State's coast.
  ``That's not only a gift to the people of California,'' says 
Professor John Kramer of Sonoma State University, ``but that bill was 
instrumental and served as a model for environmentalists around the 
globe of how you could value coast with the notion that it's a common 
value. And it has been re-affirmed by the Supreme Court over and 
over.''
  Among Bill's other contributions were the idea of triple use for 
urban wastewater, the selection and securing of land for the campus of 
Sonoma State University, and the idea of a hiking trail along the 
length of California, now called the California Coastal Trail--which 
includes a part named after the Kortums.
  Because of his steadfast dedication, Bill is considered the dean of 
Sonoma County environmentalists. As such, he was the first to serve as 
a Sonoma County supervisor. He was also one of the founders of Sonoma 
County Conservation Action, an organization that has been instrumental 
in electing environmentally minded local officials, and is now a leader 
in transportation issues, as well.
  Bill's ideas were always backed by Lucy's actions, says Kramer. 
``Bill would get an idea and Lucy would type it up on an old 
Underwood.''
  While her husband led the charge and attended meetings, Lucy 
organized papers and photos, typed documents and maintained computer 
files. It has been said of the couple's partnership that ``he runs 
around and she organizes it.''
  But Lucy has contributed more than administrative support. ``While 
Bill was preserving our environmental heritage, Lucy was preserving our 
architecture,'' Kramer notes.
  Her love of history motivated her to earn a master's degree at Sonoma 
State University in the subject. Her meticulous research about historic 
sites resulted in more than a dozen Petaluma buildings being named to 
the National Register of Historic Places.
  It was Lucy who was responsible for the research of every one of the 
144 California Carnegie libraries, Kramer notes. The thesis she wrote 
from this research, entitled ``Carnegie Library Development in 
California and the Architecture it Produced, 1899-1921'' served as the 
multiple property nomination that resulted in 10 California Carnegie 
libraries being added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 
fact, the paper still sets the standards by which such libraries 
achieve the National Register designation.
  In recognition of her dedicated volunteer service and scholastic 
achievements in the field of historic preservation and research, the 
Sonoma County Historical Society awarded Lucy the Jeanne Thurlow Miller 
Individual Award in 2005. The next year, she was named Petaluma's 
``Good Egg'' and chosen to lead the town's annual parade, an 
acknowledgment of her volunteer work for the Petaluma Historical 
Library and Museum. She still serves as a board member of the Petaluma 
Historical Society and Friends of the Petaluma Library.
  In addition to her own accomplishments, Lucy worked tirelessly 
alongside her husband to bring about the coastal trail, the coastal 
commission and the California League of Conservation Voters, among 
others.
  ``They've been such incredible individuals,'' Kramer notes. ``Beyond 
just living a good life [and raising a family of three], they've given 
to their community in extraordinarily wonderful ways.''
  Madam Speaker, I ask you to join me in acknowledging two amazing 
people who have made a difference. Thank you, Bill and Lucy, for your 
contributions to the betterment of Sonoma County and the world.

                          ____________________