[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 177 (Thursday, November 20, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2285]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         IN HONOR OF ENID SALES

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 19, 2008

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Mrs. Enid 
Sales, a unique woman and a fierce fighter for historic preservation, 
who passed away at the age of 86. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on June 
3, 1922, she moved to Carmel, California with her family when she was 
10. She attended Reed College in Oregon and was married for awhile to 
jazz critic Grover Sales.
  Enid operated a vineyard in Calistoga for 10 years. In 1962, she 
became the first woman in California to hold a state general 
contractor's license. In the mid-1970's she served as the head of the 
rehabilitation department of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency. 
One of her most memorable accomplishments was organizing and moving 12 
Victorian homes in a single night. She shut down the transit system and 
traffic lights and completed the entire job in time for the next 
morning's commute.
  Enid moved back to Carmel in 1986. She was the first chairwoman of 
the city's Historic Resources Board and founded her own Carmel 
Preservation Foundation. She was also on the board of the Alliance of 
Monterey Area Preservationists. Her ``roll up her sleeves and take no 
prisoners'' approach is credited with saving Carmel's Sunset Center and 
the George Marsh Building in Monterey, as well as many of the original 
cottages that define Carmel's charm.
  Enid's legacy is to be seen in the recent upswing of interest in 
``heritage tourism.'' It was her vision that preserving our historic 
buildings would make good economic sense, and not be done just for 
esthetic or sentimental reasons. Enid was a giant in the world of 
historic preservation. Few people can maintain such fierce tenacity to 
fight through to the end against all odds. Enid Sales had that fighting 
spirit, and she will be greatly missed.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Enid Sales for her dedication to 
preserving history. She is survived by her daughter Rachel Lopez, her 
grandchildren Esther and Valley, her sister-in-law Barbara Thompson, 
and her nephews Peter, Matthew, and John Thompson. We will all miss her 
dearly.

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