[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E823]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF JOHN WOODWARD, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 31, 2009

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I rise in memory of John Woodward, Jr., 
whose very life proved that one could be gentle, kind, civil and 
honest--and financially successful.
  John Woodward became an entrepreneur relatively late in life. After 
serving in Guam and Okinawa with the U.S. Army during World War II, 
John was drafted by Chrysler Corporation while he was still a business 
major at the University of Southern California.
  He spent the next few decades working his way up the auto industry 
corporate ladder, including about a decade traveling around the country 
establishing dealership franchises. Then, in 1976, John and his wife, 
Nada, who he had met during World War II when she was an Army nurse, 
moved their family to Thousand Oaks, California, where he opened 
Westoaks Chrysler Dodge.
  The dealership's motto was, ``Where People Care.'' By all accounts, 
John made sure the dealership lived up to that motto right up until he 
sold it last year.
  In addition to opening his own dealership, John also was instrumental 
in starting the Thousand Oaks Auto Mall. As an active member of the 
Thousand Oaks-Westlake Village Regional Chamber of Commerce, John led 
the fundraising drive for the Chamber's first building.
  But John's civic mindedness did not end with business promotion. He 
believed in his community and worked tirelessly on its behalf. John was 
a key donor to the Community Conscience of Conejo Valley and supported 
a multitude of children's sports teams, civic groups and charitable 
organizations. Among his many accolades was being named the Chamber's 
Man of the Year.
  My wife, Janice, and I were privileged to call him our friend.
  Madam Speaker, John's wife of nearly sixty years died four years ago. 
Many were touched by their legacy of honesty and civility, but none 
more than their three children, Ginny, Nancy and John III; and their 
four grandchildren. I know my colleagues will join Janice and me in 
offering our condolences to John's family and all who knew him and 
called him a friend.
  Godspeed, John.

                          ____________________