[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 70 (Thursday, May 7, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1102]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN HONOR OF JOHN TSUKASA TANIMURA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 7, 2009

  Mr. FARR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the passing of a great 
American that you may have never heard of. John Tsukasa Tanimura, known 
to all as Johnny, recently passed away at the age of eighty-eight. He 
was a farmer's farmer. As one of the founders of the Tanimura & Antle 
produce company, he helped build it into the nation's largest private 
lettuce producer. So while you may have never heard of Johnny Tanimura, 
I can guarantee that every member of this House has eaten something 
that Johnny and his family grew. As an integral part of the Salinas 
Valley's agricultural and cultural fabric, he will be missed 
tremendously. However, the legacy that he planted and nurtured will 
produce a crop for generations to come.
  Born November 21, 1920 in San Juan Bautista, California to Eijiro 
Kimoto and Yukino Tanimura, he was the sixth of 13 children in a 
farming family. Johnny graduated from Salinas High School and served in 
the Army as a guard in Germany, while his family was interned in 
Poston, Arizona, during World War II.
  After relocating to Gilroy, Johnny along with his siblings rebuilt 
their living in the farming business with harvesting jobs. Through hard 
work, Johnny, his brothers and their families commenced a farming 
enterprise that grew from the seeds of love, respect and cooperation. 
The Tanimura family created ties with Bud Antle and his family in 1948, 
and the two families jointly established the formation of Tanimura & 
Antle in 1982, a successful and dynamic family farming enterprise in 
the Salinas Valley.
  His dedication to the lettuce farming was tireless, as he worked 
throughout his life without ever retiring. He and his brothers were an 
ever present sight in their ubiquitous white pickup inspecting and 
tending to their various ranches up and down the Salinas Valley. Even 
when he was unable to get around without a walker or wheelchair, he had 
someone take him into the fields multiple days a week to make sure the 
farming went smoothly.
  He is survived by his wife, Sakako (Sachi); daughters Jeannie, Susan 
and June Tanimura; grandchildren Brian Cobb and Jennifer Caro; great 
grandchildren Desiree and Mateo Caro, Draven Cobb, Jake Esqueda and 
MacKenzie Wright; brothers and sisters-in-law, George and Masaye 
Tanimura, and Tommy and Hisako Tanimura; sister-in-law, Fumiko 
Tanimura, wife of his late brother Charles (Charlie); and sisters Alice 
Sato, Rose Yuki and Betty Furisho.
  Madam Speaker, Johnny Tanimura's life was filled with impactful 
accomplishments. He leaves behind a footprint on the agricultural 
business of the Salinas Valley through hard work and a loving and 
dedicated heart, and touched the lives of those around him. I am 
certain I speak for the entire House when I extend our heartfelt 
sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues.

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