[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 98 (Friday, June 26, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1628-E1629]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN RECOGNITION OF JIM BOREN'S 40 YEARS OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 26, 2009

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to give recognition to James 
V. ``Jim'' Boren, the Editorial Page Editor/Vice President of the 
Fresno Bee newspaper as he prepares to celebrate four decades of 
dedicated service to the Fresno Bee.
  A native of Fresno, California, Jim attended Hoover High School, 
where his talent for using written words to convey specific imagery and 
captivate a reader's interest, officially began. While at Hoover, Boren 
became actively involved in the school's newspaper, the Hoover Patriot, 
and continued as a school reporter until his graduation in 1967. 
Following graduation, Boren attended Fresno City College where he 
earned his AA degree and became engaged with the official news 
publication of Fresno City College, the Rampage. His strong interest in 
journalism continued during his tenure at California State University, 
Fresno, where he graduated in 1972 with a bachelor's degree in 
journalism.
  While still in college, on June 9, 1969, at the age of 19, Jim Boren 
was hired as a vacation relief reporter for the Valley Department of 
the Fresno Bee and with that position, Boren's illustrious journalism 
career officially began. During his 40-year tenure at the Bee, Boren 
has covered almost every beat at the paper. In 1980, Jim Boren quickly 
became known as ``The Bee's Political Guru,'' as he continued to report 
exclusively on politics for nearly 15 years. During that time, Boren 
covered every level of politics, including city council elections, 
gubernatorial races, and presidential campaigns, joining the press pool 
of national campaigns to see, hear and report first-hand the events and 
progress surrounding those campaigns.
  In 1995, Jim became the Editorial Page Editor of the Bee, one of the 
positions he still enjoys today. Boren has received a variety of 
journalism awards, including an investigative reporting award from the 
Society of Professional Journalists and in 2004, Boren earned 
recognition as the winner of the Jim Tucker Journalism Award presented 
by the Mass Communications and Journalism Department

[[Page E1629]]

of his alma mater, California State University, Fresno.
  Always dedicated to helping prevent hunger for Valley residents, 
Boren's volunteer advocacy on behalf of the Community Food Bank 
continues to aid those less fortunate. Additionally, his volunteer 
efforts on behalf of Children's Hospital of Central California, 
resulted in significant funds being raised for the annual Kids Day 
event, where he has raised tens of thousands of dollars for those 
seeking medical care at the valley's only children's hospital. Boren is 
a founding board member and remains active on the board of the Kenneth 
L. Maddy Institute at California State University, Fresno.
  A proud father, Marissa Boren continues in her father's footsteps and 
is dedicated to education and the community. She has just completed her 
education at the University of California at San Diego.
  Boren, in his current role as Editorial Page Editor/Vice President, 
continues to write a weekly column on politics and public policy in 
addition to his duties overseeing the Bee's opinion pages. He is also a 
member of the Operating Committee, which is the senior management group 
of the newspaper.
  On behalf of all those who have read his words, it is with great 
pleasure that I congratulate Jim Boren for 40 years of providing 
interesting informative stories, columns and opinions to Fresno Bee 
readers everywhere.

                          ____________________