[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 125 (Tuesday, September 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING ROSS THORNTON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 8, 2009

  Mr. RADANOVICH. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and 
congratulate Ross Thornton upon being named by the Madera District 
Chamber of Commerce as a 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree. Mr. 
Thornton will be recognized on Wednesday, August 26, 2009 at the Fifth 
Annual Lifetime Achievement Awards and Installation Dinner.
  Ross Thornton was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In May 1964, Mr. Thornton 
moved to Madera, California to become the voice behind the mic at KHOT 
radio, a local radio station. In 1967, he went to work for CalFarm 
Insurance, and two years later made a career change into the medical 
supply business. In 1986, Mr. Thornton moved back into the insurance 
profession with Foster and Parker Insurance; where he still works 
today.
  Mr. Thornton has had a very successful career in the insurance 
industry. He was named ``Trustee of the Year'' in 2001 and ``Agent of 
the Year'' in 2003 by the National Association of Insurance and 
Financial Advisors. He is as successful in his commitment to the 
community as he is in his profession. Mr. Thornton is a long time 
member of the Madera Chamber of Commerce, where he has served on 
several committees, including the Ambassador Corps and the Mayor's 
Prayer Breakfast Committee. He has been a member of the Madera Sunrise 
Rotary for twenty-nine years and has maintained perfect attendance. He 
is the past-president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he also 
served on the board from 1986 through 1996. Mr. Thornton served on the 
Board of Directors of Madera Community Hospital from 1988 through 1994. 
He served for nine years with Valley Public Television Board, a 
seventeen year board member of the Darin Camarena Health Clinics, 
served as a Trustee of the National Association of Insurance and 
Financial Advisors at the state level and is past-president of the 
Fresno area Chapter. He is a current member of the Madera Elks, 
President of the Board of Directors for Sherman Thomas Charter School 
and Vice-President of Valley West Christian Center Board of Directors. 
For twenty-five years, he has served as a Speech Judge for the Madera 
Scholastic Decathlon. Mr. Thornton was appointed to the Planning 
Commission for the City of Madera and continues to serve in this civic 
capacity. For his dedicated service to the community, Mr. Thornton has 
been honored by being named the 1998-99 Citizen of the Year by the 
Madera Elks and the Madera Hispanic Chamber's Businessman of the Year 
in 1998.
  Mr. Thornton has three sons and three grandchildren. His mother, 
Alberta, is ninety-six years old and lives with him and his wife 
Barbara, who has a son, a daughter and four grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend and congratulate Ross Thornton 
upon being honored as the Madera Chamber of Commerce 2009 Lifetime 
Achievement Award Honoree. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing 
Mr. Thornton many years of continued success.

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