[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 101 (Thursday, July 1, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1271-E1272]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN MEMORY OF THE REV. DR. FRANK WITMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 1, 2010

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I rise in memory of the Rev. Dr. Frank 
Witman, a close, personal friend of my wife, Janice, and me, who passed 
away on Tuesday.
  Frank Witman had a calmness about him that belied his inner strength. 
He arrived in-Simi Valley, California, in the summer of 1969 to assume 
the post of senior pastor of the United Methodist Church of Simi 
Valley. It is not an understatement to say that the city was blessed by 
his presence.
  Frank was the sixth of seven consecutive generations of United 
Methodist pastors on his father's side and the third of four 
consecutive generations on his mother's side. After serving as a pastor 
in Rialto and Pomona, he anchored his roots in Simi Valley and branched 
out into every aspect of community life.
  In 1978, Frank founded the chaplain program for the Simi Valley 
Police Department and for more than 30 years served as the department's 
senior chaplain. He provided comfort, counseling, prayers and support 
during most of the city's traumatic and tragic events, including the 
untimely death of Officer Michael Clark. His support of the city and 
its police officers earned him the department's Volunteer of the Year 
Award in 1997, the department's Lifetime Service Award in 2007, and 
recognition from the Simi Valley City Council in 2008.
  When not at his church or the Police Department, Frank could 
frequently be found at Simi Valley Hospital, where he was a charter 
member of the Simi Valley Hospital Board Strategic Planning Committee, 
visiting church members and others in need. Following his retirement 
from the church in 1997, he remained active as a volunteer chaplain for 
the hospital, filling in for the staff chaplains as needed. Earlier 
this year, the hospital named its chapel the Witman Chapel in honor of 
his years of service.
  In 1990, I had the honor of nominating Frank to offer a prayer to 
open a session of the House of Representatives as guest Chaplain, which 
he did on May 2, 1990.
  Frank also co-authored a book on world hunger and two books on church 
administration. He served as an adjunct faculty member

[[Page E1272]]

at the Claremont School of Theology from 1992-2000, teaching church 
administration with his coauthors in four states.
  Frank was recognized numerous times for his unselfish devotion, 
including the Paul Harris Award, one of the highest honors Rotary 
International bestows upon an individual, and the Simi Valley Chamber 
of Commerce Strathearn Lifetime Achievement Award.
  He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Elsie; sons, Mark and Paul; 
their wives, Luene and Barbara; and grandchildren, Lauren and Peter, as 
well as his two older brothers, Harold and Henry.
  Madam Speaker, I know my colleagues will join Janice and me in 
offering our condolences to Elsie and the Witman family, and in 
remembering a remarkable man whose life of service will live on in all 
those whose lives he touched.

                          ____________________