[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 149 (Tuesday, November 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1926]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DUANE IRVING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 2010

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Duane Irving who 
passed away July 19, 2010, at the age of 75 on Halleck Creek Ranch, his 
family ranch, on which he established Halleck Creek Riding Club for 
Handicapped Children. An iconic figure in West Marin, Duane was a hero 
to hundreds of children and community members who admired his unique 
blend of cowboy skills, sense of fun and adventure, and big heart.
  Born in December 8, 1934, in San Rafael, CA, Duane grew up on his 
family's ranch in Nicasio. He excelled in athletics, and after San 
Rafael High School, he turned down an offer to join the San Francisco 
Giants minor league team to enlist in the Marine Corps where he 
excelled in both football and baseball. Despite an innate distrust of 
authority and a tendency for pranks, he was proud to be Marine and 
remained loyal to the Marines and their ethics his entire life.
  After his discharge, Duane returned to Nicasio where he married 
Nellie Woodard in 1959. The couple had three children, Peter, 
Jeannette, and Buck, before divorcing in 1985. Duane also coached 
Little League in Nicasio for twelve years, maintaining the baseball 
diamond by attaching a length of chain link fence to his belt and 
dragging it over the diamond.
  Duane trained horses and managed several ranches in West Marin as 
well as working for Marin Municipal Water District for 12 years. 
Legendary West Marin Rancher Boyd Stewart enlisted his help in 
establishing the Morgan Horse Ranch in Point Reyes National Seashore, 
where Duane set up a breeding program and trained young Morgans to 
become ranger mounts throughout the national park system.
  At the Morgan Horse Ranch, volunteer Joyce Goldfield was bucked off a 
horse named Dill Pickle and spent five months in a full body cast. 
While Duane was sympathizing with her inability to get out and enjoy 
the wilderness, he spoke of some of the children who came to the park 
confined to wheelchairs and were unable to join in tours or mount 
horses due to insurance issues. The two decided to use their gentle 
horses to take disabled children riding into the wilderness of Duane's 
Nicasio ranch. Thus, in July, 1977, Halleck Creek Riding Club for the 
Disabled began.
  Since that time, thousands of youngsters and adults with any and all 
disabilities have been served, and many have had their conditions 
improve dramatically. Duane and Joyce expanded activities to include 
camping, rafting, snow trips, horse shows, parades, sailing, kayaking, 
and beach trips in which Duane pushed children in wheelchairs right 
into the surf. Since all this was free of charge, Duane became a 
prodigious fundraiser as well. Today over 300 disabled riders per week 
enjoy the benefits Halleck Creek offers--improved self-esteem, greater 
freedom and mobility, adventurous activities, and the therapeutic 
effects of horseback riding.
  Duane received many honors for his work including President Bush's 
Thousand Points of Light award, J.C. Penny Golden Rule Award, and Marin 
County's Volunteer of the Year. He was also active in helping Joyce 
collect and distribute clothing and bedding for the homeless and in an 
annual benefit for Heifer International.
  Joyce became Duane's beloved companion, and for nearly 24 years they 
lived at Fairwinds Farm on Inverness Ridge with her children Cindy, 
John, and Danny. In Joyce's words, ``Duane, the beloved native son of 
Nicasio and West Marin, shall be ever missed. This handsome, gentle, 
loving, immensely talented, free-spirited man was part of all our lives 
and resides in all our hearts.''
  Madam Speaker, I echo Joyce Goldfield's words. Duane Irving was a 
special man who knew how to direct his spirit and generosity when he 
saw he could make a difference for so many. His legacy is an 
inspiration to us all.

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