[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING FRED FOSTER

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                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2011

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I bring to the attention of the House the 
recent passing of an outstanding public servant, civic leader, and 
local business owner in Front Royal, Virginia. Frederick P. ``Fred'' 
Foster died February 7 at age 74.
  I had the pleasure of working with Fred on the redevelopment of the 
Avtex Superfund site in Front Royal. He was a tireless and passionate 
advocate for his hometown and county and will be greatly missed.
  Mr. Speaker, I submit an article from the Northern Virginia Daily 
about the life of Fred Foster.

                 [From the nvdaily.com, Feb. 10, 2011]

                     Foster Active Part of Society

                            (By Ben Orcutt)

       Front Royal.--Frederick P. ``Fred'' Foster was remembered 
     on Wednesday as a man who got things done.
       Foster, 74, died on Monday at Winchester Medical Center. A 
     jewelry store owner, former town councilman and civic leader, 
     Foster was noted for his ability to tackle issues and see 
     them through.
       ``Just his determination and vision,'' said his son, Philip 
     T. ``Phil'' Foster. ``When he saw something that he needed to 
     do or that thought that needed to be done or identified a 
     problem, he had the tenaciousness to see it through.''
       Phil Foster, 51, said his father had been ill for the past 
     four years and was on dialysis daily. Foster said his father 
     had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and most likely 
     died of a heart-related ailment.
       ``We haven't seen a death certificate or anything,'' Phil 
     Foster said.
       Fred Foster opened Fosters Jewelers at 130 E. Main St. in 
     Front Royal in 1984. Phil Foster said he and his father were 
     partners and they opened a second store in Winchester in 
     1987.
       ``We're going to miss him,'' Phil Foster said.
       Others said Wednesday they will miss him as well.
       Marvin ``Cotton'' Owens, 72, graduated from Warren County 
     High School in 1956 with Fred Foster. Owens said the two were 
     like brothers for a time and that Fred Foster gave him his 
     first job as a teenager.
       ``He was one of the leaders in retail in Front Royal for 
     many a year,'' Owens said of Foster. ``There's so many 
     memories. I guess his personality, his good humor. He thought 
     a lot of this town. I don't know how many people knew it. He 
     really thought a lot of Front Royal and wanted to do 
     everything he could to promote Front Royal and make it a 
     better place, especially for businesses.''
       William P. ``Bill'' Barnett will second that. Barnett said 
     Foster was an integral part of the Citizens Economic 
     Development Action Committee that tried to help turn around 
     the economy of Warren County years ago.
       Foster also was one of the main catalysts behind the 
     redevelopment of the Avtex Superfund site, now known as Royal 
     Phoenix, Barnett said.
       ``Fred was passionate about Front Royal and Warren 
     County,'' Barnett said. ``His passion was very [infectious]. 
     His enthusiasm and his persistence were very instrumental in 
     making an impact on the community, whether it was while he 
     served on the Town Council or the redevelopment committee. 
     When he decided to get involved in something, he got involved 
     in it 100 percent and just gave everything he had. . . . 
     We're going to miss Fred.''
       Craig Laird, owner of Royal Oak Computers on Main Street in 
     Front Royal, agreed.
       ``Fred was a mainstay of Main Street,'' Laird said. 
     ``During the reconstruction of downtown in the mid 1980s, he 
     was affectionately called the mayor of Main Street. He was a 
     dear, dear friend and he will be greatly missed.''
       As president of Save Our Gateway, Laird also recalled when 
     Foster was a member of the council in 2003 and deliberately 
     missed meetings to help prevent the panel from having a 
     quorum on a vote on Wal-Mart's commercial rezoning request on 
     Strasburg Road.
       ``His bravery at standing up for his principles will also 
     be remembered,'' Laird said.
       Even though they were on opposite sides of the Wal-Mart 
     issue, Councilman Hollis L. Tharpe, who served on the panel 
     with Foster for two years, spoke highly of him.
       ``He was for the citizens,'' Tharpe said. ``I don't think 
     personally he ever had anything on his agenda, but every vote 
     that he took, he took it the way he thought that the citizens 
     would be best served. He was always available to talk to, 
     whether it was town business or personal. He always had that 
     big smile on his face even when he didn't like voting for 
     something that he did.''
       Jean Plauger, owner of Jean's Jewelers on Main Street, also 
     agreed about Foster's contributions, especially downtown. ``A 
     lot of things got done down here definitely because of 
     Fred,'' she said.
       ``They call him the godfather of Main, the mayor of Main 
     Street,'' she said. ``Fred had a presence down here.''

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