[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 43 (Tuesday, March 29, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF ROBERT ``BOB'' PRICE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 29, 2011

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a man whose 
passion, devotion, and leadership exemplify the meaning of public 
service. Robert ``Bob'' Price passed away on Wednesday, February 9, 
2011 after a valiant battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 
79. Bob was a well respected leader, mentor, and community advocate. He 
lived his life with a tenacious commitment to his family and to his 
community and is certainly most deserving of this honor.
  Bob Price was born in 1932 in Abilene, Kansas. He came to 
Bakersfield, California in 1937, graduated from Bakersfield High School 
in 1949 and went on to proudly serve our great country in the United 
States Army. After his military service, Bob returned home to 
Bakersfield, California, where he began his 32-year career with the 
Bakersfield Police Department. Beginning as a motorcycle officer, he 
tenaciously worked his way through the ranks until he achieved the rank 
of Bakersfield Chief of Police, a position he would remain in for 15 
years. Admired by his fellow officers, Bob Price always remembered what 
it was like to be an officer on the beat, and he himself often 
described his own management style as ``management by walking around''. 
Though he officially retired from public safety service, his yearning 
for public service remained and in 1992, Bob Price successfully ran for 
Mayor of Bakersfield where he completed two terms in that office.
  In his spare time, Bob enjoyed the simple things in life such as 
playing handball, playing golf, or spending time with his family. In 
2009, after noticing wall-to-wall crowding in the lobby of the 
Bakersfield Police Department, Bob used his enthusiastic attitude and 
started a program that recruited retired police officers, clerks, and 
technicians to help the system work more efficiently and effectively 
for the Bakersfield community. That program is still thriving today.
  Bob Price was a man of great principle and integrity; serving as 
interim director of the Bakersfield Association of Retarded Citizens 
(BARC). He lived his life to encourage and elevate others, but he also 
held others accountable. His commitment to friends, family, and 
community will be remembered by all that knew him. It is with great 
pride that I honor him for all that he did on behalf of the City of 
Bakersfield and for California.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Bob Price, a 
man who lived a righteous life. His leadership and spirit leave a 
lasting imprint on all those who knew him.

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