[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 64 (Wednesday, May 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E859]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


          IN TRIBUTE TO KATHERINE HALEY AND NORMA LAGOMARSINO

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                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 11, 2011

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to the Norma Lagomarsino 
and the late Katherine ``Kay'' Haley, who were honored recently by the 
Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Association for their decades of 
philanthropic work in Ventura County.
  Norma Lagomarsino is the wife of former U.S. Rep. Bob Lagomarsino and 
a true force in making Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties strong, 
vibrant communities. I am blessed to have Bob Lagomarsino as one of my 
trusted mentors and to have Bob and Norma count as among my wife, 
Janice, and my closest friends.
  Norma Lagomarsino has been a member of the Congressional Club in 
Washington, D.C., since 1974 and served as its president from 1981-
1983. Among her many community activities, Norma Lagomarsino serves on 
the Santa Cruz Island Foundation Advisory Council, is a long-standing 
member of the Assistance League, is a member of the Board of Directors 
for Interface Children and Family Services and the National Institute 
of Mental Health, and was honored as a ``Champion of Mental Health'' by 
the Turning Point Foundation.
  Norma and Bob also are major donors to California State University, 
Channel Islands, where they created the Robert J. and Norma M. 
Lagomarsino Archives. They also co-chair the San Buenaventura Mission 
School Building Campaign.
  Kay Haley, another longtime friend, was born in the Ventura County 
city of Oxnard to Walter H. Hoffman Jr. and Edith Hobson Hoffman, who 
owned Rancho Casitas, a thoroughbred breeding farm. As an adult, Kay 
Haley raised champion shorthorn cattle and quarter horses on her own 
ranch, Rancho Mi Solar. Her most famous horse, Mr. Spats, was Ronald 
Reagan's favorite mount.
  Kay Haley had a long relationship with President Reagan, having 
raised funds for him during his campaigns for California governor and 
president. In addition to raising funds for President Reagan and other 
Republicans, Kay raised many thousands of dollars for the Ventura 
County Museum of History and Art and served on Community Memorial 
Hospital's Board of Trustees for 30 years.
  In 1986, she was given the Milton M. Teague Award for Outstanding 
Volunteerism. She was grand marshal of the Ventura County Fair parade 
in 1987.
  When Ronald Reagan was governor, Haley was appointed vice chairwoman 
of the California State Fair Board, vice president of the board of 
directors of Cal Expo and served as founding chairwoman of California's 
Racing Hall of Fame. After eight decades of life and service, Kay 
passed away in 1999.
  Mr. Speaker, I know my colleagues join the Livingston Memorial 
Visiting Nurse Association and me in honoring the philanthropic and 
voluntary contributions of Norma Lagomarsino and Kay Haley and in 
thanking them for making our community vibrant and strong.

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