[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 100 (Thursday, July 7, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        BIRTHDAY OF IRV PICKLER

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, July 7, 2011

  Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to 
honor the life of Irv Pickler, and wish him the best in his 90th year 
of life. Irv has demonstrated an exceptional dedication to public 
service in the community, and has made a lasting effect on all the 
people he has touched.
  After graduating from California State University, Los Angeles, with 
a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Irv joined the United 
States Army and later transferred to the United States Air Force. In 
England, he flew 35 missions into France and Germany as a bombardier-
navigator. After 4 years of service, he returned to Los Angeles to be 
with his wife and young children.
  Eventually settling in Southern California, Irv opened his own 
printing company, ``Printing Dimensions,'' in Orange County. Today, 
nearly 55 years later, Irv works to bring people together to accomplish 
client objectives with his company, ``Pickler and Associates.'' Irv has 
demonstrated a firm commitment to community involvement. As a member of 
the Kiwanis Club of Greater Anaheim, he was twice named ``Kiwanian of 
the Year.'' In 1993, he was elected as a Distinguished Lieutenant 
Governor of the club. Irv has also served 25 years on the Cypress 
College Foundation Board of Directors.
  In the 1970s, Irv was appointed to the Cemetery Commission in 
Anaheim, and to the Orange County Planning Commission, on which he 
served one term as a chairman. In 1982, Irv was elected to the Anaheim 
City Council, serving a total of 12 years, including 3 times as Mayor 
pro-tem. He consolidated half a dozen Orange County transportation 
agencies into the Orange County Transportation Authority, which 
produced gains in efficiency, and increased accountability. When 
California introduced its first cellular solar-powered callbox system, 
Irv was behind it. He negotiated the agreement with the California 
Department of Transportation and the California Private Transportation 
Corporation to construct the nation's first fully-automated, congestion 
priced toll road, State Route 91. Irv laid the groundwork for the 
purchase of right-of-way and widening of Interstate 5, which resulted 
in the largest public works project in Orange County in over a 
generation. He also helped pass Measure M, the successful sales tax 
program that invested in voter-approved transportation projects. It's 
no question that he demonstrated exceptional leadership during his 
tenure as Vice President of the Orange County Transportation Authority.
  Irv currently serves as a member of the Orange County Water District 
Board of Directors. He has previously served as Water Issues Committee 
Chairman and on the Administration/Finance Committee, Investment 
Committee, External Communications Task Team, and Santa Ana Water 
Project Authority. During his tenure on the Water District Board of 
Directors, Irv played a key role in the development of the 
revolutionary Groundwater Replenishment System, a project that has been 
recognized with numerous national and international awards.
  Irv has served as chairman of the Orange County Solid and Hazardous 
Waste Management Advisory Committee; president of Orange County 
Division of the League of California Cities, and member the Anaheim 
Union High School District Board of Trustees, Anaheim's Parks and 
Recreation Commission, the Anaheim Public Library Board, the 
Transportation Corridor Agencies, Southern California Regional Rail 
Authority, and the Southern California Air Quality Management District 
Inter-Agency Implementation Company.
  Other goverment agencies with which Irv has worked include the Los 
Angeles/San Diego Rail Corridor Committee, Orange County Cities Airport 
Authority, Southern California Association of Governments, Foothill/
Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency, and Metrolink Joint Committee, 
and he also supports Acacia Adult Day Care, Alzheimer's Foundation, the 
Anaheim Family YMCA, the Anaheim Boys and Girls Clubs, and Anaheim Arts 
Council.
  It is clear that Irv Pickler has maintained a firm devotion to public 
service throughout his life. As he embarks upon his 90th year, I would 
like to recognize his achievements and thank him for his dedication.

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