[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


            PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF MR. JACK G. STONE

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 1, 2011

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of 
Jack G. Stone of Hanford, California who recently passed away at 93 
years of age. Over the course of his life, Mr. Stone proved to be 
tirelessly devoted to confronting the challenges and issues affecting 
the agriculture and water community in the Central Valley. His 
contributions to the community and to California agriculture will be 
remembered.
  Jack was born to L.M. ``Stoney'' and Elaine Stone on November 11, 
1917 in Corcoran, California. During his youth, the Stones moved from 
Corcoran to Hanford, California, where Jack first became aware of the 
precarious balance between land, water and farming in Western Kings 
County and Tulare Lake. He continued to learn about the challenges 
facing the area while attending Hanford High School and subsequently 
went on to study engineering at the University of California, Davis.
  Upon his graduation from UC Davis, Jack enlisted in the United States 
Army to serve the country during the second World War. He became a 
captain and went on to successfully command an Army Engineer Corps in 
the European Theater. When the war ended, Jack returned home and 
married his elementary school sweetheart, Hilda Orchard. The pair 
settled on a farm in Five Points, California where Jack founded J.G. 
Stone Land Co., and started a family soon thereafter.
  Over the years, Jack became well known as a reckoning force in the 
agricultural community and gained the deep respect of his peers. In the 
early 1970s, Jack was elected to the Westlands Water District Board of 
Directors, where he served for an astounding 21 years. The Board of 
Directors confronted many challenges, and Jack was there to stand 
against the federal acreage limits for irrigation in the early 1980s, 
to help increase the land limits from 160 acres per farm to 960 acres, 
and to help guide the district through the turbulent time of the 
Kesterson Refuge. Through all those years, Jack remained steadfast in 
his desire to better the agricultural community.
  It goes without saying that Mr. Stone was a one-of-a-kind man. 
Agriculture was a true passion for Jack and he was an enthusiastic 
supporter of its preservation throughout Fresno and Kings County. In 
addition to his work in the community, over the years Jack amassed more 
than 10,000 acres of land, which he continued to farm until as recently 
as this spring. His son, Bill Stone, carries on his father's mission at 
J.G. Stone Land Co., ensuring that Jack's legacy will not be soon 
forgotten. Mr. Speaker, it is with honor and respect that I ask my 
colleagues to rise with me in paying tribute to Mr. Jack G. Stone: a 
true gentleman and visionary for the agrarian way of life.

                          ____________________