[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 91 (Friday, June 15, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN MEMORY OF ALEX HILDEBRAND

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 15, 2012

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today 
to honor the late Alex Hildebrand who passed away at the age of 98 on 
January 23, 2012.
  Mr. Hildebrand was born and raised in the Berkeley Hills. He raised 
animals and rode horses, working from a young age for the Bruno cattle 
ranch. He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1935 
with a degree in Physics and Chemistry. Mr. Hildebrand had a 27 year 
career with Standard Oil where he served as a refinery design engineer, 
assistant chief engineer of the Richmond refinery, manager for the 
atomic energy subsidiary of Livermore Lab, and the director of 
Chevron's oil field research lab.
  During World War II, after a stint in the Navy Reserves, Mr. 
Hildebrand served the war effort as Chief Engineer at an oil refinery 
on Bahrain Island in the Persian Gulf. Upon returning home, he 
purchased farmland southwest of Manteca on the San Joaquin River. In 
1962, he took an early retirement from Standard Oil and moved his 
family to the farm. For almost 50 years, he farmed his land and served 
as the Consulting Engineer to the South Delta Water Agency (SDWA). He 
worked tirelessly to protect the Delta and the agriculture of the 
region.
  In addition to the SDWA, Mr. Hildebrand served on more than 20 
federal, state and local boards dealing with water-related issues. He 
served on the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Board, California Farm Bureau 
Water Committee, Delta Water Uses Board, Water Education Foundation 
Advisory Board, California Central Valley Flood Control Association 
Board, Sierra Club and with several others created the San Joaquin 
River Flood Control Association. Mr. Hildebrand was appointed by 
Governor Wilson to serve on the CalFed Bay Delta Oversight Committee 
and then the CalFed Bay Delta Advisory Committee. He served as the 
President of the McMullin Reclamation District for many years. He was 
outspoken and persistent in his advocacy of Delta water and Agriculture 
but treated others with respect and always appreciated a good debate.
  Mr. Hildebrand was warm, loving and caring to his family and was an 
inspiration to many. He met his wife Barbara on a Sierra Club cross 
country ski trip. Together they have three daughters: Mary, Janet and 
Harriet and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, the recognition that I am offering today before the 
House of Representatives for Alex Hildebrand is small compared to the 
contributions and impact he had on the lives of so many. He was truly 
an invaluable member of our community and an outstanding human being.

                          ____________________