[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 101 (Monday, July 9, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1211]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING KAY A. CALAS

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JANICE HAHN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, July 9, 2012

  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mrs. Kay 
A. Calas, who passed away on Monday, June 18, 2012 at the age of 88.
  We often hear the term ``founding fathers'' used to describe the 
framers of this country. Kay Calas was one of the founding mothers of 
the City of Carson, California, and as a 29-year member of the Carson 
City Council, she was truly a legend in her own time.
  Kay Calas was not only one of the longest tenured elected officials 
in Los County's history, she was also one of the most effective and 
revered council-members of her time. She is credited with helping to 
shape a thriving city from what was once a collection of waste dumps, 
vacant land patches and oil production facilities in the eastern 
section of Los Angeles County's South Bay region.
  The creation of the City of Carson happened during the time that my 
father, L.A. County Supervisor Kenny Hahn, presided over that 
previously unincorporated area. My father's great respect for Kay Calas 
and her husband John, himself a great community leader and former 
Carson Mayor, stemmed from their shared vision of an ideal city in 
which people from all walks of life could live and do business 
harmoniously. That shared vision made Kenny Hahn a John and Kay Calas 
ally for life.
  Once the loftier goal of incorporating Carson had been accomplished, 
Kay Calas relentlessly pursued her passion: that is the business of 
serving the people. Kay was always a champion for the senior citizens, 
and she had a deep love for fine arts. The Carson Symphony Association 
had a yearly concert for 3,000 school children, and Kay would routinely 
pay for the buses to bring the children to the event. She spearheaded 
the effort to extend Del Amo Boulevard over the San Diego (405) Freeway 
creating an important throughway to ease rush hour street traffic in 
the middle of town. The bridge now bears her name, while a park on East 
220th Street in Carson is named after her late husband John Calas.
  Above all else, Kay Calas was a public servant of the highest 
possible integrity. Current Carson Mayor James Dear, who served as 
Mayor with Mrs. Calas during two of her eight terms in office, 
described Kay Calas' character as ``above reproach''.
  I extend my deepest condolences to her three surviving sons, Frank, 
James and Thomas, and Kay's numerous grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. Though Kay Calas is no longer with us, her legacy lives 
on in the lives of her family and in the community that she served so 
tirelessly throughout her remarkable life.

                          ____________________