[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 25, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING MR. JIM BRICKER ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. CATHY McMORRIS RODGERS

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 25, 2014

  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jim 
Bricker, who has retired after over fifty years of service in 
Washington state. Throughout his career, Mr. Bricker has shown a 
passion for education policy, including serving on the Council for 
Higher Education, the Office of Financial Management, and the State 
Senate, where he worked as staff director of Committee Services. His 
interest in education reached into the classroom, where he spent 38 
years teaching as an adjunct professor at the University of Puget Sound 
and at Pacific Lutheran University.
  Serving his country as a colonel in the Marine Corps for 33 years, 
Mr. Bricker had the distinguished honor of being the Senior Officer in 
the Northwest for the past five years. His fervor for the integrity of 
the legislative process helped him play a critical role in major pieces 
of education legislation, including the founding of Evergreen State 
College in 1967. He later served in the executive offices of four 
governors, ending as Governor Gardner's Special Assistant for National 
Affairs.
  For the past 22 years he worked as the Director of Government Affairs 
at PEMCO Financial Services, where he improved insurance policy. At age 
50, Mr. Bricker ran his very first marathon, and continues to cultivate 
a passion for the outdoors and for physical exercise.
  Even in retirement, Mr. Bricker remains dedicated to improving 
education and will continue to serve as a member of the Washington 
State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. A man of integrity 
and high principle, his humility and his impact on the state of 
Washington and on his country will long be remembered.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Mr. Bricker for a 
lifetime of dedicated service.

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