[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 8, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E544-E545]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        SYDNEY AND THALIA POTTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. KATHY CASTOR

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 8, 2014

  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
and accomplishments of Mr. Sydney Potter. As our neighbors in the Tampa 
Bay area know, you cannot talk about Sydney without also talking about 
his amazing wife, Thalia. Sydney and Thalia were true partners 
dedicated to their family and to serving our community. Sydney passed 
recently, but today I am happy to honor their countless accomplishments 
and unsurpassed reputation for improving Hillsborough County.
   Sydney and Thalia Potter married in 1944 and raised their family 
along the banks of the Hillsborough River in 1955. Both Sydney and 
Thalia had distinguished professional careers. Sydney served most of 
his career as Secretary-Treasurer of I.W. Phillips & Company before 
managing a distribution office for Ace Hardware. Thalia had an 
outstanding career as a legislative aide which began with Florida State 
Representative Ed Blackburn in the early 1970's and continued with 
State Senator Pat Frank as well as State Representative Jim Davis 
before her retirement. Throughout her career, Thalia was known for her 
scrupulous ethics, impeccable attention to detail, and unparalleled 
skill for serving constituents with kindness and poise.
   Sydney and Thalia's love of the Hillsborough River led them to be 
longtime advocates for environmental stewardship. In the words of close 
friends, Sydney and Thalia ``were green before green was cool.'' Their 
activism led to the passage of environmental protection bills for the 
Hillsborough River as well as led to the completion of projects that 
successfully reversed erosion along a local riverfront park and pushed 
local officials to allow more freshwater to flow from the upriver dam 
to replenish the river's ecosystem. In 1997, they also helped organize 
Citizens for the Responsible Application of Malathion (CRAM), which 
successfully stopped the spraying of dangerous pesticides over the 
citizens of Hillsborough County. Sydney and Thalia's leadership in 
environmental conservation and preservation has had an immeasurable 
impact on the community and the future of the Tampa Bay Watershed.
   Sydney and Thalia's dedication and community service has led to 
their recognition by several prestigious organizations. Thalia was 
awarded the Sierra Club's Pine Tree Award in 1998 for achievement in 
group activism and, later that year, Sydney was awarded the Club's 
Gopher Tortoise Award for support of a member in important activist 
effort. In 2008, The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County 
announced the establishment of the

[[Page E545]]

``Sydney and Thalia Potter Civic Leadership Award for their commitment 
to good government, protection of the environment, and community 
activism.
   Sydney was a gentleman in the finest sense of the word and was 
remarkably knowledgeable in his understanding of the key issues 
affecting our community and country. His poignant, tough questions to 
public officials at Suncoast Tiger Bay Club meetings led to him winning 
more Garfield Awards than any other member. Thalia is a woman of true 
grace and grit from a remarkable family with an unmatched history of 
commitment to helping children and families. Sydney and Thalia are 
consummate examples of servant leadership. At every turn, they acted 
with the best interest of the community and country at heart. Mr. 
Speaker, please join me in recognizing two irreplaceable and 
inspirational leaders of the Tampa Bay community for a lifetime of 
dedicated public service.

                          ____________________