[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 102 (Monday, June 30, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1093]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      IN HONOR OF GEORGE TANIMURA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 30, 2014

  Mr. FARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great American, George 
Tanimura, on the occasion of his reaching his 100th year. George has 
lived a remarkable life that has spanned the Great Depression, WWII, 
and the rise of the modern information economy. In that time George 
confronted prejudice, helped to rebuild a dislocated community, 
nurtured a large extended family, and fostered the development of the 
modern produce industry. George is a farmer's farmer. As one of the 
founders of the Tanimura & Antle, he has helped build one of the 
nation's largest private lettuce producers. So while you may have never 
heard of George Tanimura, I can guarantee that every Member of this 
House has eaten something that George and his family have grown. He has 
planted and nurtured a legacy that will produce a crop for generations 
to come.
  George was born in San Juan Bautista on July 2, 1915. His parents had 
emigrated from Japan to build a better life in the United States. While 
attending grammar school in Castroville, George thinned iceberg lettuce 
on his father's small farm. After his mother died, George, the eldest 
of 12 siblings, had to leave high school to farm with his father. Then 
when George was just 16, his father died leaving George with the 
responsibility for the family and their farm. In the midst of the 
depression, George became the patriarch of his large family. Under his 
leadership, the Tanimura children began their own prosperous farming 
operations.
  However, just as they were recovering, the U.S. entry into WWII 
turned the Tanimuras' lives upside down. In 1942, they found themselves 
imprisoned by our government along with other Americans of Japanese 
descent in remote internment camps across the desert West. And even 
though the Tanimuras lost everything, two of his brothers fought with 
the U.S. Army in Europe. For George, his time in the camp offered him 
another opportunity to find fortune in the midst of adversity. He met 
Masaye Yamauchi and they were married on September 21, 1944. Upon 
release, the Tanimura family farmed small patches of land, saved the 
profits, and ultimately purchased their first acre of land. This simple 
formula began the Tanimuras trek toward the American Dream.
  In the late 1950s, the Tanimuras began to grow exclusively for Bud 
Antle. Bud, and his son Bob, had been working closely with the Tanimura 
family for many years. Finally in 1982, George and Bob combined over 30 
years of mutual friendship, respect, and experience to create Tanimura 
& Antle. The new company combined the Antle's shipping and marketing 
savvy with the Tanimura's growing expertise. That combination has 
helped T&A grow into one of the world's premier fresh produce 
companies. And it forms the basis of T&A's continued success.
  Family and community are very important to George. George and Masaye 
have two children, Glenn (Sheila) Tanimura and Leslie (Ken) Morishita. 
They also have 4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. George has 
served countless community efforts giving his leadership, dedication, 
and wealth to making his region a better place for all families. But 
his deep sense of humility keeps him from claiming any recognition 
other than his simple refrain of ``it doesn't matter, I'm just a 
farmer.''
  That, Mr. Speaker, is the essence of George Tanimura--a humble farmer 
whose hard work and integrity have helped create one of the pillars of 
the American agricultural economy. George and the men and women like 
him are the bed rock of our nation. I know I speak for the whole House 
in extending the gratitude of the United States to George and his 
family for 100 years of excellence.

                          ____________________