[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 9 (Tuesday, January 20, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                         TRIBUTE TO SAM CHAPMAN

 Mrs. BOXER. Madam President, I would like to take this 
opportunity to recognize my great friend and former colleague Sam 
Chapman, who is retiring on February 1, 2015, after a long and 
distinguished career in public service.
  I first had the opportunity to work with Sam when we were both county 
supervisors in northern California. When I was elected to the Marin 
County Board of Supervisors in 1976, Sam had already served 2 years on 
the neighboring Napa County Board of Supervisors after successfully 
defeating an incumbent. He was only 26 at the time, but he had been 
motivated to launch his underdog run after watching the incumbent fall 
asleep at a public meeting. Although he called his 1974 win ``the 
beginning of my career in politics,'' Sam had already shown a deep 
dedication to the ideals of public service.
  After receiving his law degree from the University of California at 
Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, Sam joined Volunteers in Service 
to America, VISTA, a national public service program envisioned by 
President John F. Kennedy and implemented by President Lyndon Johnson 
to fight poverty in America. He worked with VISTA as a volunteer 
attorney in the field of poverty law and later became a staff attorney 
for the Napa County Legal Assistance Agency. He then opened his own 
general practice law office in Napa prior to running for supervisor.
  Sam and I have always shared so many values--he has always been a 
strong advocate for the environment and other progressive causes--and 
during the 6 years we served together, we worked to improve the lives 
of people throughout our North Bay communities. When I was elected to 
the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, I knew right away that I 
wanted Sam on my team. For more than 20 years--as press secretary, 
legislative director, and finally as my chief of staff--Sam worked 
tirelessly every day to serve the people of the State of California.
  In 2004, seeking a new way to serve his community, Sam left the U.S. 
Senate to become the publisher of the Pacific Sun, a weekly newspaper 
focused on Marin County. He always had an interest in the news media, 
having worked as a reporter and editor for the Napa Valley Register 
prior to receiving his law degree. In 2010, following his lifelong 
interest in the environment and renewable energy issues, he became the 
State and Community Affairs Manager at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 
where he has worked to strengthen the lab's ties with the local and 
regional community. Throughout his career in public service, Sam also 
found the time to serve on a number of environmental commissions, 
lending his expertise to the Bay Conservation and Development 
Commission, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, and California 
Air Resources Board.
  For more than three decades, Sam has been a trusted ally, advisor, 
and friend. As he begins his retirement and embarks on the next 
exciting phase of his life, I send him and his family, especially his 
two beautiful daughters Allegra and Sabrina, my best wishes, deep 
affection, and abiding gratitude.

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