[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 134 (Wednesday, September 7, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1203-E1204]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE SERVICE OF COKE HALLOWELL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 7, 2016

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend Ms. 
Coke Hallowell in honor of the outstanding contributions she has made 
to the arts community and the entire San Joaquin Valley. Coke is being 
honored by the Fresno Arts Council in appreciation of her tireless 
efforts on behalf of the Valley. Her commitment and dedication to her 
community deserve to be commended.
  Coke's career began by teaching remedial reading for ten years at 
Sanger Unified School District. Later she was elected and served two 
terms on the State Center Community College District and continued her 
educational leadership by going on to serve on the State Center 
Foundation for seventeen years. Coke has been very active in various 
community organizations such as, the National Parks Conservation 
Association, the Fresno Arts Council, the U.C. Merced Foundation, the 
Downtown Fresno Coalition and Revive the San Joaquin. Coke presently 
serves on the boards of the Planning and Conservation League Foundation 
and the California Council of Land Trusts.

[[Page E1204]]

  Coke has strong roots in San Joaquin Valley and is the founding 
member of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, and she 
has served as President of Board of Directors for twenty years. Most 
recently Coke was elected Chairman of the new San Joaquin River Parkway 
and Conservation Trust Board.
  In addition to all her career accomplishments she also has numerous 
awards including the YWCA Business and Professional Women of the Year, 
the Fresno Arts Council Horizon Award, and the NSFRE Outstanding 
Philanthropist and Volunteer Fund Raiser. In 2002, she received an 
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from California State University 
Fresno, and in 2005 she was selected by the Jefferson Awards Board to 
receive the Jacquiline Kennedy Onassis Award for ``Outstanding 
Community Service Benefiting Local Communities.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I ask my colleagues to 
join me as we honor and celebrate Coke Hallowell for her dedication to 
the arts, her community, and education. I am grateful to have had the 
opportunity to work with Coke and witness firsthand her giving spirit 
and commitment to causes near to her heart. She is a true steward of 
the San Joaquin Valley and we are grateful for her service and the 
lasting impact of her efforts in the Valley.

                          ____________________