[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1490]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   TRIBUTE TO DOCTOR TOM LARWOOD AND HIS LEADERSHIP ON VALLEY FEVER 
                                RESEARCH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 16, 2016

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
achievements of Dr. Tom Larwood, who passed away on September 6, 2016 
at the age of 90. He was a devoted community leader in Kern County, 
California, a pioneer in Valley Fever research, and a good friend of 
mine.
   Doctor Tom--as he was known in Bakersfield--served in the Navy 
Hospital Corps and went on to graduate from the University of Southern 
California's School of Medicine. Active in his local Methodist church, 
Tom went on a missionary trip to South Korea in 1955 where he provided 
medical assistance and was instrumental in the construction of a new 
hospital in Wonju. Currently, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital is the 
largest university hospital in central Korea, a lasting marker of Tom's 
desire to help others. Despite contracting polio during his time in 
South Korea, Tom continued to lead a life of profound professional 
accomplishment and remained fiercely dedicated to community service.
   Tom settled in Bakersfield in the 1950s. During this time, he 
practiced medicine at Kern County General Hospital, now the Kern 
Medical Center, where he rose to the position of Chief of Internal 
Medicine. Over the course of his career, he became a respected leader 
and expert, both locally and nationally, on Valley Fever. He worked 
closely with others, including Dr. Royce Johnson and the late Dr. Hans 
Einstein, to raise awareness of this disease, educate health care 
professionals on how to diagnose and treat it, pioneer treatments and 
other therapies to combat Valley Fever, and promote the development of 
a Valley Fever vaccine--an endeavor that continues today.
   Valley Fever--formally known as coccidioidomycosis--is a disease 
caused by a fungus that is found in soil mainly in the American 
southwest and is contracted by inhaling spores into the lungs. This 
disease has long been a threat to our community and is particularly 
dangerous to individuals with compromised immune systems and the 
elderly. Tom and his wife, Pauline, whom he married in 1972, worked 
tirelessly with the Valley Fever Americas Foundation for more than two 
decades to spread awareness of Valley Fever and raise money to fund 
critical research designed to stamp out this disease. In fact, I was 
honored to recently present the Larwoods with the Hans Einstein 
Lifetime Achievement Award for their work on Valley Fever.
   After retiring from medical practice in 1991, Tom remained an active 
participant in an array of local medical boards and was an enthusiastic 
volunteer with the American Lung Association, Boy Scouts of America (he 
was an Eagle Scout), Bethany Homeless Center, and the Bakersfield 
Symphony Orchestra, among others.
   I considered the advice Doctor Tom gave me--whether on Valley Fever, 
health care issues, or how to better serve our community--as 
invaluable. He is survived by Pauline, his children, David, Don, Dean, 
Debbie, Diana, Mike, and Scott, and his eight grandchildren. I will 
miss Tom's great sense of humor and constant optimism, and I know he 
will be fondly remembered in the hearts and minds of the countless 
patients and their families that he served in Kern County.

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