[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 86 (Thursday, May 24, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO HARVEY HALL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2018

  Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with my colleague, the 
Honorable David Valadao, in memory of Mr. Harvey Hall. Mr. Hall served 
as the mayor of Bakersfield, California from 2000 to 2016 and will be 
remembered as a community icon who never stopped believing in the city 
he called home.
  A lifelong resident of Bakersfield, Harvey Hall was a model civil 
servant, a community legend who would greet you wearing one of his 
trademark suits and a welcoming smile. Mayor Hall was a cheerleader for 
Bakersfield in the purest sense. He was an advocate for the businesses 
and organizations of the city he served, and it was not uncommon to see 
him each and every day at ribbon-cutting ceremonies or lending his 
support at community gatherings across Bakersfield. Everyone knew Mayor 
Hall, and Mayor Hall made it his goal to get to know everyone he met. 
He was a man who remembered names and would always make the time to 
pull you aside for a chat, no matter who you were. When you were with 
Mayor Hall, you always felt like the most important person in the room.
  Outside of his responsibilities in City Hall, Mr. Hall focused 
himself on bettering the quality of life in Kern County. A consummate 
businessman, Mayor Hall founded Hall Ambulance Services, Inc., an 
emergency services company that has been a mainstay in Kern County for 
nearly 50 years. Mayor Hall had a heart for education and dedicated his 
mayoral salary to the Kern Community Foundation, awarding over $250,000 
to fund scholarships for local high school students pursuing secondary 
education during his time in office.
  More than anything else, Mayor Hall's love of community was 
illustrated in quieter ways. He used his own money to help 
Bakersfield's homeless get back on their feet and would regularly host 
community clean-ups to beautify a city he saw nothing but potential in. 
Mayor Hall welcomed the diverse communities that make Bakersfield the 
community that it is, and was a mainstay at the annual Sikh Parade and 
Harvest Festival. Most importantly, he understood the power of a thank-
you note and would always offer his humble thanks for the smallest of 
gestures. This love of community extended outside of Bakersfield too, 
for Mayor Hall understood that Kern County was a better place when all 
of its communities succeeded. He often gave his ear to neighboring 
communities and always made himself available to provide assistance or 
advice when it was needed.
  There is a lesson to be learned in the manner in which Mayor Hall 
lived. He was a man who lived life's purpose both in and out of public 
service. He was a man forged by a city that he made into his own. He 
was a man who never missed an obligation, who always knew the true 
potential and promise of Bakersfield and its residents. Harvey Hall 
made an indelible impression on Kern County, and it is our every hope 
that those whose lives he impacted honor his legacy by showing the same 
love, passion, and dedication to Bakersfield as our city's longest-
serving mayor did. For some, he was ``Mayor Hall.'' For others, he was 
just ``Harvey.'' But for us, he will always be ``Mr. Bakersfield.'' We 
extend our deepest condolences to his wife Lavonne, his children, 
grandchildren, and a community that loves him as much as he loved it. 
Mayor Hall exemplified the best qualities of Bakersfield and will be 
missed, but he leaves behind a legacy that will continue to shape our 
community for years to come.

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