[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 111 (Tuesday, July 3, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E961]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING GRANT COUNTY COMMISSIONER BOYD BRITTON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. GREG WALDEN

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 3, 2018

  Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize my good friend 
Boyd Britton for his many years of dedicated public service in Grant 
County. Boyd has executed faithfully his duty as a Grant County 
Commissioner for 15 years, and I would like to pay tribute to his 
leadership for the people of Grant County and Eastern Oregon.
  Boyd was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, but due to his father's service 
in the United States Air Force, spent much of his early childhood on 
the move. His father was a co-pilot of the famed World War II B-17 
Bomber known as Old '666, which was the most decorated B-17 aircraft in 
the history of the United States Air Force. Eventually, his family 
settled in Mesquite, New Mexico. After he started college, he 
transferred from New Mexico State to Western New Mexico University, 
which is where he met his soon-to-be wife, Bonnie. Boyd and Bonnie were 
married in 1974.
  Boyd worked 17 years for James Hamilton Construction Company, 
eventually becoming a superintendent of the company. At the time, it 
was one of the biggest construction companies in New Mexico. Meanwhile, 
his wife, Bonnie, worked for the United States Forest Service as a 
Financial Manager.
  Bonnie's job with the United States Forest Service moved the family 
to Susanville, California, where Boyd started his welding business, and 
where their daughter, Brandi, graduated high school. In 1995, Boyd and 
Bonnie moved to John Day, Oregon, where Boyd planned to become an 
artist but quickly realized it was a lonely craft. Boyd again opened a 
welding business, but that trade also lacked the social interaction he 
craved.
  In 2002, Boyd won his first Grant County Commissioner race and served 
for 15 years until June 30, 2018. Commissioner Britton had a unique 
talent for recognizing potential in people, skillfully bringing them 
together to accomplish nearly every challenge the county faced. Boyd's 
ability to bridge political divides led him to build the Blue Mountain 
Forest Partners collaborative group, which has helped improve log 
supply to the local timber industry. That same skillset helped Boyd 
negotiate a contract for Community Counseling Solutions to operate 
Grant County Health Department, which brought mental health services to 
Grant County for the first time in its history. Boyd had a reputation 
as the most polite commissioner the Association of Oregon Counties had 
ever known. That said, it was never a mystery where he stood on any 
issue.
  Boyd has always taken pride in three notable things: his beautiful 
marriage to Bonnie, his highly successful daughter Brandi, and having 
the most famous mustache in Grant County. I know Boyd will take that 
same pride with him to his new home in Show Low, Arizona. Boyd has 
never stood on the sidelines and watched the world move. Rather, he has 
always tried to be a driving force behind the motion. I am confident he 
will continue to be a key player wherever his travels take him.
  Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, Boyd Britton is a true friend of mine, 
and I would ask that you please join me in recognizing and thanking him 
for his many years of leadership in Grant County. I wish Boyd and 
Bonnie all the best in their new pursuits.

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