[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HONORING THE CAREER OF JERRY O'BANION

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 19, 2018

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the career of Merced 
County Supervisor Jerry O'Banion. On December 18, 2018, Mr. O'Banion 
retired from the Merced County Board of Supervisors after 28 incredible 
years of service.
  Mr. O'Banion was born and raised in Dos Palos, California on the 
westside of Merced County. Having grown up seeing his father, Emory 
O'Banion, serve as a county supervisor for the westside communities, 
Mr. O'Banion saw the importance of public service early on. In 1964, he 
graduated from Dos Palos High School and continued his education at 
Fresno State, where he earned a BA in General Sciences and an 
Agricultural Education Credential in 1969.
  After serving 6 years in the National Guard and as a 4-H youth 
advisor in Fresno County from 1969 to 1973, Mr. O'Banion returned to 
Merced County where he would soon begin his distinguished career of 
public service.
  Mr. O'Banion was elected to the Dos Palos City Council in 1980 and 
served in that role until being elected as the city's mayor in 1987. 
Three years later, he was elected to the Merced County Board of 
Supervisors to represent the county's westside communities of Dos 
Palos, Los Banos, and Santa Nella. During his time on the Board of 
Supervisors, Mr. O'Banion has served as chairman numerous times, 
including this year of his retirement.
  Mr. O'Banion's 28-year tenure on the Merced County Board of 
Supervisors makes him the second-longest serving county supervisor in 
the State of California. In each of the offices Mr. O'Banion has held, 
he has had the honor to represent the places where he grew up. At the 
same time, he has also raised an amazing family in those communities.
  Together, Mr. O'Banion and his wife of 50 years, Dollie, have three 
children and eight grandchildren, all of whom have always been 
supportive of his service to the community and helped to carry on the 
proud legacy of the O'Banion family.
  In retirement, I am sure Mr. O'Banion will continue to exhibit the 
same level of unwavering leadership and commitment present throughout 
his career as he continues to serve the various local organizations 
he's involved with and his family's business, O'Banion Ranches, 
Diversified Farming.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the 
exemplary career of a Merced County Supervisor Jerry O'Banion. It is 
both fitting and appropriate that we honor a man who has spent a 
lifetime advocating for Merced County's westside. I wish him and his 
family the best as he retires from a highly accomplished career in 
public service.

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