[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 68 (Thursday, April 25, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF FRED STARRH, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 25, 2019

  Mr. McCARTHY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Fred 
Starrh, Sr., who passed away on April 16, 2019 at the age of 89. Fred 
was a renowned farmer in California's Central Valley whose career 
spanned nearly seventy years. He was also a devoted family man, 
philanthropist, follower of Jesus Christ, and my dear friend.
  Born to a family of cotton farmers at the onset of the Great 
Depression and having come of age during the Second World War, the 
value of hard work and the importance of serving one's country were 
instilled in Fred at a young age. In fact, Fred answered the call to 
serve when his draft number was selected during the Korean War. 
Stationed in Fort Lewis in Washington State, it was there he met his 
first loving wife of 54 years, Nancy Johnson, who passed away in 2009. 
Fred then fell in love with and married Linda.
  Fred returned to his roots after the war, managing the 35-acre family 
cotton farm in Shafter, California, that his father founded in 1935. 
The operation quickly expanded and diversified under Fred's guidance, 
with an additional location in Buttonwillow, California, and the 
production of specialty crops, including pistachios and almonds. Today, 
the Starrh Family Farms operation spans over 9,000 acres.
  Fred was also a staunch advocate for Kern County and Central Valley 
farmers and the farming industry generally. For instance, when the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture closed a research facility in Shafter, 
California, that was doing critical research on a cotton disease, Fred, 
through the San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association, 
stepped up to the plate and led the charge to keep the facility open 
and in operation by partnering with Kern County and the local community 
college.
  Throughout his 68-year career, Fred also advanced agricultural 
interests by serving on countless boards and councils, and joining 
numerous associations. Among these, Fred was particularly proud to sit 
on the Kern County Water Agency Board of Directors. In this capacity, 
Fred played a critical role and was a key decision-maker advancing 
commonsense water policies in Kern County and California. For those of 
you who know California water politics, things can get heated quickly, 
but Fred, the consummate gentleman, could draw on his vast experience 
and detailed knowledge to find common ground to bring people back to 
the table to get solutions--all without raising his voice.
  Fred also served on the Kern County Farm Bureau's Board of Directors, 
was a Director for the California Farm Bureau Federation, and was 
appointed to serve on the Cotton Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee 
and the Cotton Marketing Committee by then-Secretary of Agriculture Ed 
Madigan, where he advised the Secretary and other officials at the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture on the landmark 1990 Farm Bill. Fred further 
served his beloved Central Valley community on the board of the Kern 
High School District for 17 years, and was a founding member of the 
Shafter Recreation District, where he both supported and participated 
in local music and arts programs.
  Fred held unwavering faith in the goodness of God. As a member of the 
Shafter Congregational Church, Fred could always be found singing in 
the choir with his family and friends.
  Fred is survived by his wife, Linda, his four children, Fred Jr. and 
his wife Cris, Larry and his wife Shana, Carol and her husband Jay, and 
Anne and her husband Dale, his seven grandchildren, two great-
grandchildren, and an entire family that loved him deeply. Fred Starrh 
was truly a larger-than-life personality, and when I would seek his 
counsel on any issue big or small, he always had sage advice. I am 
honored to have been able to call Fred one of my close friends.
  On behalf of Kern County and our friends and neighbors throughout the 
23rd Congressional District of California, Judy and I extend our 
deepest condolences to the Starrh family as we remember and honor the 
life of Fred Starrh, Sr.

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