[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 142 (Friday, September 6, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1099-E1100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF JOHN CARBRAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 6, 2019

  Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to 
the life of Mr. John Carbray, who passed away on August 10, 2019. John 
was the founder and first president of the Fresno Grizzlies, Fresno, 
California's Triple-A franchise. He will be remembered for his vision 
and efforts to bring baseball back to Central California.
  John Carbray was born in Paris, Arkansas on November 9, 1938. John 
and his brother Sam were raised by their mother Helen. When John was 
six years old his family moved to Inglewood, California. Sports played 
an integral part of his childhood and his biggest passion was baseball. 
He played at the collegiate level, first at El Camino Junior College 
and Pepperdine University. John would go on to play semi-pro baseball 
in Wyoming and even played in Canada for the Edmonton Eskimos of the 
Western Canada League.
  Eventually John traveled back to Los Angeles to work in a swimming 
pool business, before returning to Canada in 1963 after he was named 
manager of the Calgary Giants. This was the first stop of a storied 
career as a sports executive, with stops in Oregon, Washington DC, 
Sacramento and a tenure as general manager of two North American Soccer 
League teams.
  John pursued his love for athletics and entertainment in different 
avenues. During his time away from baseball, he founded Projects West, 
a consulting firm that worked with major sports teams to bring concerts 
to sporting venues. However, he would not be away from baseball for 
very long. After realizing the need for baseball in Fresno, John and 
his wife Diane worked tirelessly to return baseball to the city after a 
ten-year absence. After much hard work and persistence, the Tucson 
Toros were purchased by the Fresno Diamond Group and reborn as the 
Fresno Grizzlies. John then pursued building a state-of-the-art 
baseball stadium in downtown Fresno. On May 1, 2002, the stadium, now 
known as Chukchansi Park, hosted its first game with a sell-out crowd 
of 12,792. The stadium paved the way for the revitalization of downtown 
and continues to host baseball game, concerts and festivals.
  Throughout his career, John was awarded with recognitions for his 
dedication to the world of sports. This includes being named Sporting 
News Executive of the Year, Pacific Coast Executive of the Year, his 
induction into the Fresno County Athletic Hall of Fame and he and his 
wife Diane were honored by the Grizzlies with the Al Radka Award in 
honor of their contributions to the community and baseball. His 
contributions to the City of Fresno spanned beyond sports; he was also 
actively involved with many nonprofits, including the

[[Page E1100]]

Boys and Girls Club, the annual City-County All-Star Football Game, and 
the Fresno Rotary.
  John is survived by his loving wife Diane, and their sons David, and 
Kyle. He will be greatly missed by many friends, associates and those 
who had the pleasure of working with him.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of 
Mr. John L. Carbray. His contributions to the City of Fresno will be 
felt for generations to come. I join his family in honoring his great 
life.

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