[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 166 (Monday, October 21, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8264]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING THE LIFE OF JOHN McARTHUR

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. LaMalfa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great 
constituent and also a great friend. His name is John McArthur. He 
passed away recently at the age of 96.
  John was just 21 years old in 1944 when his father died, tragically, 
of a heart attack, meaning John was tasked to take over the family 
farming and ranching business. In fact, if the name ``McArthur'' sounds 
familiar to those of us from northern California, that is because his 
family founded the town of McArthur, California, where he lived much of 
his life.
  In the years since, John has helped establish many important staples 
of his community, including the McArthur Volunteer Fire Department, the 
McArthur Firemen's Carnival, the Fall River-Big Valley Cattlemen's 
Association, and the Junior Livestock Sale. He and Shirley were very 
involved in the fair each year and the events that went on there.
  John actually introduced new crops to the Fall River Valley by 
providing the first 10 acres for growing strawberries in McArthur. 
Lassen Canyon Nursery, among others, remains a thriving business 
operation more than 60 years later.
  John and his business partners also tried their hand at planting and 
growing potatoes. I am a rice grower in real life, so we had a little 
bit of a rivalry for the starches that go on your plate and a little 
fun with that.
  While they were successful, they ran into trouble when it actually 
came to harvesting the crop. Through that failed endeavor, he 
established that the land was right for growing potatoes and was soon 
able to lease it to successful potato growers for many years 
thereafter.
  On a personal level, John and his wife, Shirley, were known for their 
welcoming nature. Their home was always open, hosting friends and 
neighbors for cocktail hours or just hanging out at the McArthur 
residence overlooking the valley. They have an amazing view off their 
back deck, looking over the valley there.
  The events became so frequent that John and Shirley thought that 
maybe it would be better to cut down on the Old Crow a little bit and 
slip some iced tea in there. But John and Shirley, they are those type 
of people. People just wanted to be around them.
  On my trips up to the McArthur area, whether it was for the fair or 
just passing through, I frequently liked to stop in and visit with 
them. John always had a smile, a laugh, a good story, and a very 
welcoming nature about him. It is one of the fortunate parts of being 
able to serve in an elected capacity these years I have at the State 
level and now here in the Congress.
  His life spanned nearly a century. He outlived most of his childhood 
friends, but his personality, coupled with his generosity, kindness, 
and involvement in his community, ensured that he had no shortage of 
new friends.
  During his time on this Earth, he has been a witness to a lot of 
change. He watched as California's population grew from 4 million to 
over 40 million today. He was always fighting for agriculture, adding 
to our water supply, and sticking up for rural values.
  Ask anyone in McArthur, John was clearly a pillar of the community 
that bears his last name. He helped to establish it early on and 
continued to help grow it through the years until his last days.
  As a friend, I will miss him. I know he is sorely missed up there. 
Blessings to Shirley and blessings to all of the McArthur family in 
that great community, one that I am always proud to represent and very 
happy when I get a chance to visit and hang out with folks.
  Indeed, he is a pillar, and they don't make them like John McArthur 
anymore. Let's hope his legacy helps spawn new generations of people 
with that same attitude, that same strength, that same can-do that has 
made America strong, made his community strong, and made the fiber of 
northern California the great place it is.

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