[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 36 (Friday, February 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E144-E145]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF LUCY KORTUM

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                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 24, 2023

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of Lucy Kortum, an 
extraordinary environmental champion and community leader, who passed 
away on November 30, 2022 at the age of 94.
  Lucy was born in Coronado, California in 1928, where her father was 
stationed as a Naval aviator during World War II. She graduated from 
Pomona College and moved to San Francisco where she met her husband, 
Bill Kortum, who would later be known as the father of the Sonoma 
County environmental movement. They married in 1953 and began their 
decades-long partnership in environmental and political advocacy.
  Beginning in the 1960s, Lucy and Bill led numerous public campaigns 
to preserve Sonoma and the northern California Coast from 
overdevelopment. The couple successfully advocated for saving Bodega 
Head from a plan to build a nuclear power plant, protecting public 
access along the northern Sonoma Coast. They also succeeded in passing 
Proposition 20, which created the California Coastal Commission and the 
California Coastal Act in 1972.
  Lucy was also a passionate historian and a champion of local and 
statewide architectural preservation. She earned her teaching 
credential at Sonoma State University, and later returned in 1991 to 
pursue her master's degree in history. Her master's thesis resulted in 
the addition of ten California Carnegie libraries to the National 
Register of Historic Places, and her work was later credited with 
adding the 1892 Petaluma Silk Mill to the National Register, saving it 
from future demolition.
  Lucy was highly motivated by her family and strong sense of 
community. The Kortum's home became a community hub in Sonoma County, 
often hosting meetings about pressing local issues. I am among many of 
the beneficiaries of Lucy and Bill Kortum's wisdom and mentorship. She 
leaves behind her sons, Frank and Sam Kortum. her daughter, Julie 
Groves, and her five grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that Lucy Kortum was a community 
figure who will be missed and whose many contributions to the region 
are a legacy worthy of congressional recognition. Please join me in 
extending condolences to Lucy's family and many friends, and in 
expressing my deep appreciation for the positive impact she has left on 
the community and the environment.

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