[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 128 (Tuesday, August 6, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E805-E806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING THOMAS DIERCKMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE GARCIA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 6, 2024

  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 
Thomas Dierckman, a beloved member of CA-27's community and an integral 
district staffer who has been with me since I was first elected to 
Congress.
  Tom's life of public service began as a teenager where he spent time 
away from cowboying to become an Eagle Scout. Later, at the University 
of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, he earned his degree in Mechanical 
Engineering. Consistent with Tom's dedication to his community, he used 
his training as an engineer to give back to his country. He was 
commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy after college and joined the 
Civil Engineer Corps.
  During Tom's service as a Naval Officer, he did his part in every 
community where the

[[Page E806]]

Navy brought him. For example, he coached basketball at his first duty 
station in Yokosuka, Japan, and was a public works officer at the Naval 
Regional Medical Center in Oakland, CA, where he taught Civil Engineer 
Corps students.
  While Tom's tenacity took no days off, he always made time for his 
family and those most important to him. Following Tom's marriage to his 
wife, Sandy, in 1976 and the birth of his two sons, he left active duty 
in 1982 and stayed in the reserves for another 17 years. Tom resigned 
from the Armed Forces with the rank of Captain in 1999.
  After he resigned his commission as an active-duty Naval Officer, he 
moved to Southern California and joined the Newhall Land and Farming 
Company where he was responsible for all aspects of residential, 
commercial, and industrial development. In 1990, he was named Senior 
Vice President and retired in 2004.
  Since the 80s, Tom has been an integral part of our community. He 
served on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles County Economic 
Development Corp., Valencia Water Co., Castaic Lake Water Agency, and 
Valencia Bank and Trust. Tom was also a board member of the College of 
the Canyons Foundation, a director emeritus of the COC Foundation, and 
president of the Boys & Girls Club of the Santa Clarita Valley. In 
short, Tom's been busy.
  For his work in our community, Tom has earned the Silver Spur Award 
for Community Service, the Boys & Girls Club's Samuel Dixon Award for 
extraordinary service, as well as being named Santa Clarita Valley Man 
of the Year in 2012.
  My path crossed Tom's because of his desire to make an impact on the 
next generation in our community. Tom worked tirelessly to help 
nominate the emerging military leaders of our district. Over his 
tenure, he walked with 41 students as they navigated the application 
and nomination process to our Nation's great military academies. I 
thank Tom for his dedication in making sure that our academies receive 
the best of the best and for his critical role in a stronger, more 
secure future for this great Nation.
  I am forever grateful for Tom's steadfast dedication to our community 
and the work he has done as part of my team. Tom's approach to life is 
a powerful example to us all of what it means to pay it forward.

                          ____________________