[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6847]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 6847]]
             CONGRESSIONAL RECORD 

                United States
                 of America



April 19, 1999





                          EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS

             HONORING STEVEN W. EASTER UPON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 19, 1999

  Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in tribute to Mr. Steven W. Easter. 
He is retiring as vice president for member and government relations at 
Blue Diamond Growers in Sacramento, CA. As Mr. Easter is ``roasted'' by 
his many friends and business associates, I ask all of my colleagues to 
join with me in saluting his remarkable career.
  Mr. Easter was born in Merced, CA, in 1941. He is a fifth generation 
Californian whose family has long been involved in agriculture and 
agricultural educational endeavors. He was raised on a small farm in 
the San Joaquin Valley where his father was an agricultural educator.
  After growing up in Dos Palos, CA, he attended the University of 
California at Davis, where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in 
Agricultural Economics in 1963 and a Master of Science degree in 
Agricultural Business Management in 1964.
  Blue Diamond Growers, a 4,000-member cooperative that is the largest 
processor and marketer of almonds in the world, first employed him as a 
field representative in 1967. His subsequent positions with Blue 
Diamond included that of assistant membership manager, field manager, 
and membership manager.
  In 1975, Mr. Easter was given the additional responsibility of 
corporate secretary at Blue Diamond Growers. He assumed his current 
position as vice president, member and governmental relations in 
November 1980.
  All told, Mr. Easter has served as a corporate officer at Blue 
Diamond for 23 years; his total employment there spans 31 years. I am 
honored to salute his outstanding dedication to one of Sacramento's 
finest corporate citizens.
  Mr. Easter's business excellence also extends beyond Blue Diamond 
Growers. He currently serves as a director of the Almond Board of 
California and is past president of the Almond Hullers and Processors 
Association. He also recently served 2 years as chairman of the Board 
of the American Institute of Cooperation.
  He is also a member of the Advisory Committee on horticultural trade 
to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative. 
Mr. Easter is presently chairman of the Agricultural Council of 
California.
  Additionally, he has served as chairman of the American Institute of 
Cooperatives, as well as chair of the Agricultural Council Education 
Committee. Locally, Mr. Easter has served on the board of the 
Sacramento Country Day School for 15 years, including a term as 
Education Committee chairman.
  Steve Easter has contributed enormously to Blue Diamond Growers and 
the Sacramento community-at-large. He has helped Blue Diamond grow its 
sales to $500 million per year and seen it develop and open markets in 
more than 90 countries around the globe.
  Mr. Speaker, as Steve Easter is ``roasted'' by his many friends and 
colleagues today, I am honored to pay tribute to one of Sacramento's 
great citizens. His tireless contributions to the member growers of 
Blue Diamond as well as to the Sacramento community are commendable. I 
ask all of my colleagues to join with me in wishing him every success 
in all his future endeavors.

                          ____________________