[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17217]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         TRIBUTE TO JOHNNY GILL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 6, 2000

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a man who 
spent his life advocating for agriculture and farming, and for the 
future of many of the people in the Salinas Valley of California. 
Johnny Gill passed away last month at his Lockwood, California home at 
the age of 47. The cause of his death was amyotrophic lateral 
sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
  Mr. Gill operated the John Gill Ranch in Monterey County, California, 
and was a pillar of agricultural life in that area. 25 years ago he 
started the King City Young Farmers organization and served actively as 
its first president to see its success. He was also active in many 
other local agricultural and community based organizations, including 
the 4-H, Little League, and the Sober Graduation program. Mr. Gill was 
also a Premier Sponsor and active member of the King City Chamber of 
Commerce and Agriculture. And, in a tribute befitting a figure such as 
Mr. Gill, last February, more than 900 people came together to honor 
him as King City's ``Citizen of the Year'' for 1999. This event, 
besides celebrating the accomplishments of Mr. Gill, also raised 
$375,000 to fight ALS and included a speech of tribute by actor Clint 
Eastwood, another Monterey County resident.
  John Gill was a man of much accomplishment, even tending to all of 
his farming duties up until the end of his life. He was a role model 
for so many of our nation's farmers and citizens in general, and he 
will be sorely missed by his wife Pam Gill; his parents Jack and 
Augusta Gill of Paso Robles; his sons Francis Gill of King City, Jared 
Gill of Hollister and Bret Davis of Salinas; and his sisters Melinda 
Stewart of Paso Robles and Jeannine Mansfield of Burke, Washington.

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