[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13563]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      HONORING STANLEY LATHEN, SR.

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 17, 2001

  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to invite 
my colleagues to join me in congratulating Stanley Lathen, Sr., on the 
occasion of his being honored for his lifelong commitment to labor by 
the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 373R.
  President Emeritus Stanley Lathen, Sr., was born on April 30, 1908, 
in the territory of Arizona. His family moved to Lake County soon after 
his birth and then relocated to Marin County, where he was raised and 
educated. Stanley served an apprenticeship under the program of the 
Plasterers and Cement Masons Union in Marin County as a teenager. While 
working as a mason, he moved to Vallejo in the early 1930's.
  Always active in labor affairs, Stanley assisted in the re-
organization of the Solano County Building Trade Council. Stanley 
served as Chairman of the Building Codes Committee for the revision of 
city building codes and the establishing of building codes in Solano 
County. He also served as the first Chairman of a county Apprentice 
Training Program (prior to the formation of a State training program).
  In October 1941, Stanley accepted an executive position with the 
Retail Store Employees Union No. 373, and was later elected Executive-
Manager and Treasurer of Local 373, a position he held for 27 years.
  Stanley was instrumental in establishing the Local's first health 
insurance plan and acted as the plan's administrator for many years 
before the formation of its Trust Funds. He later served with 
distinction as Trustee and Chairman of the Local's Health Insurance/
Pension and Drug Trust Funds.
  President Lathen served a term as President of Solano County's 
Central Labor Council in 1946 and he also served as Vice President of 
the California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO, as a representative of 
District 12 (Solano, Napa, Marin and Sonoma Counties) for 13 years.
  Stanley was also very involved in local civic affairs serving on the 
Solano County Grand Jury, Chairman of the March of Dimes, member of the 
first Board of Directors of the Greater Vallejo Recreation District, as 
well as serving on the boards of the YMCA, Red Cross, Salvation Army 
and United Crusade.
  California Governor Earl Warren selected President Lathen to serve as 
the chairman of the Solano County committee to explore the 
possibilities of a statewide health plan. Due to strong opposition from 
the Solano County Medical Society and other such organizations across 
the state, the state health plan never got off the ground.
  On January 1, 1968, at the age of 60, Stanley Lathen ended his 
distinguished career as Executive Manager (President) of Local 373. 
When he assumed office in 1941 there were 105 members; today the union 
has over 1,800 members.
  Stanley and his wife of 45 years, Bernice, are enjoying the retired 
life, sharing good times with their five children and six 
grandchildren.
  On May 16, 1997, San Francisco State University entered President 
Emeritus Stanley Lathen's history as a Vallejo Labor and Civic Leader 
permanently into the records at the Labor Archives and Research Center. 
On January 13, 1998, President Linda Russell, the officers and members 
of Local 373R, honored President Lathen by naming the Local Union 
Hall's board room the Stanley Lathen Board Room. Later that year, Local 
373R named its annual scholarship golf tournament in his honor, The 
Stanley Lathen Scholarship Golf Tournament.
  We salute President Emeritus Stanley Lathen, Sr. for all the good 
that he has done for working men and women, union members and the 
citizens of Vallejo, Solano County, the state and our country.

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