[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14385-14386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   IN MEMORY OF KENNETH HERMAN BLOHM

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. SAM FARR

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 24, 2001

  Mr. FARR of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life 
of Mr. Kenneth Herman Blohm, whose lifelong career of public service 
influenced many lives on the Central Coast of California. Mr. Blohm, 
who passed away on July 2, 2001, is survived by his two sisters, five 
children, nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. His wife 
of 56 years, Agnes O'Grady Blohm, died in 1990.
  Mr. Blohm was born in Watsonville, California on November 8, 1908. He 
worked as an auditor for the Railroad Express Agency from 1926-1963, 
and then served as a Monterey County judge for ten years. Mr. Blohm 
served in the California State Guard during World War II, and in 1942, 
he was President of the Spring District School Board in Salinas. From 
1969 until 1974, he served as President of the North Monterey County 
School District, and in 1976, Mr. Blohm was elected to the Monterey 
County Board of Supervisors, where he served until 1980. Beyond his 
contributions as

[[Page 14386]]

a public servant, Mr. Blohm dedicated himself to the broader community. 
He was a member, and leader, of the Salinas Elks, the Castroville 
Rotary, the Knights of Columbus, the Gambetta Little League, the 
Elkhorn School Parent-Teacher Association, and the Boy Scouts of 
America.
  Mr. Blohm, known as a man with firm convictions, truly believed in 
his work, and worked towards improving the quality of lives on the 
Central Coast. Throughout his term on the Monterey County Board of 
Supervisors, he was a frequent critic of county land-use policy and 
often voted in favor of property owners who appealed county planning 
decisions. He strongly believed in voting his conscience and believed 
that every citizen had the right to be heard on an issue before it 
became policy. Throughout his years of public service he remained loyal 
to his belief in less government control over land and property. 
Although Mr. Blohm was a critic of state Coastal Commission procedures, 
in 1978, the Board of Supervisors picked Mr. Blohm as its 
representative on the Coastal Commission.
  Mr. Blohm remained strong in his beliefs, and was a supporter of 
programs that he believed would benefit the Central Coast. His 
admirable career of public service was dedicated to improving the 
Coastal Coast, and his contributions have made a significant impact. I, 
along with the Central Coast community, would like to honor the life of 
Mr. Blohm's whose dedication and contributions are truly commendable.

                          ____________________