[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 19845]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING WILLIAM STRAUS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2003

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor William Straus, 
rancher, environmentalist, and father of the family whose Straus Family 
Creamery has set a new standard for organic dairy products. Mr. Straus, 
who lived in Marshall, CA, died on July 6, 2003, at the age of 88.
  Born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1914, Bill, whose father was the first 
German Jew to earn a doctorate in agriculture, also studied agriculture 
before fleeing to British-controlled Palestine in 1936. Although he 
planned to settle there, relatives lured him to California where they 
were expecting to find oil near San Luis Obispo.
  No oil was found, but Bill fell in love with the land. He earned a 
degree in agriculture from UC Berkeley and purchased a ranch in 
Marshall. In 1949, fearing he would not find a Jewish girl to marry in 
West Marin, he traveled to New York twice to meet Amsterdam-born Ellen 
Prins. The couple married soon after, and Ellen moved to the ranch 
where she too fell in love with the rolling hills and beautiful 
landscape.
  The Strauses soon became leaders in efforts to protect the land and 
to develop environmentally sound farming practices. The couple 
understood that ranchers and conservationists needed to work together 
to preserve open spaces. Bill was the first rancher to join the Marin 
Conservation League, and in 1980 Ellen co-founded Marin Agricultural 
Land Trust (MALT). In 1994, son Albert Straus established the first 
organic dairy west of the Mississippi.
  Bill and Ellen created a warm, hospitable household based on their 
Jewish roots and were welcoming to friends, family, and a parade of 
visitors. Ellen Straus died last November. Bill is survived by four 
children and four grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, Bill Straus left a legacy based on stewardship of the 
land, close personal relationships, commitment to agriculture and love 
of the landscape. His spirit lives on in the beautiful hills of West 
Marin.

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