[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23635]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       IN MEMORY OF JOHN BOETHING

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 5, 2007

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Madam Speaker, I rise in memory of my friend John 
Boething, who died August 11 at 89 years young.
  It would be easier to list what J.B. didn't accomplish in his life 
than to list what he did. A college student at age 16, J.B. bicycled 
across Europe and explored South America as part of his master's 
thesis; was a U.S. Army captain during World War II, serving in the 
Pacific Theater; wrote a sports column; and was a freelance cartoonist 
for the New Yorker and other publications.
  But it was as one of the founding fathers of the wholesale 
horticulture industry that J.B. made his public mark. He founded 
Boething Treeland Farms as a retail operation on 35 acres in Woodland 
Hills, CA, in 1952, and grew it into one of the largest and most 
successful wholesale nurseries in California. Today, Boething Treeland 
Farms grows trees and shrubs on about 800 acres across the State.
  Not bad, considering J.B. knew little about the tree business when he 
started on money he borrowed from his father.
  J.B.'s success can be ascribed to him being the epitome of a people 
person. He had a wonderful sense of humor and, for all his successes, 
still lived in the house he built in Woodland Hills and added onto as 
his family grew. Having sought the advice of other nurserymen when 
starting Boething Treeland Farms, he freely gave advice later to others 
in the business--including those who started with him and went on to be 
competitors.
  While personable and fair, J.B. also maintained high standards and 
expected the best from his employees. With his motivation and example, 
they rarely disappointed.
  J.B. also supported the American Red Cross, Children's Hospital Los 
Angeles, Doctors Without Borders, and Pepperdine University. He served 
on the Board of Directors of Sunset Magazine and for many years 
sponsored a lecture through the Center for Conservation Biology at 
Stanford University.
  Madam Speaker, I know my colleagues will join me in remembering J.B. 
and his contributions to horticulture and to all who knew him, and in 
offering our condolences to his wife of 54 years, Susan; their 
daughters, Sally Painter, Haydi Danielson, Cathy Pherson, and Marji 
Boething; their 6 grandchildren; and his extended family and wealth of 
friends.

                          ____________________