[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6595]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO LES CLARK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KEVIN McCARTHY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 22, 2008

  Mr. McCARTHY of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. 
Les Clark, a resident and community leader from Kern County, 
California, for his exemplary leadership and commitment to the oil 
patch in Kern County and on receiving the 2008 Ray Bradley/Tom Woodward 
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Independent Oil Producers' Agency, 
IOPA.
  Les has been a resident of Taft, California, which I represent, for 
most of his life. He attended local schools and then graduated from 
Fresno State University. While at Fresno State, he worked for the 
Atlantic Richfield Oil Company and Petrotherm, Inc., which provided Les 
his first experience working in the oil industry. After graduating from 
college, he worked at Belridge Oil Company and Shell Oil Company, 
thereby continuing his lifelong commitment to the oil patch. Today, Les 
is the Executive Vice President at IOPA, which is an association 
comprised of independent oil companies that operate mainly in the San 
Joaquin Valley. At IOPA, with his industry knowledge and depth of 
experience, Les is responsible for analyzing all regulatory issues 
impacting San Joaquin independent oil producers, as well as being their 
principal contact with various government officials and regulators in 
the Valley. Les served as vice president of IOPA from 1980 to 1999 
prior to serving there in his current capacity.
  Active on the state and national level, Les is a board member on the 
American Petroleum Institute API, and has been honored with API's 2004 
Oil Baron Award, the Desk & Derrick 1994 Oil Man of the Year Award, and 
the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's Annual 1991 State Director's 
Award--Oil & Gas Program. Les has also been inducted into the Hall of 
Fame for the Kern County Officials Association in 1993.
  Les also is a leading proponent and catalyst for oil industry 
innovation, spurring technological advances. In addition, recognizing 
the importance of keeping our environment clean for future generations 
to enjoy, he has devoted much time and taken leadership roles on many 
important environmental issues, particularly air quality; Les always 
takes a compelling and all-inclusive approach to addressing 
environmental issues. To that end, he has been active in various Cal-
EPA and San Joaquin Valley air pollution control initiatives.
  In addition to his service in the Kern oil patch, Les is an active 
member of the communities in Bakersfield, Taft, and Kern County. To 
mention just a few of his endeavors, Les is a past president of the 
Taft Chamber of Commerce, past trustee of the Taft Union High School 
District, and a past chairman of the Water Association of Kern County 
and the West Side District Hospital Foundation. He is currently a 
member of the Board of Directors of the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce 
and the Petroleum Club of Bakersfield, a trustee of the Kern County 
Museum Foundation, and a member of the Greater Valley Center/Regional 
Economic Alliance for Leadership, the San Joaquin Valley Air Study 
Policy Committee, and of Governor Schwarzenegger's California 
Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley.
  Les and his wife, June, have been married for 41 years and have 
raised two daughters, Tessa and Kerrie, and one son, Les III. They have 
nine grandchildren: Tanisha, Ayana, Darius, Arizona, Keelan, Sierra, 
Logun, Willow and Cash.
  Receiving the lOPA 2008 Ray Bradley/Tom Woodward Lifetime Achievement 
Award is a fitting recognition of Les' lifelong commitment to advancing 
innovation and environmental issues among oil producers. With his 
dedication and larger-than-life personality, I know that Les will 
continue to be an effective leader in the Kern oil patch and a 
prominent community leader in my district. I commend his leadership and 
hope that Kern County continues to benefit from his experience and 
wisdom.

                          ____________________