[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13161]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF LARRY BUCKMASTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 2, 2013

  Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Larry Buckmaster who is 
retiring as the President and CEO of the Redwood City-San Mateo County 
Chamber of Commerce after 30 years of outstanding service to our 
community.
  Larry is the type of person who creates a community through 
performing multiple acts of stewardship each and every day--he has done 
so for decades. Let me give you just a few examples.
  When Larry Buckmaster took over the Redwood City-San Mateo County 
Chamber of Commerce it had a deficit and membership lagged. He almost 
immediately turned it around and led the board to boost both membership 
and participation by members in various chamber events.
  Second, America needs leaders. It's tough to find them. Leadership 
means putting your neck on the line and exposing yourself to criticism. 
Larry Buckmaster knew that Redwood City and the San Francisco Peninsula 
needed a new generation of leadership. He founded the Leadership 
Redwood City/San Carlos/Belmont program so that business and government 
professionals would learn from each other and hear from current leaders 
about issues that are shaping the community. Most importantly, Larry 
Buckmaster wanted students to be inspired to step up and become 
community leaders in their own right. The proof of Larry's wisdom and 
his success is around us each day. Over 800 students have heard from 
state legislators, members of Congress, city council members, as well 
as the staff of local and state governments. Many members of city 
councils, commissions, the Board of Supervisors and the State 
Legislature were first inspired to public service by the leadership 
class created by Larry Buckmaster.
  Leadership by example is Larry Buckmaster's creed. Kainos is a non-
profit dedicated to helping those with developmental disabilities, and 
Larry's leadership is exemplified by the $750,000 raised over the years 
through a golfing tournament held annually to benefit Kainos. Larry, an 
avid golfer with a hole in one to his credit, brought his love of 
people and his skill as a golfer together to create this community 
benefit event.
  The Progress Seminar is an annual event at which community leaders 
spend a weekend together thinking and talking about the major issues 
impacting our region. Larry Buckmaster has grown this seminar into a 
sold-out event for many years, and ideas that sprout from the seminar 
often become solutions via city council and other activities, both 
public and private.
  Mr. Speaker and members, Larry Buckmaster has his quirks. He loves 
reading his emails and rarely responds. His filing system is a mess yet 
he can find everything. He is an avid reader who consumes one book per 
week, often military histories. Unfortunately, Larry roots for the 
Chicago Bears. We in the San Francisco Bay Area adore Larry so much 
that we will forgive his choice of football teams. It's only explicable 
when you realize that Larry was raised in Illinois and thus never 
really understood our wonderful 49ers until it was too late in life to 
surgically correct his unfortunate allegiance to a different team. 
Thankfully, Larry has shown great judgment in other matters, eschewing 
party politics, petty politics and self-aggrandizement. In fact, Larry 
Buckmaster always points to the accomplishments of his staff rather 
than to his own, demonstrating that he really is a great leader even if 
he is a poor judge of quality football teams.
  Larry Buckmaster is a natural athlete and has coached over 500 
children in softball and soccer. He is proud when one of the former 
players says that Larry saw something great in them as a child and that 
this turned around the life of the child. Larry and Joan, his wife of 
48 years, have three children and six grandchildren. It is said that 
his grandchildren turn him to mush, not too surprising given his love 
of children.
  Mr. Speaker and Members, I know that we often recognize Americans who 
have left their mark upon their communities and it is appropriate to do 
so. It is also appropriate to recognize that some persons provide 
decades of exemplary service to this nation not merely because they are 
paid to do their job but because they are in love with their work and 
receive payment many times over by watching the fruits of their efforts 
flower for future generations. Larry Buckmaster loves his job and has 
now chosen to retire. I find it hard to believe that we are going to 
let him leave. Let us honor a wonderful American, a great father and 
husband, and a civic treasure. Larry Buckmaster will be remembered for 
the lives that he improved, the leaders he inspired and the smiles that 
he brought to our faces. Let's wish him well on the golf course. He 
deserves a second hole in one.

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