[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 2]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 3034]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF FRANK EDWARD ``ED'' RAY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 27, 2015

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Frank 
Edward ``Ed'' Ray on what would have been his 94th birthday. In a 1976 
incident, Ed helped save 26 students from a kidnapping attempt in the 
city of Chowchilla. Recognizing such heroic actions, it is fitting and 
appropriate that the City of Chowchilla has chosen to name its largest 
park ``Ed Ray Park.''
  Frank Edward Ray was born in Le Grand, California on February 26, 
1921. One of eight children of Frank and Marie Ray, he moved to 
Chowchilla with his family and graduated from Chowchilla High School in 
1940. In 1942, he married his wife, Odessa, and bought a ranch where 
they raised dairy cows and grew corn. Ed then worked for the Dairyland 
Union School District as a bus driver for nearly 40 years.
  Ed was the driver of the school bus packed with summer school kids 
that was hijacked in Chowchilla in 1976. They were later escorted into 
a buried moving truck in a quarry, where Ed led them to safety after he 
and two older boys dug their way out. During the time inside the 
quarry, Ray gave comfort and hope to the school children. No one was 
hurt and astonishingly he was able to recall significant details of the 
escort van's license plates, assisting in the police investigation.
  Ed was a humble and quiet man; he rarely spoke of the ordeal. He did 
not flaunt himself as a hero. In his final days, Ed was visited by 
several of the schoolchildren he helped save from the kidnapping. They 
will always remember him as their hero. A few years after retiring in 
1988, he bought the bus for $500 because he did not want it to become 
scrap metal at a junkyard. He donated it to a nearby museum in Le 
Grand, California. Ed's selfless nature made him a pillar of the 
Chowchilla community.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great respect that I recognize the memory of 
Frank Edward ``Ed'' Ray for his brave acts in 1976. May his brave deed 
and care for the children he drove to and from school every day never 
be forgotten.

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