[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 10]
[House]
[Page 14365]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE MEMORY OF JAMES BARLOW

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a 
dedicated teacher, mentor, and public servant, Mr. James Barlow.
  Many of us in public service can name a person who inspired us or 
clearly remember an experience that ignited our interest in the 
important issues that are shaped through politics and government. For 
thousands of Oregonians, that spark was Mr. Barlow.
  Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1929, Mr. Barlow earned his bachelor's 
and master's degrees from Oregon State University. He taught social 
studies in the Beaverton School District in Oregon's First 
Congressional District from 1962 until 2005. He always made his 
classrooms laboratories of curiosity.
  Some of his best lessons didn't take place in a classroom at all. 
They took place on the floor of the Model Presidential Nominating 
Conventions started by Mr. Barlow in the mid-1960s. Every 4 years for 
four decades, thousands of high school students from all over the State 
would gather, usually in Portland, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. They would 
step into the role of State delegations, vote on platform issues, cast 
ballots for the nomination, and broker and negotiate with other 
delegations.
  They got ready for this by studying their assigned State's 
demography, history, politics, and economy. Mr. Barlow and his 
colleagues prepared the students for months, leading class discussions 
on candidates in the primaries, the American political landscape, and 
the intricacies of delegate math. Student participants had to be sharp 
and organized. I know this firsthand because my son participated in the 
2004 Model Convention and took preparatory evening classes with Mr. 
Barlow at Portland State University.
  These Model Conventions were no simple class simulations. Major 
Presidential candidates came by and spoke to the crowd of student 
delegates. Robert Kennedy, Nelson Rockefeller, George McGovern, Hubert 
Humphrey, Jesse Jackson, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, 
Michael Dukakis, and Bill Clinton all stopped by at a Model Convention 
as they campaigned ahead of Oregon's Presidential primaries.

                              {time}  1030

  The model conventions exemplified Mr. Barlow's leadership, 
enthusiasm, and imagination, but former students know that he also 
connected with and motivated his students in smaller, quieter ways as 
well. His psychology, philosophy, and current affairs courses were 
legendary at Aloha High School, where he spent most of his career. He 
inspired students to think beyond tests and essays, he challenged them 
to think critically, and he encouraged them to consider new 
perspectives on information they consumed.
  As a teacher, he saw the potential in every student. With his dry 
wit, his deep knowledge, and genuine enthusiasm for his subject matter, 
Mr. Barlow created a learning atmosphere where everyone felt, and 
everyone was, welcome and valuable.
  There was something that helped with the welcoming--doughnuts. Long 
before doughnuts became a craze in Portland, Mr. Barlow was bringing 
them to his classes and to his colleagues in the social studies office. 
He would announce: Coffee and doughnuts will be served in the starlight 
room. Now, there was no starlight room, but the phrase evoked a 
gracious and relaxed lounge space. The school year in the Portland 
metro area is typically rainy, and fall and winter school days often 
start before dawn, but his words and his treats were always a welcome 
pick-me-up.
  The day after Mr. Barlow's death, scores of his former students and 
colleagues observed ``coffee and doughnut day,'' going out for a sugary 
bite and a cup of coffee and posting pictures on social media. It was 
touching to all who knew him.
  The life and work of Mr. James Barlow matter also to those who never 
knew him. That is because he taught thousands of Oregonians to be 
active, engaged, and sharp-thinking participants in our democracy. 
Whether they went on to work in public service or not, and no matter 
what their party affiliation, the students of Mr. Barlow became better 
citizens because of his contributions.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope we can all be inspired by Jim Barlow's example as 
we serve in this remarkable House of Representatives. I offer my 
sincere condolences to his family, especially to his wife of 47 years, 
Susan, his former colleagues, and to the generations of students who 
mourn his loss.

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