HONORING JAMES E. PFEIFFER

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HONORING JAMES E. PFEIFFER

______

HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

of california

in the house of representatives

Tuesday, February 7, 2006 Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor James E. Pfeiffer of Sausalito, California, who died January 14, 2006, while hiking on the Marin County trails that he loved. Jim will be remembered for his contributions to his community and the youth of California as well as for the leadership he provided to the Foundation of the State Bar of California.

Born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1945, Jim earned a B.A. from Wesleyan College in Iowa and an M.A. from George Washington University in Washington, DC. He worked for the YMCA in New York and Connecticut before relocating to California in 1976 as Program Director of the Sonoma County YMCA.

Jim also served stints at the YMCA in Los Gatos, the Diocese of San Jose, the Japanese American Community Center, and the Charles Armstrong School, before becoming the first Director of the Foundation of the State Bar of California upon its establishment in 1990. He later became its first employee as well as continuing to manage a volunteer board of directors.

Founded to fund law-related education and public service and to provide scholarships to law students, the organization under Jim's leadership raised corporate sponsorships of several hundred thousand dollars per year. Due to his guidance, it now supports the development and promotion of peer courts for first-time youthful offenders who commit a misdemeanor; awards 40 grants annually to causes such as ``Kids in the Law'' and ``When You're Over 18'' publications; and offers scholarships and internships to applicants from all over the State.

Jim also spearheaded the creation of the Legal Heritage Institute which sends a high school student to Sacramento for a week to experience the courts and legal issues in the Capitol and for several years served as executive director of the California Supreme Court Historical Society where he focused on the recovery and promotion of the State's judicial history. He retired from the foundation in 2003 due to advancing Parkinson's disease.

Jim's community service includes volunteering as lay eucharistic minister for the San Quentin Prison Ministry, developing and guiding historical walking tours of San Rafael for the Marin Historical Society, and working with youth as recreation director for St. Andrew Church in Marin City's Vacation Bible School. He also walked precincts for political candidates Faye d'Opal, Sharon Jackson, and John Kerry. And Jim was a great supporter of mine.

Mr. Speaker, James Pfeiffer will be sorely missed by his many friends and colleagues and especially by his devoted wife, Bonnie Hough. His courage, spirit, and warmth were an inspiration to all of us who knew him and are a continual reminder not only of what we have lost, but also of what we can achieve.