November 20, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2295 

friend of CSU Fresno who has given outstanding service to the Alumni Association 

and/or the University. This year the award is 

presented to Dr. Arnold and Dianne Gazarian. 

The Gazarians’ generous donations to the university have included a gift to the Smittcamp 

Alumni House, the Friends of the Madden Library, the President’s Fund and the Craig 

School of Business to establish the Arnold and 

Dianne Gazarian Real Estate Center. The 

couple has also provided incentives to attract 

others’ gifts for the Haig and Isabel Berberian 

Endowed Chair in Armenian Studies. Beyond 

the campus, the Gazarians are benefactors of 

the Berberian Community Hospice Patient 

Services Center as well as the Homeless and 

Transitional Living Center in Modesto, California. 

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend 

and congratulate all of the Top Dog Award recipients for their individual contributions. I invite my colleagues to join me in wishing the 

honorees many years of continual success. 

f 

RECOGNIZING DR. JAMES NAVIN 

OF HONOLULU, HAWAII 

HON. NEIL ABERCROMBIE OF HAWAII

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. ABERCROMBIE. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to recognize Dr. James Navin, MD, 

FCAP. Dr. Navin, a resident of Honolulu, has 

made many valuable contributions to the field 

of medicine not only in Hawaii, but throughout 

the United States. 

Dr. Navin began his medical career with the 

United States Army and has also served in the 

United States Army Reserve as well as the 

Hawaii Army Reserve National Guard, serving 

both Tripler General Hospital and Fort 

DeRussey. Dr. Navin is a recipient of the 

Bronze Star, as well as the Army Commendation Medal. 

He is the current president of the Hawaii 

Society of Pathologists, and a member of a 

variety of pathology related specialties, including the Hawaii Medical Association, the Honolulu County Medical Society, the College of 

American Pathologists and the American Society of Cytopathologists. 

I came to know Dr. Navin as a passionate 

healthcare advocate in the 1990s. I worked 

closely with him and the national pathology organizations to increase the reimbursement for 

a common but vital medical test. With his 

commitment, tenacity, and capacity to bring 

people together we succeeded legislatively. 

More importantly, we ensured that life saving 

medical testing was conducted according to 

best practice. 

An accomplished author, Dr. Navin has 

been published in over 30 medical publications, including the Hawaii Medical Journal. He 

has been recognized by the American Pathology Foundation as the American Pathologist 

of the Year, 2000, and has been recognized 

several times as one of the Best Doctors in 

Hawaii. 

Dr. Navin will be stepping down as a member of the College of American Pathologists’ 

Political Action Committee, but we are confident he will continue to be a strong voice for 

pathology. I urge my colleagues to join me in 

recognizing this outstanding physician for his 

commitment to patient care. 

HONORING AND REMEMBERING 

THE LIFE OF JOSEPH R. BURNS 

HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL OF NEW YORK

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. RANGEL. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to honor and remember the life of an exemplary American citizen, a friend, a comrade in 

arms during our service together on the 

frontlines of the Korean war, and a true hero— 

Joseph R. Burns, who passed away on November 9, 2008. 

Joseph R. Burns was born on August 21, 

1930, in Charity Hospital, New Orleans, LA. 

Joe dedicated his life to protecting the freedom of this great country through his many 

years of public service. Joe served in the U.S. 

Army during the Korean war conflict and underwent extreme hardships as a prisoner of 

war for 33 months and 11 days. 

After his service in the U.S. Army, Joe continued to build his career in public service by 

obtaining a position as El Paso’s Deputy Sheriff and creating programs to help children. 

Joe’s faith in his religion and love for service 

manifested itself when he performed his duties 

and responsibilities of a deacon at the Unity 

Missionary Baptist Church, and when he 

served as a senior usher for the church. 

Although Joseph R. Burns has passed, his 

legacy in public service will not go unnoticed. 

His calm demeanor and quiet spirit will never 

be forgotten. He was a great influence to his 

family, his community, and our country. Joseph R. Burns is a national hero who will be 

greatly missed. 

He is succeeded by his beloved son 

Tyronne J. Burns, his family, and friends. 

f 

RECOGNIZING CHIEF VERNON A. 

LOSH II OF SONOMA COUNTY, 

CALIFORNIA 

HON. MIKE THOMPSON OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam 

Speaker, I rise today along with my colleague, 

Congresswoman LYNN WOOLSEY, to honor 

Chief Vernon A. Losh II, who is retiring this 

month as chief/department director of the 

Sonoma County Department of Emergency 

Services. He has held the position since June, 

1999, and also served concurrently for over 5 

years as fire chief of Rancho Adobe Fire Protection District. 

Chief Losh has had a long and distinguished career in fire and emergency services, starting in 1974 with the South Placer 

Fire Protection District where he eventually 

held every rank from volunteer firefighter to 

full-time battalion chief. He came to Sonoma 

County in 1995 as deputy chief/fire marshal 

for the Department of Emergency Services 

and became Chief a few years later with responsibility for all aspects of the Department’s 

work. He deftly managed 23 full time employees, over 350 volunteers, and a budget of 

$7.5 million. 

With extensive education in emergency 

management, including being one of the first 

12 people certified in the State of California as 

a fire chief, Chief Losh has shared his expertise for years as a community college fire 

service instructor and also as chair of the 

Santa Rosa Community College Fire Tech Advisory Committee. A long list of professional 

affiliations—from local to international—is a 

testament to both his spirit of community volunteerism and the high regard with which he 

is held by his peers. He has been president of 

the Sonoma County Fire Chiefs Association, 

Sonoma County Department Heads Association, and the Northern California Firefighters 

Association, to name a few. 

Shortly after the anthrax and 9–11 terrorist 

attacks on our country, we met with Vern Losh 

and other Sonoma County officials. We were 

particularly impressed by the level of emergency preparedness as well as by plans to 

continuously upgrade and improve equipment 

and procedures. These efforts, directed by a 

coordinated leadership effort, clearly paid off 

when much of the County was affected by severe flooding a few years ago. The response 

was swift and organized, mitigating what could 

have been a serious disaster. 

The Losh family is also a source of pride to 

Vern. His wife Teresa is an accountant at the 

Sonoma County Office of Education and marathon walker for several charitable causes; his 

son Allen is a Specialist in the Army serving 

as a combat medic ready to be deployed to 

Iraq on Thanksgiving Day; his daughter Whitney is a student at San Francisco State in the 

Public Health field. Whitney just finished her 

first marathon for the Leukemia Lymphoma 

Society. 

Perhaps since, as his biography states, he 

‘‘currently serves as the Grand Emperor of the 

Cosmic Order of Fire Gods, an honor he has 

held since birth,’’ Vern Losh won’t fully retire. 

He plans to continue as Chair of the SonomaMendocino Red Cross, Chair of the Volunteer 

Fire Fighter Committee of the California State 

Fire Fighters Association, and as the California representative to the National Volunteer 

Fire Council. He will also become a volunteer 

firefighter for the City of Healdsburg. And he 

will continue his teaching at the California 

Community College. 

Madam Speaker, Sonoma County will miss 

the skills of Chief Vernon Losh, but we thank 

him for helping to make our emergency services strong. We know he will appreciate having time for his family and his hobbies—photography, football and all sports, attending Giants and 49er games . . . and firefighting. 

f 

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF NOEMI 

ANDERSON 

HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to celebrate Noemi Anderson of 

Petaluma, California, for an unusual accomplishment. Noemi just turned 111 years old, 

making her the oldest person in Sonoma 

County, the 67th oldest person on earth, and 

even the oldest known member of the American Association of University Women 

(AAUW). 

Noemi doesn’t know the secret of her longevity. She has always exercised, eaten her 

vegetables, and quit smoking over 50 years 


smartinez on PROD1PC64 with REMARKS