[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 22484] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING JOSHUA MATTHEW LEVINE ______ HON. TIMOTHY H. BISHOP of new york in the house of representatives Thursday, December 16, 2010 Mr. BISHOP of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise to mark the untimely passing of an outstanding young man, Joshua Matthew Levine, one of my constituents who lived in North Haven, NY. Josh, who was only 35 years old, was a much beloved and well-known advocate for organic farming and healthy living. He left a successful job in New York City to move to the Hamptons where he became involved in the burgeoning organic farming movement that has recently attracted so many talented young people across our nation. He began as a volunteer at Quail Hill Farm in Amagansett, a stewardship project of the Peconic Land Trust, a non- profit land preservation organization. Quail Hill is one of the original CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farms in the United States and serves 200 families as well as supplies food to local restaurants, schools and food pantries. After working a year as a volunteer at the 30-acre farm, he became an apprentice and then was hired as the farm's marketing manager. He also operated the organization's weekly Saturday Farmer's Market. Along with his wife Susan Ann Jones Levine, he threw himself wholeheartedly into the business of promoting healthy food and healthy living and he would go out of his way to explain the benefits of sustainable agriculture and organic farming to others. He was devoted to his wife and their two children, three-year-old Willa and six-month- old Ezra. At a time when many think of the Hamptons as the land of glitz and glamour, it is refreshing to encounter a young person of such substance with an unwavering dedication to values that make our world a better place--cooperation, hard work and respect for the earth we live on. Josh Levine truly lived his beliefs. He was devoted to the idea of sustaining the land for future generations. On days when the Farmer's Market was open, he would arise at 5 a.m. and go to the farm to get the food and deliver it to the market in time for the opening at 9 a.m. More than 600 people attended his funeral and told stories about how hard he worked and how much he did to help others understand the benefits of healthy living. One woman recalled how she inadvertently left a large bunch of kale that she had purchased at the farm stand one Saturday. Josh knew that she needed the kale to help in her fight against cancer, and he spent three hours tracking her down after the farm stand had closed and successfully delivered the kale to her freshly packed on ice so that it would not wilt in the sweltering August heat. He believed in what he was doing, and his passion and enthusiasm attracted others. He enjoyed cooking and was an avid follower of the slow food movement. As a tribute to his good works, the mayor ordered the flag to be flown at half mast on the day of his funeral, a tribute usually reserved for military personnel. It is with great sadness that I mark the passing of such a vibrant young man, so involved in his community and devoted to his beliefs. ____________________