[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 8528] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]A TRIBUTE TO BEVERLY LOWRY FOR HER FOUR DECADES OF PUBLIC SERVICE TO CALIFORNIA'S MOJAVE DESERT COMMUNITIES ______ HON. JERRY LEWIS of california in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 18, 2010 Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Beverly Lowry, a dear friend and dedicated public servant who has helped guide the city of Barstow and other High Desert communities for nearly 40 years. A native of Emporia, Kansas, Mrs. Lowry has lived in California since 1947, and moved with her husband Al in 1966 to the Mojave Desert outpost of Barstow. Although she is a veteran traveler, she has called the desert her home ever since, raising two sons and watching two grandsons grow up there. Friends of Bev Lowry know she is not one to sit on the sidelines, and just a few years after arriving in the desert she was elected to the Barstow Heights Community Services District board, which provided city- like services in an unincorporated area. During her 26-year service on that board, she oversaw the paving of nearly 33 miles of residential streets and the creation of a new off-ramp from Interstate 15 to serve the community. Bev Lowry's involvement in public policy grew beyond local elected boards when she joined the staff of California State Sen. Walter Stiern in 1974. For the next 20 years, she served the constituents of legislators and county supervisors as a staff member, becoming a recognized expert at solving problems and resolving disagreements with county, State, and even Federal officials. Needless to say, since these were also my constituents as a member of Congress, I came to know Bev well and respect her greatly. As both a staffer and a local representative, Bev Lowry was one of the leaders in securing State funding to build Silver Valley High School and the Newberry Springs Senior Center, as well as for the improvement of State Highway 58, an important cross-desert link. Perhaps her most significant contributions to her community came through Bev Lowry's service as a board member of the Mojave Water Agency and her tremendous accomplishment as chairwoman of the committee to bring a State Veteran's Home to Barstow. The Mojave Water Agency was created to deal with the serious problem of over-drafting of the underground basins that provide nearly all of the water for tens of thousands of desert residents. The agency was tasked with providing State Water Project water to residents of both the Mojave Desert and the eastern desert area known as the Morongo Basin. It was my honor to work with Bev and the other members of the MWA board to provide funding for pipelines to deliver this water, which now serves more than 100,000 people. The district has also begun an ambitious water reclamation plan, and Bev was here in the House Chamber to observe Federal approval for that plan. Thanks to Bev Lowry's leadership, State officials in the 1990s chose Barstow over 28 competing locations to build the first State Veteran's Home in more than 100 years. The home provides a sanctuary for 400 retired and ambulatory veterans from throughout the High Desert area. Bev Lowry has been deservedly recognized for her contributions, chosen as Woman of the Year by the Barstow Chamber of Commerce--and then selected by the chamber as Woman of the Decade in 1987. Madam Speaker, every community in America wishes it had leaders like Beverly Lowry, who can pull people together and get major things accomplished. This weekend, Bev will be paid a wonderful tribute by the Barstow Community College Foundation, which is creating a scholarship in her name. I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mrs. Lowry on her achievements, and thank her for her decades of public service. ____________________