James Rogan: “I thank my colleague for her very gracious and kind comments. One comment she made is particularly true--when she…”

“I thank my colleague for her very gracious and kind comments. One comment she made is particularly true--when she referred to Ralph Laird as a gentleman. That he is. When I recently saw a very popular movie entitled ``Mr. Holland's Opus,'' immediately I thought of Ralph Laird. For those who have seen the movie, they will remember it as the story of somebody who gave their life to educating the children of a particular community and how, over the course of his professional career, the fruits of his efforts grew from one generation to the next. His legacy are the innumerable productive men and women who benefited from his counsel and example during his illustrious career. That is Ralph Laird's legacy, not only to the people of Pleasanton, not only to the people of California, but truly to the people of this country. On behalf of the Congress of the United States, I thank him for his service to our country, and I salute him.”