Recognizing Woods-Valentine Mortuary's 75th Anniversary CONGRESSMAN ADAM B. SCHIFF OF CALIFORNIA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Monday, December 08, 2003 Mr. SCHIFF. I rise today to honor Woods-Valentine Mortuary in Pasadena, California. Woods-Valentine Mortuary, one of the oldest African-American, family-owned and operated businesses in the twenty-ninth Congressional District, is celebrating its 75th anniversary on December 14, 2003. The James Woods Funeral Parlor, located at 87 S. Vernon Avenue in Pasadena, was founded in 1928 by James and Annie Mae Woods. In 1950, after the death of Mr. Woods, his nephew Fred W. Valentine continued to run the business for Mrs. Woods. In 1954, Fred and his wife, Arzella, purchased the business and it became the Woods-Valentine Mortuary. The Valentines relocated the business to its current location at 1455 N. Fair Oaks Avenue in 1963 and built a new structure, which received a Pasadena Beautiful Foundation award for architectural design and color coordination. Woods-Valentine Mortuary has a well-deserved reputation as a professional, compassionate and dignified business. The mortuary staff members serve the community not only by offering counseling and funeral services, but also by their immense community and civic involvement. Fred and Arzella Valentine have served on the boards of many professional and civic organizations, such as the Los Angeles County Funeral Directors Association, the National Funeral Directors Association, the California Board of Funeral Directors, the Pasadena Altadena Links, and the Soroptomist Club. The Valentines are also members of many civic organizations including the San Gabriel Valley Black Business Association, the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce, the Pasadena Urban League, and are lifetime members and past board members of the Pasadena NAACP. In addition, the Valentines have sponsored Northwest Pasadena Little League teams for forty years, volunteered for many years in Pasadena's public schools and libraries, and contribute annually to many scholarship funds. They are also active in their church, Friendship Baptist Church. Woods-Valentine Mortuary is truly a family-owned business. Fred and Arzella's daughters, Janyce Valentine and Gail Valentine Taylor, are part owners. Arzella's sister, Vannie Brown, Fred's brothers, Clifton Valentine (who died in 1999) and James Adkins, along with Laven Lanier, James Barker, Ernest Gomez, Lenston Marrow, James Ross, Leo Vaughn, Julius Henderson and Juan Wooden, are other members of the ``Woods-Valentine Mortuary family'' who have greatly contributed to the success of the business. I ask all Members to join me today in honoring Woods-Valentine Mortuary for its 75 years of dedicated service to the community.