2016
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE MEMORIAL 16-001
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) Roberts,  Aguilar, Baumgardner, Carroll, Cooke, Crowder,
       Donovan, Garcia, Grantham, Guzman, Heath, Hill, Hodge, Holbert, Jahn,
       Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert, Lundberg, Marble, Martinez Humenik,
       Merrifield, Neville T., Newell, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Tate,
       Todd, Ulibarri, Woods, Cadman.
       
       
          MEMORIALIZING FORMER STATE SENATOR JAMES "JIM"
       ISGAR. 
       
       
          WHEREAS, Our respected former colleague James "Jim" Isgar, a past
       member of the Colorado General Assembly, departed this life on March
       4, 2016, at the age of 64; and
       
          WHEREAS, Senator Isgar was born May 5, 1951, in Durango,
       Colorado, to Anne Louise and Arthur Richard Isgar; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1969, Senator Isgar graduated high school and set off
       for the University of Colorado to study engineering, but soon returned to
       help with his family farm and completed a Bachelor's Degree in
       Accounting from Fort Lewis College; and
       
          WHEREAS, Senator Isgar went on to become a Certified Public
       Accountant and studied taxation at Colorado State University before
       working for a Longmont accounting firm; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1976, Senator Isgar was accepted to law school at the
       University of Denver, but did not attend because he said his parents
       "would sell the farm if I didn't come back and take it over"; and
       
          WHEREAS, Senator Isgar had an extensive background in water
       issues before serving as a State Senator and served on a number of water
       boards, including the La Plata and Animas-La Plata conservancy districts,
       the Southwestern Water Conservation District, and HH Ditch Co., where
       he served 25 years as president; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 1988, Governor Roy Romer appointed Senator Isgar
       to the Colorado Board of Agriculture, and Senator Isgar was later
       appointed to the governing boards for his alma mater Fort Lewis College,
       Colorado State University, and the University of Southern Colorado; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 2001, Senator Isgar was appointed to the State Senate
       to fill a vacancy left by former State Senator Jim Dyer, and he was
       re-elected to two more terms in the State Senate; and
       
          WHEREAS, During his time as Senator, Senator Isgar served on the
       Senate Transportation, Finance, and Agriculture, Natural Resources, and
       Energy Committees, and he served on the joint Water Resources Review
       Committee, Transportation Legislation Review Committee, and the
       Legislative Audit Committee; and
       
          WHEREAS, Senator Isgar also served on the Senate Select Committee
       on Homeland Security in 2005 and the Senate Select Committee on
       Renewable Energy in 2007; and
       
          WHEREAS, In 2009, Senator Isgar was appointed as the United
       States Department of Agriculture's director of Rural Development for
       Colorado by President Barack Obama, and he served as director for the
       next four years; and
       
          WHEREAS, In the last few years, Senator Isgar returned to his first
       love of gardening, and it was not an unusual occurrence to see him at the
       local farmer's market selling vegetables and spending time with various
       people; and
       
          WHEREAS, Senator Isgar was known for his attention to detail and
       for his influence over state water law and policy, and he was a strong
       champion of education; and
       
          WHEREAS, Senator Isgar has been described as a "true Coloradan"
       and someone who was "innately good", and his granddaughter Abby has
       said of him that "it was as if he had a magnet in his chest that brought
       people closer to him"; and
       
          WHEREAS, It is fitting that we, the members of the Senate of the
       Seventieth General Assembly, pay tribute to the dedicated service of
       Senator James "Jim" Isgar and express our deep regret and sorrow
       occasioned by his death; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the
       State of Colorado:
       
          That, in the death of James "Jim" Isgar, the people of the State of
       Colorado have lost a devoted public servant and an outstanding citizen,
       and that we, the members of the Senate of the Seventieth General
       Assembly, pay tribute to James Isgar for his years of dedicated public
       service and do hereby extend our deep and heartfelt sympathy to the
       members of his family.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Memorial be sent to
       Senator Isgar's wife Brenda Isgar; his children Matt Isgar, Andy Isgar,
       Sarah Newton, Kate O'Brien, and Caleb Loos; and his mother Anne Isgar.
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Bill L. Cadman                           Effie Ameen
       PRESIDENT OF                            SECRETARY OF
       THE SENATE                                THE SENATE