The publication is reproduced in full below:
RECOGNITION OF DON GEDDIS
______
HON. JACKIE SPEIER
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, September 30, 2022
Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Don Geddis upon the occasion of his being named Citizen of the Year for 2022 by the Associated Parents' Group of Hillsborough. His service to our community is so enormous that I think of Don as being one of the towering eucalyptus trees that populate the town . . . . . without, of course, all the shedding bark.
When Don's children entered Hillsborough schools in 2006, he immediately took a leadership role by joining the School Site Council, placing him on the West Parent Group executive board. For many years he was a highly qualified judge of the West iLab Tech Challenge, bringing his PhD in artificial intelligence and computer science from Stanford to bear on the work product of student tinkerers. He also served for two years as the West Parent Group's trustee representative, giving him extensive exposure to the operations of the school board.
Don took the plunge and ran for school board in 2013. He has served every year since, four times as board president. He combines this volunteer job with service on the recreation commission, a joint powers authority between the school district and the town of Hillsborough. He also serves as trustee liaison to the Associated Parents' Group.
The pandemic hit every school district hard, and every district scrambled to create remote work. The biggest challenge, however, was the creation of a back-to-school safety plan. Don and the District Core Return to School team created testing and other protocols that permitted Hillsborough schools to be one of the first in the state to return to full-time, in-person instruction. As a major leader in the town, Don explained the plan to countless parents and advocated for it at the board. He located testing solutions and helped plan the district's testing policy. The students and parents of Hillsborough will be forever grateful to Don for his dedication to education and to public health.
Measure H was a $140 million school facilities bond measure that recently passed due in no small part to Don's leadership. It paves the way for modern schools in Hillsborough for decades to come. As a school board member, he's also served on the board's negotiation team, mentored new trustees, and been active in the San Mateo County School Boards Association.
Don is not all about work or even civic endeavors. If you visit his website, you'll immediately see a list of 18 major life accomplishments, starting with his bachelor's in computer science at Stanford and ending with his current status as a board member and recreation commissioner.
However, arrayed below that list is another list of ``Completed Bets.'' For example, in 2015 he apparently bet on whether then-Judge Kavanaugh would be appointed to the Supreme Court. He lost a buck. In the 2017 match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Conor McGregor, he bet
$10 and won. He's obviously a better boxing fan than reader of Senate tea leaves. Between 2002 and 2020 he bet 34 times on various events paying out donuts (2019) or that dollar, and winning lobster or truffles. Altogether, he's won 21 times, had one draw and there's one bet still outstanding (fusion power, 100MW+ in 20 years from 2018). His site also lists his four other current websites and five previous websites, including one that he says was a joke.
As this list demonstrates, Don is a brainiac, but I can honestly state that he's one of the most personable, and earnest, people that I've ever met. In case you doubt his driven nature, he participates in both Aiki and Brazilian Jiujitsu and has third-degree black belts in both forms of martial arts. As the holder of a brown belt in judo, the conclusion that I draw from his website is that you probably come out better betting cash with Don, and losing, than fighting him and losing.
Despite Don being something of a rocket scientist by nature, he is about as down to earth as they come. For this and many more reasons he will always be an honored resident of our community, and it is my honor to note his contributions to America in today's record of the proceedings of the House of Representatives. Congratulations to Don, his wife Laura and their family on his remarkable achievements. His neighbors and countless friends are betting he'll be a leader for many more years to come. We're not going to lose that bet.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 159(1), Congressional Record Vol. 168, No. 159(2)
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