Amended in Senate March 7, 2016

Senate Concurrent ResolutionNo. 102


Introduced by Senator Nguyen

(Coauthors: Senators Hall and Lara)

(Coauthor: Assembly Member O'Donnell)

January 27, 2016


Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 102—Relative to the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SCR 102, as amended, Nguyen. Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge.

This measure would designate a specified bridge on State Highway Route 1 in the City of Long Beach as the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge. The measure would request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost for appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs.

Fiscal committee: yes.

P1    1WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom was the first woman to win
2an Olympic medal for the United States in rowing, winning a silver
3medal in the single sculls at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal
4and in the quadruple sculls at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los
5Angeles, and was a member of the team that boycotted the 1980
6begin delete Moscowend delete Olympicbegin delete Games;end deletebegin insert Games in Moscow;end insert and

7WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom won 14 national titles during
8her career, holds 11 world records on the indoor ergometer, and
P2    1medaled internationally as a coach in the Pan American Games;
2and

3WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom motivated students to live
4healthy and active lives; and

5WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom had a 35-year career, retiring
6in 2012, with the Long Beach Unified School District as a physical
7education teacher and curriculum leader, and was instrumental in
8securing a million-dollar grant for rowing machines in each of the
9school district’s nine high schools; and

10WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom taught educators how to teach
11students to enjoy an active lifestyle and her Facebook page has
12countless entries from fellow competitors, educators, and friends
13sharing their appreciation for her gentle guidance over the years;
14and

15WHEREAS, On August 21, 2013, at the Pete Archer Rowing
16Center, Joan Lind Van Blom collapsed after an indoor rowing
17session and was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the most
18aggressive form of brain cancer; and

19WHEREAS, While fighting the disease, she continued to be a
20role model of grace and style by sharing memories with friends
21and expressing gratitude to those she teamed with, taught, and
22came in contact with; and

23WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom died the morning of Friday,
24August 28, 2015; and

25WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom was inductedbegin delete inend deletebegin insert intoend insert the
26Wilson High School, Long Beach State 49er, Century Club, and
27National Rowing halls of fame and was declared a lifetime member
28of the Long Beach Rowing Association, marking her never-ending
29achievement in advocacy for the sport and healthy living; and

30WHEREAS, For all her accomplishments, dedication to rowing,
31and contributions to the sport’s growth, in December 2014, at the
32USRowing Annual Awards Reception in Jacksonville, Florida,
33Joan Lind Van Blom was named the recipient of the 2014
34USRowing Ernestine Bayer Award, formerly Woman of the Year,
35which recognizes outstanding contributions to women’s rowing
36or to an outstanding woman in rowing; and

37WHEREAS, On March 7, 2015, the Beach Crew Alumni
38Association dedicated a women’s Resolute 8+ racing shell as the
39Joan Lind Van Blom; and

P3    1WHEREAS, Joan Lind Van Blom is survived by her husband
2of 30 years, Long Beach State 49er hall of fame member John Van
3Blom; their son, John Jr.; and herbegin delete sistersend deletebegin insert sisters,end insert Loretta Madsen
4and Carol Hansen; now, therefore, be it

5Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, the Assembly
6thereof concurring,
That the Legislature hereby designates the
7begin delete bridgeend deletebegin insert Los Alamitos Bay Bridge (bridge number 53-0064), and
8any successor bridge,end insert
on State Highway Route 1 south of Loynes
9Drive and north of East 2nd Street, in the City of Longbegin delete Beachend delete
10begin insert Beach,end insert as the Joan Lind Van Blom Memorial Bridge; and be it
11further

12Resolved, That the Department of Transportation is requested
13to determine the cost of erecting appropriate signs, consistent with
14the signing requirements for the state highway system, showing
15this special designation and, upon receiving donations from
16nonstate sources covering that cost, to erect those signs; and be it
17further

18Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of
19this resolution to the Director of Transportation and to the author
20for appropriate distribution.



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