WHEREAS, Fred Oldfield was born in 1918 in Washington State and raised on the Yakama Indian reservation, where he experienced many of the stories he tells with his paints; and
     WHEREAS, As one of the Granddaddies of Western Art, The Fred Oldfield Western Heritage Center has been built at the Puyallup fairgrounds in Puyallup, WA; and
     WHEREAS, The Center is dedicated to the preservation of his dream of sharing his love of life, his Western Art, and the history of the American West for all generations to come; and
     WHEREAS, His artwork is in collections around the world; and
     WHEREAS, Fred has won numerous awards for his work and at the age of eighty-five has just released a teaching video, Paint Like a Cowboy, where he shares his secrets of palette knife painting; and
     WHEREAS, Fred is very active in his community and has raised thousands of dollars for community projects with his paintings; and
     WHEREAS, His favorite recognition is the look in the eyes of children as he tells about his days on the range, time around the campfire, eating from the chuck wagon, and helping your neighbors with old time barn raisings; and
     WHEREAS, Fred Oldfield has lived his entire life in the Northwest and has given back to his community on a daily basis; and
     WHEREAS, The Governor has proclaimed March 18, 2003, as "Fred Oldfield Day";
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate joins in celebrating Fred Oldfield Day to honor this remarkable man; and
     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Secretary of the Senate to Fred Oldfield, the Puyallup Fairgrounds, the City of Puyallup, the Governor, and the Lieutenant Governor.