[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 30 (Tuesday, March 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E427]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN MEMORY OF JANIE TIJERINA OF HOUSTON, TX

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. KEN BENTSEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 11, 1997

  Mr. BENTSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a valuable 
member of the Houston community, Mrs. Janie Gonzales Tijerina, who 
passed away on Sunday, March 2, 1997. Mrs. Tijerina was among Houston's 
most prominent community leaders, but perhaps will be most remembered 
as the owner of Felix Mexican Restaurants which she founded with her 
husband, the late Felix Tijerina, Sr., in the 1930's. Following her 
husband's death in 1965, Mrs. Tijerina continued to run the restaurants 
with her family until her death last week. As much as the community of 
Houston loved and respected Mrs. Tijerina, her family has suffered an 
even greater loss.
  Mrs. Tijerina touched the lives of many generations in Houston. While 
I was a regular customer at her restaurant since almost birth--in fact 
both of my daughters can claim to have eaten at Felix's under her 
watchful eyes within one week of their respective births--I came to 
know Mrs. Tijerina while serving as chairman of the Harris County 
Democratic Party, when we leased space in the flagship restaurant on 
Westheimer for use as a polling place. I will always remember her 
enthusiastic greeting and her meticulous dedication to satisfying her 
customers. She truly ran what is now a Houston institution. She was 
one-of-a-kind and will be greatly missed by generations, including four 
in my family, who were fortunate enough to have met her and spent time 
with her.
  Janie Tijerina treated everyone in Houston as a family member, and 
now that family mourns her passing. I ask unanimous consent to insert 
in the Record at this point an article and obituary which appeared in 
the Houston Chronicle on March 4, 1997.

               Restaurateur Janie Tijerina Dies at Age 88

       Services will be held Wednesday for Janie Gonzales 
     Tijerina, who helped her husband, Felix Sr., launch Felix 
     Mexican Restaurants 60 years ago.
       She died Sunday at age 88 after a long illness.
       Tijerina had served on the Municipal Arts Commission and 
     numerous other boards.
       ``Her death helps mark the passing of the founding 
     generation of the truly prominent Hispanic Houstonians who 
     began to attract citywide attention,'' said historian Thomas 
     H. Kreneck.
       Tijerina's husband, likewise deeply involved in civic 
     projects, was national president of the League of United 
     Latin American Citizens before his death in 1965.
       In the 1930s, the Tijerinas were a struggling couple in 
     Houston. He had tried to launch a restaurant, and they were 
     living in a spare, one-room house.
       One day, her boss at a variety store gave her $50 to bet on 
     a horse at Epsom Downs, the area's former horse track. He was 
     such a skinflint, she knew he wouldn't risk that much money 
     unless he was sure the horse would win.
       She had promised her husband to stop gambling but couldn't 
     resist betting on the same horse. She hocked her jewelry and 
     furs and their car, plus got a few dollars from other shop 
     girls, and bet $450.
       The horse won, but Felix, then a beer truck driver, was 
     shocked and said: ``Janie, what have you done?''
       She confessed about reneging on her promise, gave him the 
     winnings (about $1,100 after their property was redeemed), 
     told him to open a restaurant and pledged, ``You're going to 
     be the only boss.''
       Tijerina is survived by a son, Felix Jr., and a daughter, 
     Janie.
                                  ____



                        janie gonzales tijerina

       Janie Gonzales Tijerina (Mrs. Felix Tijerina, Sr.), 88, 
     owner of Felix Mexican Restaurants, died Sunday, March 2, 
     1997 in Houston. Mrs. Tijerina was born December 20, 1908, in 
     Sandyfork, Texas. She was a member of St. Anne Catholic 
     Church, was past president of the Downtown Women of Rotary 
     and was the first woman granted a membership in the Rotary 
     Club of Houston, (Downtown). She was past president of the 
     Pilot Club of Houston, a member of the Salvation Army, the 
     Chamber of Commerce of Houston, South Houston and Pasadena, 
     was a former board member of the National Hotel Association 
     of Mexico City, member of the City Art Commission, past 
     member of the Board of Directors of The University of 
     Houston, Sheltering arms, and the Houston Women's Club.
       She was preceded in death by her husband, Felix Tijerina, 
     Sr. and is survived by her daughter Janie Tijerina; son Felix 
     Tijerina, Jr. and wife Sandra Kay; grandchildren Cary Jordan 
     Tijerina and Katherine Ann Tijerina.
       Friends may call at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering 
     Drive, after 12:00 noon Tuesday, where a Rosary in English 
     will be recited at 6:30 p.m., and in Spanish at 7:30 p.m. The 
     funeral mass will be celebrated at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 
     5, 1997, at St. Anne Catholic Church, 2140 Westheimer, with 
     Rev. David Zapalac celebrant. Rite of Committal will follow 
     in the Garden of Gethsemane, Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery. 
     Active Pallbearers will be Eugene Galindo, Alejandro Parra, 
     Sia Ravari, Cary Tijerina, Janie B. Tijerina and James E. 
     Wiggins. Honorary Pallbearers will be Frank Barrera, Joe 
     Gonzalez, Hewitt Jenkins, Thomas Kreneck, Paul Pressler, Sr. 
     and Joseph Soper. For those desiring, memorial contributions 
     may be given to The University of Houston System, 1600 Smith, 
     Suite 3400, Houston, Texas, 77002 Attn: General Endowment 
     Fund for Scholarships, or to a charity of your choice.

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