[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 139 (Wednesday, October 8, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     HONORING CLARA PADILLA ANDREWS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIZABETH FURSE

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 1997

  Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Hispanic Heritage 
Month to recognize an outstanding individual, a constituent and friend 
of mine in the First Congressional District of Oregon, Ms. Clara 
Padilla Andrews. Ms. Andrews has dedicated her life to serving others.
  Ms. Andrews is the owner and publisher of the El Hispanic News, a 
bilingual English/Spanish weekly community newspaper in Oregon. 
Previously, Ms. Andrews has served as a Community and Family Services 
Integration of Services Supervisor and the Hispanic Services 
Coordinator for Multnomah County in Portland. Through her tenure with 
the county, she demonstrated her strong will, dedication, and 
commitment to sharing her talents and knowledge to promote networking 
partnerships. Her ability as a community organizer and strong 
encouragement of project collaboration were essential ingredients in 
the work she did and continues to do in creating a better society for 
all.
  Ms. Andrews is known for her ``behind-the-scenes'' advocacy on behalf 
of disenfranchised Hispanic families in Multnomah County. She was 
instrumental in obtaining monetary support to staff positions at three 
high schools to reduce the Hispanic student drop-out rate.
  She was also essential in the renovation of the Galaxy Apartment 
complex. This cluster of apartments in their original condition were a 
Northeast Portland neighborhood eyesore in deplorable condition with a 
prevalence of drugs and prostitution, crime and poverty.
  Today the Galaxy Apartments are the Villa de Clara Vista Apartments 
named in honor of Ms. Andrews. Through her relentless efforts, she 
founded the Hacienda Community Development Corp. and recruited board 
members to spearhead the renovation effort to make affordable family 
housing available. The project today also includes a one-stop center 
for coordinated social services for area occupants. This project now 
serves as a national model.
  Ms. Andrews has worked at all levels of government. Her civic 
involvement is admirable, as she served as the Secretary of State for 
New Mexico from 1983 to 1986 and was the highest ranking Latina elected 
official at that time. When Ms. Andrews lost her granddaughter, Susana 
Gurule, to cancer, she founded the Susana Maria Gurule Foundation which 
focuses its efforts on increasing the number of minority volunteers for 
the national marrow donor program registry. As a result of her work, 
she has also been named to the national marrow donor program board.
  Ms. Andrews is a 1986 recipient of a Congressional Hispanic Caucus 
Distinguished Service Award, the 1994 Doernbecker Hospital Hero's 
Award, Executive Women in State Government Distinguished Award and 
several others. She has also been named one of the 100 Most Influential 
Hispanics four times.
  Ms. Andrews is an exemplary citizen. Her lifetime of achievements and 
contributions to making society a better place for all serves as a 
model for all of us to learn from and follow. In recognition of 
National Hispanic Heritage month, it is my honor to recognize my 
friend, Ms. Clara Padilla Andrews.

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