[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 160 (Thursday, November 13, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2379]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE TO DR. JOHN DAVID ARNOLD AND PORTABLE PRACTICAL EDUCATIONAL 
                           PREPARATION, INC.

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 13, 1997

  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
organization, Portable Practical Educational Preparation, Inc., [PPEP] 
and its founder, Dr. John David Arnold, and to congratulate them for 30 
years of outstanding contributions to the residents of rural Arizona.
  On the 30th anniversary of PPEP, the Arizona community recognizes 
that Dr. John David Arnold is the driving spirit of PPEP. It is his 
vision and energy that transformed ``La Tortuga'', a large old bus 
converted into a mobile classroom, into a major force for ``Improving 
the Quality of Rural Life'' in Arizona and in the world. In these 30 
years, Dr. Arnold has had the vision and dedication to guide and to 
expand PPEP from the La Tortuga bus to the information superhighway. 
Their address on the Internet is ppepruralinst.org.
  The work began by Dr. Arnold so many years ago and carefully 
shepherded by him through the social, economic, and technological 
changes that these 30 years have brought to Arizona's rural residents, 
is remarkable proof of his ability and dedication to utilize diverse 
resources and to surround himself with an exceptionally wise, creative, 
and committed staff. Together, he and his staff have created 
opportunities for many who had been excluded from the American dream. 
Through opportunities for education, economic and business development, 
child and health care, housing, and job training, Dr. Arnold gave hope 
to the hopeless; for them, he made possible a rewarding future.
  The emphasis on education and on self-help have enabled the PPEP 
program to be flexible and responsive to a wide range of needs in the 
rural communities. PPEP has been a pioneer in the charter school 
movement and has created 14 charter high schools that provide learning 
opportunities to rural, at-risk, and farm worker populations. PPEP has 
also been instrumental in promoting first-time home buyer programs, 
affordable housing programs, and transitional housing programs designed 
to meet the needs of welfare reform mothers.
  I also comment the many community volunteers who have served on 
PPEP's board of directors and in its programs over these 30 years. 
They, too, have served a greater vision and have provided a collective 
consciousness for PPEP's continuing to be a relevant, positive force in 
rural lives.
  I applaud PPEP for its contribution and efforts in the community over 
the past 30 years. PPEP's 30 years of history are about people and the 
resilience of the human spirit. May its future continue to be the same.

                          ____________________