[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 111 (Friday, August 7, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1585-E1586]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


               WELL DESERVED TRIBUTES FOR GUILLERMO MUNIZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. GEORGE MILLER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 6, 1998

  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I know that all Members of the 
House of Representatives want to join me and the Contra Costa community 
in saluting one of the most dedicated and generous men I have ever 
known, Guillermo ``Bill'' Muniz, who will be honored at two public 
ceremonies this weekend for his outstanding contributions to youth and 
the future of our region.
  Bill is a legend. His New Mecca restaurant is a legend. His 
generosity to children, to athletic teams, to his community of 
Pittsburgh, to education--the list is virtually endless--is the stuff 
of legend. For three decades, Bill Muniz has operated more than a 
restaurant. The New Mecca serves as his control center for a never-
ending, community-wide program of supporting schools and volunteers, 
sports teams and a remarkable cross-section of northern California.
  Bill's generosity is as fabled as his enchiladas and burritos, and 
just as gratifying. No one asked Bill to donate thousands of meals for 
church fundraisers or to feed workers clearing the Bay Bridge after the 
Loma Prieta earthquake; no one asked him to help feed the volunteers at 
the Polly Klauss Foundation. Bill pitched in because he loves his 
community. it is with that same spirit that he has catered the local 
professional sports teams that now consider New Mecca dinners a major 
advantage of being located in the Bay Area.
  For years, a lunch at the New Mecca with friends has been my 
tradition on Election Day, and on those occasions as on any other day 
that you enter this deceptive storefront in

[[Page E1586]]

downtown Pittsburg, the restaurant is a hive of activity, with counter 
and booths packed and overflowing, waitresses racing through the crowd, 
and presiding over it all with an enormous smile on his face, Bill 
Muniz, who is never too busy to talk about his plans for his community 
is excited and upbeat words.
  ``I go to schools, I talk about the opportunities they have,'' Bill 
is quoted as saying. ``I believe in dreams. I also believe people have 
to work for them.'' And he has worked hard, since arriving more than 30 
years ago from Guadalajara where he was an internationally recognized 
cyclist. He worked as a delivery boy, in canneries, in a chocolate 
factory and elsewhere before becoming the owner of the New Mecca in the 
1960s and building it into a legendary institution in downtown 
Pittsburg.
  So it is fitting that this weekend, the public square near the New 
Mecca will be dedicated to Bill Muniz, whose efforts have brought 
thousands of people to downtown Pittsburg and helped revitalize an 
entire city. And it is also appropriate that the Chicano Latino 
Academies Reaching Out (CLARO) will be naming its new computer center 
in nearby Brentwood for Bill in honor of his dedication to children, 
education and the community.
  This is far from the first time Bill has been recognized for his 
civic contributions. He has been Pittsburg's Man of the Year (1978), 
UCSSO Mexican American of the Year (1980), original member of the 
Contra Costa Hall of Fame (1988), Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Member 
of the Year (1992), City of Concord Commendation (1995), California 
State Senate Commendation (1995), and many more awards and 
recognitions. In 1995, the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors declared 
November 3 ``Bill Muniz Day'' to recognize his longstanding service to 
our community.
  And so, Mr. Speaker, I ask all Members to join in saluting a man who 
has lived the American Dream because of his own hard work and community 
spirit, and who now is doing so much to make that dream a possibility 
to others who are prepared to follow his example. He is a truly special 
and gifted man whose public enthusiasm for his community is as great as 
his personal modesty. I am lucky to call Bill my friend, and that is a 
genuine honor I share with thousands who will join to honor him for his 
many contributions and services.

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