[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 155 (Saturday, December 19, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                ON THE DEATH OF ISABEL HERNANDEZ COLLAZO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOSE SERRANO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 18, 1998

  Mr. SERRANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sorrow that I rise to 
commemorate Isabel Hernandez Callazo, a legendary Puerto Rican designer 
and manager in the garment industry who died at Lincoln Hospital in the 
South Bronx, New York on Wednesday, December 16.
  As most members of this body know, I am a native of Puerto Rico who 
is extremely proud of his origins. Puerto Rico's history and its 
dynamic, multifaceted cultures are a genuine source of joy to all of 
her daughters and sons.
  Isabel Hernandez Callazo was born in Coamo, Puerto Rico and migrated 
to New York in 1927. She was a hardworking woman and we are all proud 
of contribution to our society and community.
  Mr. Speaker, Isabel Hernandez Collazo is the mother of film/
television producer and actress, Carla Pinza. To my dear friend Carla, 
I know how difficult it can be when we no longer have with us the 
people we love the most. Your mother may not be with you physically, 
but she remains with you through the love she shared with you 
throughout the years.
  Hernandez Collazo was the widow of Ramon Rodriguez of Manati, Puerto 
Rico. She will be laid to rest in Saint Raymond's Cemetery, besides her 
husband's rest.
  Mr. Speaker, as we all know, the American experience is an 
intermingling of people from different lands, with differing languages 
and customs. American society has been called ``a gorgeous mosaic.'' 
Isabel Hernandez Collazo's great contribution was to help polish the 
majestic Puerto Rican tile of that mosaic. And for that, we all should 
remember and thank her.

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