[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 16, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E446]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO MR. ROBERT L. OZUNA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 16, 1999

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with profound sadness in my 
heart to pay tribute to Mr. Robert L. Ozuna, a dear friend who passed 
away this past Saturday, March 6, 1999 at Queen of the Valley Hospital 
in West Covina, California.
  After 69 fulfilling years of life, Robert Ozuna joins Rosemary Ozuna, 
his beloved wife of 35 years who lamentably left us just months ago on 
November 27, 1998. He is survived by his mother, Amelia Ozuna; his 
sons, Steven Ozuna and Jeff Dominelli; his daughters, Nancy DeSilva and 
Lisa Jarrett; his sisters, Lillian Gomez and Vera Venegas; and his 
brother Tony Ozuna. Bob was also the proud grandfather of 8 children.
  Bob was the oldest of four children born on December 29, 1929 in 
Miami, Arizona. Ten years later, after his father's early death, the 
family moved to Los Angeles where he grew up with his mother and three 
siblings. Like my father, as the oldest child, Bob assumed the 
responsibility of finding steady work at an early age to assist his 
mother in meeting the family's financial burdens.
  In 1966, with the help of a second mortgage on his residence and a 
few electrician's hand tools, Bob founded his company, New Bedford 
Panoramex Corporation (NBP) in Upland, California. Combining hard work 
with entrepreneurial instincts, he built NBP into the thriving 
electronics manufacturing business it is today.
  Bob Ozuna emerged as one of the Latino community's leading 
entrepreneurs in Southern California. He gained his business experience 
on the job while attending night school at Rio Hondo Community College.
  In 1987, the U.S. Department of Transportation recognized Bob's hard 
work and dedication with its Minority Business Enterprise Award. The 
Department saw fit to honor him again with this prestigious tribute in 
1991. The Air Traffic Control Association awarded Bob the Chairman's 
Citation of Merit Award in 1994.
  As industrious as Bob was in business, he was equally involved in 
sharing his prosperity with many groups in the community. He was an 
active member of the California Chamber of Commerce. Bob founded the 
Casa De Rosa Annual Golf Tournament to raise funds for the Rancho de 
Los Ninos Orphanage in Baja Mar, Mexico. He was a founding director of 
the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Youth Athletic Association, which has 
promoted educational, athletic and drug awareness programs for more 
than 60,000 young Americans in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area.
  Those of us who are fortunate to call Bob Ozuna friend remember him 
as a man who had a passion for life. He worked to succeed, but he 
succeeded in living--enjoying to their fallest the fruits of family and 
his tremendous labor. At New Bedford Panaramex Corporation, he is 
remembered for his generosity and genuine concern for his employees and 
their families.
  Mr. Speaker, Robert Ozuna epitomized the American dream--if you work 
hard and play by the rules, you can achieve whatever you aspire to. 
Robert Ozuna realized that dream. And, as Steve his son knows, Bob did 
so much to help others come a little closer to reaching the stars as 
well.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with heartfelt emotion that I ask my colleagues to 
join me today in saluting, one last time, a cherished friend and 
outstanding American, Mr. Robert L. Ozuna. Bob, you will be missed.

                          ____________________