[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 77 (Wednesday, May 26, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1094-E1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               1999 SIXTH DISTRICT ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY J. HYDE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 26, 1999

  Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, please permit me to share with my colleagues 
the work of some bright young men and women in my district.
  Each year, my office--in cooperation with junior and senior high 
schools in Northern Illinois--sponsors an essay writing contest. The 
contest's board, chaired by my good friend Vivian Turner, a former 
principle of Blackhawk Junior High School in Bensenville, IL, chooses a 
topic and judges the entries. Winners of the contest share in more than 
$1,000 in scholarship funds.
  Today, I have the honor of naming for the Record the winners of this 
year's contest.
  This year, Kathryn Solari of Mary, Seat of Wisdom School in Park 
Ridge, IL, won the junior high division with an essay titled, ``Coach--
One Who Teaches or Trains an Athlete,'' a text of which I include in 
the Record. Placing second was Jennifer C. Miller of St. Peter the 
Apostle School in Itsaca. This year, we had a three-way tie for third 
place in the junior high division among: Omar Germino of St. Charles 
Borromeo School in Bensenville, Sam Francis of Glen Crest Middle School 
in Glen Ellyn, and Rachel Soden of Westfield School in Bloomingdale.
  In the Senior High School Division, the first place award went to 
Paul McGovern of Driscoll Catholic High School in Addison for his 
essay, ``Teofilo Lindio,'' a text of which I include in the Record. 
Carl Hughes of Maine South High School in Park Ridge finished second, 
and third place went to Katherine Yeu, also from Driscoll Catholic High 
School.
  I wish to offer my congratulations to all this year's winners.

              Teofilo Lindio--The Six Pillars of Character

           (By Paul McGovern, Driscoll Catholic, Addison, IL)

       I consider my grandfather, Teofilo Lindio, to be an 
     exemplary role model. My Lolo (the Philippine word for 
     grandfather) was born on March 8, 1912, in Legaspi, a small 
     province in the Philippines. Though I have been to the 
     Philippines to see him only once, I have heard much of him 
     from my mother. According to her, Teofilo was an honest, 
     caring individual who accepted what came to him in life, and 
     strove to make the most of it. He was sincerely devoted to 
     his God, to his family, and to his fellow man. My Lolo's 
     solid Christian beliefs formed the foundation on which the 
     Six Pillars of Character were laid--the pillars, which 
     ultimately formed and upheld his reputation as a great man 
     within his community.
       Teofilo was the fifth of seven children of a wealthy 
     commercial farmer. However, when his father died, Teofilo 
     inherited little, since most of the land went to the older 
     sons. At this point, Teofilo had to make a choice. He was 
     already married, and his wife was about to have a child. 
     Teofilo had been at the top of his high school class, so 
     college was a very possible option for him. After considering 
     the consequences of this option, he made the responsible 
     choice. He used the money he had to start his own carpentry 
     business so that he could better support his family.
       Eventually, Teofilo's business grew and he began to amass a 
     small fortune. Rather than indulge himself in luxuries, he 
     decided to make a difference in his community of Legaspi. 
     Teofilo would make free coffins for the poor people in his 
     community. Every Sunday after church, he would host a picnic 
     in which all of the impoverished people in the community 
     could eat for free. This compassion earned him his reputation 
     as a generous, caring man. Eventually, however, the amount of 
     money that he spent on feeding the poor became too much, as 
     more and more poor persons came to eat each Sunday. His 
     business underwent tough times, and soon he was forced to 
     stop his charity. In one particularly difficult period during 
     the 50's, Teofilo and his family had trouble finding enough 
     food to eat. All of his children who were old enough to work 
     had jobs so that the family could feed and clothe itself. 
     Even in tough times, Teofilo still showed fairness in his 
     dealings with customers, and continued to do quality work for 
     a fair price. Morals were more important to him than money. 
     He did not blame God, the poor whom he fed, or himself for 
     the state of poverty he was in. Knowing that Teofilo was a 
     generous man, wealthy people offered him aid in his time of 
     trouble. Teofilo ``took turns and shared,'' and thus moved 
     others to do the same.
       In my opinion, my Lolo was simply an all-around outstanding 
     individual. His trustworthiness was shown in his commitment 
     to his family. Teofilo was honest in his marriage, and put 
     his family first in his life. According to my mother, he 
     spent every night with the family, asking all nine of his 
     children how their days went, telling jokes, and discussing 
     Bible stories. He promised to always be there for them, and 
     he was. He continually said to me over the phone, ``No family 
     gathering can be complete without you and your dad.'' Another 
     instance of this trustworthiness is when his wife became very 
     sick in the 50's. Teofilo made a promise to God that if his 
     wife recovered, he would sing the Pasyon (Passion and 
     Resurrection of Christ) on every Holy Thursday and Good 
     Friday--2 whole days, without sleep--until the end of his 
     life. His wife recovered, and he faithfully kept his promise.
       Teofilo showed respect for others as well. He respected the 
     poor as human beings who had the right to eat just as he did. 
     He respected his children's right to make decisions about 
     their future. He did not force his sons to work in his 
     business, but instead encouraged them to achieve higher 
     education and do what brings them the most joy. Neither did 
     he force his daughters to marry any particular young man, 
     even though his parents forced him into a marriage. Teofilo 
     taught his children that keeping a level head and peaceful 
     disposition is the best way to resolve a conflict. While 
     visiting the Philippines, one of my relatives told me a 
     possibly exaggerated story of how Teofilo caught a burglar 
     who broke into his house. He held a large knife to the 
     burglar's neck, forgave him, and let him leave peacefully. 
     The burglar never attempted to steal from Teofilo's house 
     again. Teofilo was also a model for outstanding citizenship. 
     Whenever there was a fire in the community he would volunteer 
     his help, even if it occurred in the middle of the night. He 
     made his community a better place by feeding the poor. Even 
     in tough times, the temptation to steal was never able to 
     ensnare him. The worst law violation he committed in his 
     lifetime was not reporting the burglar. In this violation of 
     state law, he upheld the ``law'' of the Church--to forgive 
     and forget. An extremely diligent individual, Teofilo never 
     went into complete retirement. He still continued to repair 
     and build houses up until his death.
       Lolo died on February 28, 1999 of a heart attack at age 86, 
     just before he was able to finish building an altar in his 
     house. After the period of mourning, my family and I looked 
     back at what Teofilo Lindio had done in his lifetime. While 
     he was only moderately successful in an academic and material 
     sense, his character was certainly most admirable. Though he, 
     like all people, must have had his bad points, he was, 
     overall, a great man. I must say that I am proud to be a 
     descendant of Teofilo Lindio.


              Coach--One Who Teaches or Trains an Athlete

    (By Kathryn Solari, Mary, Seat of Wisdom School, Park Ridge, IL)

       People often compare life to many things. Since athletics 
     have been very important to me, I could compare life to a 
     series of basketball games. Good character then is the 
     attitude by which you approach, play, and finish the game. It 
     is similar to life in that if you don't do things with a good 
     attitude, you won't get very much out of the game. A role 
     model is like a coach. The coach is someone who has played 
     the game before and is continuing to work on improving his 
     game. He tries to teach you all that he has learned and helps 
     you to become a better player so one day you can make smart 
     plays on your own. He is there to congratulate you when you 
     win and comfort you when you lose. No matter what, his 
     guidance becomes a part of you and has a great influence on 
     your game. It is important to have role models in your life 
     who act as coaches. My coach, teammate, referee, fan, and 
     role model is my dad. He has not only told me, but has shown 
     me how to win in the game of life. He has done this by being 
     responsible, respectful, and caring.
       My father is very caring. To me, caring means putting 
     others before yourself. My father truly cares for my family. 
     He cares for and loves his wife and all four of his children. 
     There is nothing he wouldn't do for us. After a hard day's 
     work, he comes home and greets each of us with a smile no 
     matter where we are in the house. He asks us if we need help 
     on our homework because he cares about how well we do in 
     school. My dad and I must have done thousands of math 
     problems together. On any given night, he is quizzing us on 
     vocabulary or testing us on our school subjects. However, our 
     grades don't matter as much to him as long as we try our 
     best. His guidance in decision making is always helpful. On 
     Thursday and Friday mornings he gets up early with my sister 
     and me to help us get ready for band. He takes care of us 
     when we are sick, comforts us when we are sad, and laughs 
     with us when we are happy. Most of all, he makes each of us 
     feel important and special in our own way.
       My dad shows how caring he is through his service in the 
     community. If anyone in the neighborhood needs help, my dad 
     will help them with anything from taking care of a pet to 
     vacuuming out a flooded basement. He is currently coaching 
     four basketball teams because he feels all children should 
     have the

[[Page E1095]]

     opportunity to play. During parish mission projects, my dad 
     generously donates his time to assist however possible. 
     During the shoe box drive at church, for example, he wrapped 
     shoe boxes, bought needed supplies at the store, and cleaned 
     up after everyone left. He has delivered furniture to a 
     family in Roger's Park as well as packed peanut butter 
     sandwich lunches for the needy. My father is a person who 
     truly loves and cares for others.
       My father tries to respect everyone. To me, respect is 
     treating others the way you want to be treated no matter how 
     they treat you. My father is very fair. He has probably 
     learned that from raising four children. If he is going to 
     let my sister stay up a little later, then he lets us all 
     stay up a little later. He also gave everyone on my 
     basketball team equal playing time this year. He is very 
     polite and shows good sportsmanship. Being considerate, my 
     father tries to think about how things will affect others. He 
     is always open to new ideas and never laughs at things unless 
     they are meant to be funny. If there was an award for the 
     most patient and easy going person, I am sure my dad would 
     win it. His positive outlook on life and his gentle ways of 
     speaking win him others' respect. My father never yells at 
     anyone. Instead, he talks things out and treats people with 
     respect. He tries to bring out the best in everyone.
       My father has a lot of responsibilities in his life, which 
     he handles well. He is, first of all, responsible for his 
     family. He works all day to provide for us. He also helps 
     around the house doing various chores. His responsibilities 
     as a father are endless. He also has a responsibility to love 
     and be faithful to my mom. He is responsible for helping his 
     parents and my mom's parents with things around their homes 
     as well as with financial advice. Many of his 
     responsibilities lie outside our family. He is involved in 
     many of the decisions regarding our school's expansion 
     project this year. He is on the finance committee at his old 
     high school, as well as many committees in our parish. To 
     fulfill his religious responsibilities, he attends church 
     regularly, is a Eucharistic minister, makes financial 
     contributions to the church, and tries to live out the 
     Gospel.
       My dad is a very important and irreplaceable part of my 
     life. He has taught me much about life and has set my life on 
     a good, strong foundation. I know that my dad will always be 
     there to guide me, comfort me, help me, and celebrate with 
     me. Next year, I will be starting high school. There will be 
     many changes in my life. I know that things won't be as 
     difficult because I have a great role model and coach walking 
     with me every step of the way. Knowing my father, the best 
     way to thank him would be to live my life as he has coached 
     me, to be a caring, respectful, and responsible person. With 
     a coach like my dad and God on my side, I know I'll be a 
     winner in the game of life.

     

                          ____________________