[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 13 (Monday, February 14, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E133]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E133]]
                        TRIBUTE TO SILVIA PINAL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, February 14, 2000

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the 1999 ``Mr. 
Amigo,'' Silvia Pinal, chosen recently by the Mr. Amigo Association of 
Brownsville, Texas, and Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in Mexico. Each year the 
Mr. Amigo Association honors a Mexican citizen with the title of ``Mr. 
Amigo,'' and that person acts as a goodwill ambassador between our two 
countries. Their selection honors a man or woman who has made a lasting 
contribution to international solidarity and goodwill at the annual 
Charro Days Festival.
  The Charro Days Festival is a pre-Lenten event, much like Mardi Gras 
in New Orleans, held in Brownsville and Matamoros. Charro Days 
festivities will last for several days; this year they will be February 
23-27 and will include parades and appearances by Ms. Pinal. Charro 
Days is an opportunity to enjoy the unique border culture of the Rio 
Grande Valley area.
  During Charro Days, South Texans celebrate the food, music, dances 
and traditions of both the United States and Mexico. The U.S.-Mexican 
border has a unique, blended history of cowboys, bandits, lawmen, 
farmers, fishermen, oil riggers, soldiers, scientists, entrepreneurs, 
and teachers.
  The border has its own language and customs. On both sides of the 
border, there is a deep sense of history, much of which the border has 
seen from the front row. We have seen war and peace; we have known 
prosperity and bad times. Charro Days is a time for all of us to 
reflect on our rich history, to remember our past and to celebrate our 
future. The Mr. Amigo Award began in 1964 as an annual tribute to an 
outstanding Mexican citizen.
  The 1999 Mr. Amigo, Ms. Pinal, has a career in film, television and 
music, and, recently, in public service, serving as a Senator for 
District 27 in Mexico City since 1998. She is also a philanthropist and 
a champion of women's rights. Born in Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, she 
considered her mother her strongest supporter. Her father, who served 
in the military, was also a journalist in both Mexico and the United 
States, and Mayor of Tequisquiapan, Quertaro, Mexico.
  She considers her father her role model based on his political and 
community work. She studied at the Bellas Artes Academy, beginning with 
a career in radio and eventually appearing in over 100 feature films. 
She starred in such international favorites as ``Mame,'' ``Que Tal 
Dolly,'' and Gypsy.''
  I urge my colleagues to join me in commending Silvia Pinal, the 1999 
Mr. Amigo, as well as the cities of Brownsville and Matamoros, for 
their dedication to international goodwill between the United States 
and Mexico.

                          ____________________