[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 88 (Tuesday, July 11, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           MEMORIAL TRIBUTE OF THE HONORABLE JOE A. GONSALVES

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 11, 2000

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, it is with deep sadness that I announce 
the passing of my very dear friend and colleague, the Honorable Joe A. 
Gonsalves, former Member of the California State Assembly representing 
the 66th Assembly District which includes several of the cities and 
communities in my 34th Congressional District. Mr. Gonsalves died 
Friday, July 7, 2000 at his Gold River, California home.
  Joe A. Gonsalves was a true exemplification of the fulfillment of the 
American ideal and the California dream. The son of Joaquim and Elvira 
Gonsalves, Portuguese Immigrants from the island of Terceira in the 
Azores, Joe was born on October 13, 1919 in Holtville, California. From 
the humblest beginnings in the farming region of the Imperial Valley, 
the Gonsalves family moved first to Whittier, then settled in Artesia, 
where they began the first of several dairy farms. In time, each 
Gonsalves son would own and operate his own dairy farm and through dint 
of hard work and steady growth, would become the basis of the families 
prosperity. Joe attended local schools and graduated from Excelsior 
High School in Norwalk, California. The Gonsalves family were among the 
founders of Holy Family Catholic Parish and Our Lady of Fatima Catholic 
School in Artesia.
  When the new City of Dairy Valley, later to become the City of 
Cerritos, was incorporated in 1958, Joe Gonsalves was elected to the 
first City Council and served two terms as Mayor. When a new 
legislative district was formed in Southeast Los Angeles County 
following the 1961 reapportionment, Joe A. Gonsalves won election to 
the California State Assembly in the 1962 General Election, becoming 
the first legislator ever elected from Portuguese descent. When all but 
a small handful of state legislators were part-timejoe Gonsalves sold 
his dairy interests and became a Full-Time Legislator and moved his 
family north to the state Capitol in Sacramento. There he began to 
build a remarkable record of achievement during California's golden era 
of growth and progress.
  Serving with political titans including legendary Speaker Jesse M. 
Unruh and Governor Edmund G. ``Pat'' Brown, Joe Gonsalves authored 
landmark legislation including the law that created a more equitable 
configuration of the state's important dairy industry benefiting the 
independent farmers. His diligence, skill and personality were rewarded 
with his appointment as Chairman of the powerful Assembly Rules 
Committee, Joint Committee on Rules, and later the Revenue and Taxation 
Committee. His leadership on the State Allocation Board and the 
Assembly Education Committee produced substantial increases in funding 
for local school districts.
  Following his distinguished service of twelve years in state office, 
Joe began the third chapter of his professional career by establishing 
his own company to provide professional legislative representation. He 
soon became one of the Capitol's most highly respected and influential 
lobbyists. Later, he was joined by his son Anthony D. Gonsalves in the 
firm that would be called Joe A. Gonsalves & Son. The Gonsalves 
lobbying firm represented a blue chip roster of interests including the 
Port of Long Beach, the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, the Oak Tree Racing 
Association, the California Dairymen's Association, the Portuguese 
government, and over forty incorporated California cities. The firm 
expanded to include a third generation of Gonsalves advocates when 
Joe's grandson Jason Gonsalves joined the company.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud and honored by the wonderful friendship I 
enjoyed with this unique and outstanding gentleman. He was a wise and 
trusted advisor to me during my service as a City Councilwoman, Mayor 
and Member of the California Assembly. Joe Gonsalves was a real friend 
to countless people from all walks of life. He was a true role model 
for everyone who aspires to the highest levels of honesty, decency, 
loyalty and integrity in a profession that has seen all too little of 
these qualities.
  Above all Mr. Speaker, Joe A. Gonsalves never forgot from whence he 
came. He was a great man with a common touch. He will be sorely missed 
by all who knew him and cherished his friendship. Preceded in death by 
his first wife Virginia, Joe Gonsalves is survived by his wife Jerry 
Farris Gonsalves and by his nine sons and their spouses, Robert, James 
& Ruth, Joe & Mary, Jack & Debt, Frank & Theresa, Anthony & Evelyn, 
David & Josephine, Tim & Stephanie, John Kennedy & Julie Gonsalves. He 
is also survived by two step children Jerry Farris & his wife Shirley 
and Terry Farris, his sister Mabel Gonsalves, three brothers Jack, 
Bennie and Frank Gonsalves, 28 grandchildren and eight 
greatgrandchildren.
  On behalf of my husband Frank, my family, my Chief of Staff Chuck 
Fuentes, (whose own father Bob Fuentes served as Joe's Administrative 
Assistant during most of his legislative career) and the citizens of 
the 34th Congressional District and the Southeast Los Angeles 
communities, I extend our heartfelt condolences to the entire Gonsalves 
family. Joe A. Gonsalves was a proud and patriotic American and a great 
Californian!

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