[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 26, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S7652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          A GREAT LADY DEPARTS

 Mr. HELMS. Mr. President, on July 1, Mrs. Eusebia Ortiz Vera 
passed away in North Carolina. Born in 1912, she arrived in the United 
States from Cuba, appropriately, on the Fourth of July, 1954, poor and 
with young children to support.
  In America, she promptly seized the opportunity to build a new life, 
as all immigrants to the U.S. hope they can do. Eusebia worked very 
hard to ensure that her children prospered. She made certain, above 
all, that all of them received good educations.
  And those children who came to the United States did prosper, and 
become good citizens of the United States, going on to be a U.S. 
Ambassador to Honduras, a high school teacher, and a professor at the 
University of North Carolina.
  Among her grandchildren, Mr. President, are two U.S. naval officers, 
a medical student studying to be a Navy doctor, two lawyers and an 
elementary school principal--college graduates all. Each of them is a 
testament to a good life.
  When I read about her in The Charlotte Observer, I felt a sense of 
pride in her story. It is not merely a testimony to her own character, 
discipline and strength. No, it is also a reflection of what America is 
all about for so many--a land of opportunity and of hope.
  Mr. President, I ask that the July 3 article published by The 
Charlotte Observer be printed in the Record at the conclusion of my 
remarks.
  The article follows:

              [From the Charlotte Observer, July 3, 2000]

 For Immigrant, July 4 Was Special--Woman From Cuba Achieved Her Dream

                        (By Christopher Windham)

       Eusebia Ortiz Vera of Charlotte came from Cuba on July 4, 
     1954, in search of the American dream.
       Like millions of immigrants who arrived before her, she was 
     poor, but optimistic about the future. She had only one wish: 
     for her children to become educated and successful Americans.
       When Vera, 87, died of natural causes Friday--just days 
     before Independence Day and the anniversary of her arrival in 
     this country--it marked an end of a life that some say 
     epitomized American patriotism.
       ``She was the original liberated woman,'' said Vera's 
     daughter Miriam Leiva, after Vera's burial Sunday. ``She 
     really wanted a better life for herself and her children.''
       And Vera did attain that American dream.
       Born in Ponce, Puerto Rico, in 1912, Vera moved to Cuba 
     with her father and six siblings when she was just 4 months 
     old. Her mother had died moments after she was born. Vera 
     married a Cuban schoolteacher at 22. She was a housewife 
     during her years in Cuba. The marriage that brought Vera 
     three children ended in 1952.
       After the divorce, Vera was determined to give her children 
     a better life than she had, family members said.
       Vera decided to move the family to America, where she hoped 
     her children would have greater opportunities. Leiva, 59, was 
     13 when her mother told her--at a moment's notice--to pack a 
     suitcase of her belongings.
       Leiva said she boarded a plane along with her mother, 
     brother and two aunts en route to Miami. Her sister, Beatriz 
     Manduley, 17 at the time, stayed in Cuba because she was 
     married.
       ``We came to America for the same reasons as all 
     immigrants, to better our family,'' said Leiva, a consulting 
     professor at UNC Charlotte.
       The family could not speak English when they arrived, 
     family members said.
       ``It was hard,'' Leiva said. ``The most difficult part was 
     all things we didn't understand.'' She said her mother did 
     not learn the language until 10 years later when she took 
     English classes at a local high school.
       The entire family shared a tiny one-room apartment, Leiva 
     said. To make ends meet, Vera took a job as seamstress in the 
     garment district of Miami. She never made more than 75 cents 
     an hour, family members said.
       Despite the limited income and food, Vera still strived for 
     her children to be successful.
       ``From the moment we came to the United States, she told us 
     we were going to succeed,'' said Frank Almaguer, Vera's son. 
     Almaguer is now the U.S. ambassador to Honduras.
       Leiva said her mother prevented her from using a needle and 
     thread because she didn't want her daughter to become a 
     seamstress.
       ``Women would come to the house and ask, `When is Miriam 
     coming to the factory?' and mother will say `No, Miriam is 
     going to the university,' '' Leiva said.
       Vera's dream came true in 1957 when Leiva enrolled at 
     Guilford College in Greensboro. With scholarships, loans and 
     help from local Quakers, Leiva was able to graduate in 1961 
     with a degree in mathematics.
       Almaguer graduated from the University of Florida in 1967. 
     Manduley came to Miami in 1960. She received her master's 
     degree from UNC Greensboro in 1973. All seven of Vera's 
     grandchildren are college graduates. Vera lived in Miami 
     until 1997, when health conditions caused her to move to a 
     nursing home in Charlotte, close to Leiva.
       ``This is her legacy,'' said Leiva. ``Failure was simply 
     not an option for us.''

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