[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 107 (Wednesday, September 13, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1451-E1452]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO RUBIN HILL, JIM WHITE AND MARIA DOLORES ANDRADE

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2000

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize three outstanding 
individuals who have made significant contributions to educational 
opportunities for Latino children in California. They will be honored 
this month by Adelante and the California Migrant Leadership Council: 
Rubin Hill, Jim White, and Maria Dolores Andrade.
  These outstanding individuals deserve our thanks for their selfless 
work on behalf of the poor and the disadvantaged. They truly embody the 
spirit of Cesar Chavez, who taught us that we can realize our dreams 
and hopes through hard struggles, hard work, and dedication. Anything 
is possible, if we set our heart and soul to the cause. We should never 
forget the words of Cesar Chavez: ``si se puede,'' yes we can.
  These three hard working and dedicated individuals have given so much 
for their community and the world at large.

                               Rubin Hill

       Rubin Hill has been a community leader in working with the 
     youth of Kern and Tulare Counties as well as a coach for more 
     than 35 years.
       Rubin is a product of Delano. He attended and graduated 
     from Delano Elementary and Delano High School. He attended 
     and graduated from Bakersfield College in 1975. Ruby is 
     married to Lorene Hill and with her help has raised five 
     children, Donald, Sharon, Sandra, Ruben Jr. and Shalene. He 
     has 12 grandchildren.
       Ruben worked for ten years for the City of Delano in the 
     Refuse, Street, Water and Parks Department. Then he 
     transferred to the Delano Fire Department, where he became a 
     Fireman, Engineer, Captain and finally Assistant Chief. When 
     the Delano Fire Department was transferred to Kern County, 
     Ruby became a Captain and Fire Marshall with that department, 
     finally retiring to spend more time with his community 
     service.
       Ruby's community service includes Delano High School 
     Trustee for four terms, Local P.T.A. Lifetime member 
     including several terms as president. Ruby has served as 
     N.A.A.C.P. President, Jr. Chamber of Commerce President, 
     member of the Kiwanis Club, Community Action Group, Title I 
     Advisory Board for Delano High School, Bakersfield College 
     Advisory Board, North Kern State Prison Advisory Board, 
     Delano Little League Board (10 years), Delano Babe Ruth Board 
     (coach, president and member for 15 years), Almond Tree 
     Elementary Lions Football team Board Member, Coach of 
     McFarland Raiders Youth Football team, Leader, Supervisor, 
     and Coach for Delano Recreation Department for 35 years. Ruby 
     is also a member of the State Fireman Association, the 
     Kings--Tulare County Referee Association and has been a 
     referee and umpire for 25 years.
       At age 60, Ruby has served the youth of the area all of his 
     life, and he serves as an example for the entire community.

                               Jim White

       Jim White is a teacher in the McFarland Public Schools, one 
     of the poorest communities in California. His leadership as a 
     coach has resulted in turning around the lives of many youth 
     and has brought pride to those youth, their parents, their 
     school and their community.
       Jim is a man who has contributed time, energy, sweat, and 
     his own funds to turn the McFarland High School cross country 
     program into a state power and maybe the most highly prized 
     accomplishment of the community of McFarland in its history. 
     Coach Jim White has been a magician in coaching in many ways.
       His leadership as Cougar cross country coach has resulted 
     in turning around the lives of many youth and has brought 
     pride to those youth, their parents, their school and their 
     community. The Cougar teams have won an unprecedented seven-
     state titles in cross-country competition in the past 13 
     years, including five consecutive. McFarland's first state 
     crown in 1986 was followed by five straight--in 1992, 1993, 
     1994, 1995 and 1996. Then when McFarland was moved up an 
     enrollment classification though it was near the bottom of 
     the division in total students, the Cougars struggled against 
     schools with more athletes to draw from, but again in 1999 
     the Cougars reached the top.
       White has become everything from coach to counselor to 
     inspiration to fund raiser for a team which has caught the 
     fancy of running fans state and nationwide for overcoming 
     many obstacles. Most of the runners spend long days working 
     in the summer and then begin the evening practices through 
     area fields that develop the runners who have made McFarland 
     High the envy of other cross country programs.
       Many students struggle with their education and language, 
     but White and his ever-growing legions of Cougar boosters 
     Join to help solve the problems. He and wife Cheryl pitch in 
     to help with food, shoes, whatever is needed. He counsels 
     runners to aim for higher goals--both in running and in life. 
     Many of his running ``graduates'' have gone on to college and 
     occupations in a variety of professions--many of them in 
     education. They return often to lend encouragement to a new 
     crop of runners who face the challenge White offers--to again 
     focus on winning another state title. His teams have won 18 
     league titles in 20 years, frosh-soph league titles all 20 
     years, 12 section or valley titles, five Grand Masters 
     championships--meaning all-valley--and the seven state 
     titles. His team has been ranked No. 21 in the nation in 
     preseason. He was the Bakersfield California's ``Coach of the 
     Year'' nine times, California Track and Field News ``Coach of 
     the Year'' five times, and the California Coaches Alliance 
     ``Coach of the Year'' four times. He was a finalist in 1996 
     for National Coach of the year.
       Born in Sweetwater, Texas, May 14, 1941, he lived briefly 
     in Albuquerque, New Mexico, before being raised in Stockton. 
     He played baseball and basketball growing up and in college 
     played basketball and pitched baseball. At Magic Valley 
     Christian College in Idaho he met and married Cheryl Waldrum 
     in 1961. In 1964 he graduated from Pepperdine University and 
     moved to McFarland for his first teaching position. His first 
     teaching assignment, for nine years, was instructing fifth 
     grade science. He then taught seventh and eighth grade 
     woodshop and PE for 11 years and presently he instructs 
     seventh and eighth grade PE at McFarland Middle School and 
     coaches the high school program. The cross-country program 
     was dropped for a year before he took over, and White was 
     told that the program could be started if he could keep 10 
     athletes out for the season. He kept 18 and built the program 
     to three boys' teams and two girls' teams.
       Probably the greatest reward and compliment he could 
     receive is to have many of his former students and athletes 
     join him in assisting with the cross-country program. The 
     list has included Amador Ayon, Thomas Valles, Ruben Ozuna, 
     David Diaz, and Johnny Saminiego.
       Although White has never been a runner himself--he rides a 
     bicycle following the team through its country workouts--he 
     started coaching a Little League baseball team and won 
     several championships during his early days in McFarland, 
     worked many years for the McFarland recreation department in 
     its summer programs, and also coached winning basketball 
     teams. He started the McFarland Pop Warner football team.
       White has traveled with the coaching staff of International 
     Sports Exchange, a group that tries to give athletes a chance 
     to experience cultural sights, sports and fiends. He has 
     taken teams to Singapore, Taiwan, Germany and China.
       To raise funds to help promote a sport or buy team 
     supplies, he has been seen in his old faithful '59 Chevy 
     pickup gathering pop bottles and newspapers, going door to 
     door, and raising funds through raffles, pizza sales, car 
     washes, and an annual barbecue.
       He has been the grand marshal for the McFarland Christmas 
     parade and he and his team have been featured in many 
     newspapers including the Los Angeles Times telling the story 
     of McFarland's rise to the top and dynasty built in cross-
     country. Most importantly, he has become a father image to 
     many students and athletes who have journeyed through 
     McFarland High. This Clint Eastwood look alike is now 
     coaching the ``kids of the kids'' he had when he started. 
     White tries to live by example.
       The Whites have three grown daughters, Tami, Julie and 
     Jamie, all of who attended and graduated from McFarland High 
     School and Lubbock College in Texas with degrees in 
     education. He is called ``grandpa'' by seven grandkids--five 
     boys and two girls.
       In January, wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned with 
     ``McFarland Cross Country--it's all in the attitude,'' two 
     van loads of cross country runners and White were off to 
     Sacramento where they were recognized by the state.
       The latest article heralding the McFarland High cross 
     country team is a feature story in The People's Magazine in 
     Espanol in the May 2000 issue.
       White, a ``youngish'' 58, has worked in McFarland schools 
     for 36 years and has dedicated much of his career in coaching 
     McFarland cross-country teams. His coaching duties 
     ``stretch'' to being involved in all aspects of the boys' 
     lives, visiting them at home, driving them to practice, 
     getting tutoring if they need help in school and counseling 
     them in relationship issues.
       White will some day leave a legacy that few coaches or men 
     can ever claim--a winning tradition and numerous proteges who 
     have set their sights on greater goals and succeeded in 
     attaining them.

                         Maria Dolores Andrade

       Maria Dolores Andrade, while living a life of poverty and 
     selfless devotion, has raised a family of seven children, 
     through her work in the fields. She was able to provide 
     education for all of her children, with the three youngest 
     graduating from college. Through her work and sacrifice, the 
     family has created a successful family business which is the 
     pride of the community.

[[Page E1452]]

       Maria was born in 1935 in Noroto, a very small village, in 
     Michoacan, Mexico. She was the 9th child in a family of 11. 
     As a child her family moved to the town of Tangancicuaro, 
     Michoacan in search of a better life. Because her family was 
     very poor, Maria was forced to work at a very young age and 
     therefore dropped out of school at the age of 8. Through most 
     of her childhood as well as her teen-age years, Maria faced a 
     very harsh life of poverty and hard work. At the age of 16 
     her mother died leaving all 11 children orphaned.
       At the age of 22 Maria married Carlos Andrade. Soon 
     thereafter she became the proud mother of her first son 
     Jorge. Eleven months later she gave birth to Lupita, and 
     eleven months after that she gave birth to her third child 
     Luz Del Carmen. Her life of poverty continued so her husband 
     Carlos immigrated to the United States to work as a migrant 
     farm worker. For the next 17 years Maria would only see her 
     husband one month out of the year when he would return to 
     Michoacan to visit. In the meantime Maria had to raise her 
     children all alone who now included Carlos, Francisco, 
     Guillermo, and Rosa Adriana.
       In 1974 Maria and her three oldest children joined her 
     husband Carlos in the United States. She was forced to leave 
     four of her children behind until she had enough money to 
     apply for their permanent residency. In 1976 the entire 
     family reunited and now had a permanent home in the city of 
     Delano.
       A year later, her husband Carlos abandoned the family. 
     Maria was devastated. Once again she became a single parent 
     to her 7 children. She was now alone in a strange country, 
     with a new language, and different customs, which made her 
     even more determined to succeed. Although she believed 
     strongly in providing the highest education possible for her 
     children, she was forced to take her three oldest children 
     out of school and take them to work in the fields in order to 
     make ends meet. This enabled the rest of the children to 
     focus on their studies. The family struggled for many years. 
     This created an unbreakable bond and unity in the family. 
     Maria's children grew up and eventually married. Three of the 
     youngest graduated from college. One became a computer 
     programmer and the other two teachers. The rest of her 
     children continued to work in the fields. Although the 
     children had created a life for themselves the family bond 
     which Maria created was so strong that they all remained in 
     Delano living close to her and each other.
       Because the family had such a strong bond together they 
     decided to open up a business so that Maria would no longer 
     have to work in the fields. In 1990 the family opened 
     Carniceria Janitzio in McFarland and in 1996 opened 
     Carniceria Janitzio and Janitzio Restaurant in Delano. This 
     fulfilled Maria's life-long dream of owning her own business.
       The family's bond and unity is as strong as ever. Maria is 
     currently the proud grandmother of 17 grandchildren and 1 
     great granddaughter. This has all been possible because of 
     all the hard work, dedication, perseverance, positive 
     attitude, and above all love that Maria has given to her 
     children.

     

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