[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 155 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H12514-H12515]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING HENRY B. GONZALEZ

  Mr. THOMAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee 
on House Administration be discharged from further consideration of the 
concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 445) honoring Henry B. Gonzalez, 
former United States Representative from Texas, and extending the 
condolences of the Congress on his death, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 445

       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez served his Nation and the people 
     of the 20th District of Texas in San Antonio with honor and 
     distinction for 37 years as a Member of the United States 
     House of Representatives.
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez became an internationally 
     recognized leader in the fields of banking and housing, 
     having held more than 500 hearings as Chairman of the 
     Committee on Banking and Urban Affairs, and having shepherded 
     more than 70 bills from introduction to enactment into law, 
     including landmark legislation to revamp and

[[Page H12515]]

     rescue the United States savings and loan industry;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez focused the attention of the 
     House of Representatives on solving numerous and challenging 
     public policy problems, especially the needs of the poor and 
     the powerless, including making affordable housing available 
     to the poor, making credit more readily available to 
     underprivileged communities and small businesses, making the 
     Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System more 
     transparent and accountable to the United States public, and 
     strengthening civil rights for all Americans;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez represents the quintessential 
     American success story by virtue of having become the first 
     American of Mexican descent in Texas history to represent 
     Texas in the United States House of Representatives, and one 
     of the first Mexican-Americans to rise to the position of 
     Chairman of a major congressional committee of the House of 
     Representatives;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez served his country in World War 
     II in military intelligence, and taught math to veterans and 
     citizenship classes to resident immigrants seeking American 
     citizenship;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez leaves a proud legacy to his 
     hometown of San Antonio (in whose public schools he was 
     educated), encouraged the development of public housing, 2 
     major medical centers, numerous development projects, and the 
     public laws he authored that brought the HemisFair '68 World 
     Fair to San Antonio, thereby making the city a recognized 
     center for international conventions and tourism;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez a champion for the downtrodden 
     and the poor (exemplified, among other things, by his 22-hour 
     long filibuster of segregationist bills in the Texas Senate 
     in the 1950's), consistently brought his skill and passion to 
     bear on behalf of the underprivileged, thereby making our 
     Nation a much better place;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez a modest man of great popularity 
     and of a fervently independent character, was awarded the 
     John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his display of 
     political courage as a leader who acted on principle 
     throughout his multifaceted career, without fear or favor;
       Whereas Henry B. Gonzalez will always remain an enduring 
     symbol of integrity, independence, solid principles, and 
     strength of character, and will always remind us of what it 
     means to give honorable public service, as he did to his San 
     Antonio constituents, the State of Texas, and to all 
     Americans: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring),
       That the Congress--
       (1) has learned with profound sorrow of the death of the 
     Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez on November 28, 2000, and 
     extends condolences to the Gonzalez family, and especially to 
     his wife Bertha and their 8 children;
       (2) expresses its profound gratitude to the Honorable Henry 
     Barbosa Gonzalez and his family for the service that he 
     rendered to his country; and
       (3) recognizes with appreciation and respect the Honorable 
     Henry Barbosa Gonzalez's commitment to and example of 
     leadership and commitment to public service and to his 
     constituents, and his serving as a role model for generations 
     to come.

     SEC. 2. TRANSMISSION OF ENROLLED RESOLUTION

       The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this Concurrent Resolution to the family of 
     the Honorable Henry Barbosa Gonzalez.

  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to insert into the Record 
material prepared by one of my employees, Susana Benavidez, in support 
of H. Con. Res. 445 regarding my father, former Chairman Henry B. 
Gonzalez.

           In Honor of the Late Henry B. or Henry B. Gonzalez

  (By Susana Benavidez, former employee of the late Chairman Henry B. 
Gonzalez, Current Caseworker and Service Academies Coordinator for his 
                 son, Representative Charlie Gonzalez)

       Americans are joined by people from other countries in 
     remembering the many contributions that Congressman Henry B. 
     Gonzalez made in improving the human conditions in this 
     country. In the late 1960s Anglo-Saxons in South Texas were 
     saying that history would prove that one of the greatest 
     American statesmen would be a Texan by the name of Henry B. 
     Gonzalez.
       Henry B. Gonzalez will always be remembered for his 
     intelligence, wisdom, strength, honesty, integrity and 
     dignity. Never forgotten will be his ability to treat every 
     human being with respect. He had the talent of taking the 
     time to remember the name of each and every person whom he 
     met, it did not matter if that person was a child, a janitor, 
     or waiter/waitress. One of his many gifts was the ability to 
     see the ``holiness'' in just about every individual whom he 
     ever met. Long remembered will be his compassionate and 
     caring manner. Congressman Gonzalez was a great man perhaps 
     born way ahead of his time. He gave far more genuine love 
     than what he may have received.
       I first met Congressman Gonzalez in 1976 while I was 
     working for his colleague the late Congressman Abraham 
     (Chick) Kazen. It was my honor and privilege to have worked 
     for the honorable Henry B. Gonzalez from 1993-1998. He was an 
     exemplary human being. Congressman Gonzalez definitely left 
     the world a better place not only for people like me but for 
     all Americans. He will always be remembered with abundant 
     love, admiration and respect.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland for 
yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution which 
honors the life and service of Henry B. Gonzalez who died on November 
28 of this year. As Members know, Henry B. as he was affectionately 
known, served in this body for 37 years and during that time earned a 
well-deserved reputation as a champion of the little people.
  Henry B. Gonzalez dedicated his life to lifting the least among us 
out of poverty and ensuring that the poor had decent housing, good 
education, and access to health care. He was a man of strength and 
integrity and championed the cause of civil rights for all people, but 
most especially for those Americans who face discrimination because of 
their race, gender, or ethnicity. He was one of the last of a 
generation of legislators, but in his honor and in his memory, none of 
us should ever forget the valuable lessons he taught us.
  Mr. Speaker, I have offered this resolution as a token of respect for 
a man who was the embodiment of character and political courage, a man 
who was proud to serve as a servant of the people.
  The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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