[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 27 (Monday, March 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E275]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF DONA LOLITA DE LA VEGA AND THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF 
                             TEMAS MAGAZINE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROBERT MENENDEZ

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 5, 2001

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dona Lolita de 
la Vega, who will be honored by Save Latin America, Inc., and Goya 
Foods for her great contributions to Spanish language media in the 
United States.
  Lolita Bravo was born in Merruecos, Spain. She attended Sacred Heart 
School, Ecole des St. Louis des Francais, and the Conservatory of Music 
of Madrid. Lolita Bravo later married Jose de la Vega, and the couple 
emigrated to the United States in 1939, where they settled in New York 
City.
  Lolita and Jose are considered pioneers of Spanish Radio. In 1946, 
they purchased three half hours each week on WWRL to present a La Voz 
Hispana del Aire, a radio show that voiced the concerns and sentiments 
of Hispanic Americans. The success of the radio program enabled Lolita 
and Jose to found two Spanish weekly newspapers. In 1950, they founded 
Temas, which is currently the oldest Spanish language monthly magazine 
published in the United States. Temas is now celebrating its 50th 
anniversary.
  When her husband, Jose, died in 1994, Dona Lolita de la Vega assumed 
all responsibility for directing and editing the magazine. That same 
year, Dr. Maria Perera, a Cuban educator, joined the magazine. 
Currently, the two women work hard to meet the challenges of ensuring 
that readers receive a Spanish language magazine of the highest 
quality.
  Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Dona Lolita de 
la Vega for her hard work and dedication in the field of Spanish-
language media, and for her exceptional contributions to the Hispanic 
community.

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