[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 64 (Thursday, May 10, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E788]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REGARDING LUIS RENDON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a unique patriot and 
beloved sports figure in Texas, and the nation, Luis M. Rendon.
  He will be honored this Saturday, May 12, in Laredo by the 
International Latin Hall of Fame, a sports hall of fame focusing 
primarily on athletes of Hispanic origin, into which he was inducted 
several years ago. He underwent an operation for colon cancer recently, 
and the Hall of Fame is putting on a party for him to welcome him home.
  Luis Rendon is an amazing man who has had a lifelong love affair with 
sports, particularly baseball. He was a professional baseball umpire 
for 40 years. The International Latin Hall of Fame began in Laredo over 
30 years ago. Each year, only a very few athletes are inducted. Luis 
Rendon is the first and only umpire inducted into this sports hall of 
fame.
  As a professional umpire, Luis traveled all over the country, and all 
over the world. He has officiated at games in England, France, Germany, 
Mexico, as well as the United States. His services are still in demand, 
and he volunteers to teach umpires of Little League baseball.
  As a veteran myself, I am an enormous fan of Luis Rendon, who has 
served this nation in uniform in three of the major wars fought by the 
United States in the 20th Century. He was drafted to serve in World War 
II and dropped out of school to go fight in the war. He would later 
serve in Korea and Vietnam before retiring in 1967 after 20 years of 
service in the United States Army.
  Knowing the importance of an education and of setting an example for 
his children and others, Luis eventually got his GED, later obtaining 
an associate degree at what is now Laredo Community College at age 50.
  He has always been intellectually curious. He is extremely proud of 
being a Mason, and was recently given an award for teaching other 
Masons.
  He is wholly dedicated to the game of baseball and is a walking 
encyclopedia of baseball rules and trivia. He is a stickler for those 
rules and has always been committed to those rules. His philosophy is: 
if a rule is in the book, it is part of the game; if not, then it is 
not part of the game. Balls that hit birds or get stuck in the roof of 
a dome get no special consideration since those situations are not 
noted in the rules he so reveres.
  I ask my colleagues to join me today in commending Luis Rendon for 
the gift of his lifetime to the game of baseball and to the young 
people in Texas, and elsewhere, he has taught about life through 
baseball.

                          ____________________