[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 28 (Wednesday, March 13, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E338]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE LIFE OF VERA PEREZ (1933-2002)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 13, 2002

  Ms. SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mrs. Vera 
Perez. Vera was born in 1933 in Los Angeles and raised by Pete Acosta, 
a single father. She and her sister, Natalia, spent much of their 
formative years in boarding schools and boarding houses, only really 
able to spend Sundays with their father.
  As a young woman, Vera worked in a factory. In the 1970s she 
completed the CETA training program and began working at the Older 
Residents Medical Screening Program (ORMSP) as a receptionist. ORMSP is 
a non-profit healthcare company that provides free medical screening 
for senior citizens in the East side of Los Angeles. Through her 18 
years at ORMSP, Vera advanced from receptionist to data specialist and 
eventually was running the program when she retired in 1995.
  Vera and her husband, Felipe, had five children: Diana, Lisa, Yvette, 
Phillip and John; and four grandchildren. In addition, Vera had an 
active hand in raising her four nephews and nieces, including Antonio 
Villaraigosa, who went on to be the Speaker of the California State 
Assembly.
  Vera Perez died on March 5, 2002. She will be dearly missed by her 
loving family and friends.

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