[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 59 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E783-E784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING MR. JOSE AND MRS. ANTONIETA VARGAS ON THEIR 50TH WEDDING 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 10, 2002

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, it is with utmost pleasure and privilege 
that I rise today to recognize two wonderful Americans, Mr. Jose and 
Mrs. Antonieta Vargas, on the joyous and momentous occasion of their 
fiftieth wedding anniversary. On May 3, 1952, Jose and Antonieta Vargas 
joined in holy matrimony and commenced their marvelous journey 
together, a journey which we celebrate and reflect upon today.
  Jose Vargas was born on December 19, 1918, in El Paso, Texas, during 
the Mexican Revolution. His mother, Atilana Castillo de Vargas, had 
traveled to El Paso to escape the violence of the Revolution while his 
father, Guadalupe Vargas, stayed in Chihuahua, Mexico. Atilana returned 
to her home in Chihuahua with her children after the violence had 
ended. Jose completed six years of primary education before going to 
work in the mines of Chihuahua and on the railroad; he also became an 
accomplished carpenter. He is the second of six children; his elder 
sister, Natividad, and younger brother, Jesus, have passed away. His 
siblings Maximo, Lazaro, and Guadalupe live in Chihuahua and Los 
Angeles, California.
  Antonieta Valverde was born in the mining town of Santa Eulalia in 
the Mexican state of Chihuahua on December 27, 1927, and was raised in 
Ciudad Chihuahua. She is the eldest of six children, including 
Leobardo, Alicia, Concepcion, Damaso and Berta. She completed college 
before going to work at the Coca Cola bottling facility in Chihuahua.
  Jose and Antonieta met in their neighborhood, Santa Nino de Antocha, 
while riding the bus to their jobs. After a year-long courtship, they 
married and moved to El Paso, Texas, There, the first five of their 
children were born: Jose and Fernando in 1952, Jorge in 1954, Maria 
Antonieta in 1958, and Arturo in 1962. Fernando died shortly after 
birth.
  In 1962, while working on a construction site, Jose was injured, 
falling from the second story of a building being razed. The family 
survived through the kindness and charity of neighbors and family. In 
1964, Jose left for Los Angeles to find employment, and upon doing so, 
moved the family to the South Central and then the Pico-Union areas of 
the city.

[[Page E784]]

His brother Jesus and sister Guadalupe had already relocated there. In 
1968, their youngest son, Rogelio, was born at East Los Angeles 
Doctor's Hospital.
  Jose found employment as an unskilled laborer, and worked for many 
years at the Aerol Company in the community of Glassel Park. He worked 
as a driver and assembly line manufacturer. During this time, Antonieta 
dedicated herself to raising her children and maintaining the household 
of seven in a one-bedroom apartment. Though they endured years of 
financial hardship and personal sacrifice, their children today marvel 
at the realization that although they were poor, they never once wanted 
for food or shelter. They rejoiced in the abundance of love that these 
two devoted people brought to their home.
  In 1974, after eldest sons Jose and Jorge had left for college, Jose 
and Antonleta became part of a group of parents called Padres Unidos 
who were dissatisfied with the quality of education and facilities 
offered at Magnolia Elementary School, which their children had 
attended or were attending. They protested, boycotted, and risked 
arrest demanding adequate facilities and a quality education for their 
children.
  Soon afterward, Antonieta began her second career as a Title III 
Education Aide with the Los Angeles Unified School District. She worked 
for the school district from 1976 to 1996. Jose Vargas retired in 1988.
  Today, Jose and Antonieta take joy in the success of their children 
and grandchildren.
  Their eldest son, Jose, graduated from California State University at 
Northridge and the Physician Assistant Program at the Martin Luther 
King, Jr./Charles R. Drew Medical Center. He is married to Juanita 
Perez and they have two children, Joel, age 17, and Justene, age 14. 
Jose is a Physician Assistant with a private medical doctor and his 
wife, Juanita, is a public school teacher in Los Angeles.
  Son Jorge is a graduate of Pepperdine University and Southwest 
University College of Law. He has worked as an attorney with the 
California Agricultural Labor Relations Board, the Monterey County 
District Attorney, and presently with the California State Compensation 
Board. He lives in Salinas, California with his wife, Diane Pena, and 
two sons, Nicholas, age 15, and Benjamin, age 11.
  Daughter Maria Antonieta graduated from the University of California 
at Los Angeles, UCLA, where she was a leader in an overnight camping 
program for disadvantaged urban youth. She has been a senior manager in 
the private sector her entire career. An avid sports enthusiast, she 
lives in Long Beach, California.
  Son Arturo graduated from Stanford University with bachelor's and 
master's degrees. He currently is the Executive Director of the 
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, NALEO, 
and resides in Los Angeles.
  Youngest son Rogelio is a graduate of California State University at 
Northridge and a member of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. He is 
married to Kristin Fredrickson and has three children: Olivia, age 17 
months, and three-month old fraternal twins, Daniela and Julia.
  Today, Jose and Antonieta enjoy their retirement years in the Los 
Angeles community of Highland Park.
  Mr. Speaker, as they embark upon the next fifty years of marriage, it 
gives me great pleasure to join family and friends who honor Jose and 
Antonieta Vargas with a commemorative mass and celebration on May 11, 
2002. Jose and Antonieta exemplify what love, determination and honest, 
hard work bestow upon a marriage, a family, and the fortunate 
generations to follow. I ask my colleagues to join me in paying 
deserved tribute to two humble but immensely accomplished Americans.

                          ____________________