[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 124 (Thursday, September 26, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1667]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 HONORING THE LIFE OF CUNG PHAM AND HIS SERVICE TO ST. ANSELM'S CROSS-
                    CULTURAL CENTER IN GARDEN GROVE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LORETTA SANCHEZ

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 25, 2002

  Ms. SANCHEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Cung Pham 
of Garden Grove, California.
  Cung Pham served as the director of educational legislation and 
planning prior to the fall of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975. After 
the country's collapse, he was detained in a concentration camp for 
seven years before escaping by boat in 1982 to spend time in a refugee 
camp in Thailand.
  Mr. Pham eventually ended up in the Orange County community. Using 
his understanding of the refugee experience, Mr. Pham worked as the 
director of the refugee resettlement program at St. Anselm's Cross 
Cultural Center in Garden Grove. His great compassion and 
organizational skills helped make the program a model for the entire 
country, helping thousands of refugees become assimilated to American 
life. He helped them with paperwork, enrolled them in English classes, 
and trained them for job interviews.
  Sadly, at the young age of 63, Mr. Pham lost his battle to cancer on 
September 14, 2002. He was known for his quiet and gentle ways and was 
greatly admired by those he helped and those with whom he worked.

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