[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 3 (Thursday, January 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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      RECOGNIZING GONZALO MARTINEZ'S DECADE OF SERVICE TO DELAWARE

 Mr. CARPER. Madam President, I rise today in recognition of 
Gonzalo Martinez for his ten years of service to Delaware. Gonzalo will 
be leaving us shortly to move to Florida. His leadership and dedication 
over the years have won him the respect and gratitude of our entire 
State. He has been, and remains, a trusted friend.
   Gonzalo was born in Santiago, Chile. He graduated from the 
University of Chile's School of Law in 1964, and moved to Washington, 
DC, in 1966 to work as a bilingual attorney in the legal department of 
the Inter-American Development Bank. There, he worked toward the bank's 
goal of fostering the economic and social development of Latin-America 
and the Caribbean.
   While visiting a friend in Delaware in the early 1980s, Gonzalo fell 
in love with a house he saw here. He bought the house, and while 
continuing to work in Washington, he spent much of his spare time 
remodeling his home in Delaware. After 23 years of hard work at the 
bank, Gonzalo retired and moved to his beloved home in the first State. 
Upon his arrival in Delaware, Gonzalo became an active member of the 
Sussex County community.
   When Gonzalo moved to Delaware, he was approached by the Sussex Arts 
Council to help fill the ``black hole'' in Sussex County's Hispanic 
community. He saw a desperate need for community centers, health 
programs and other services. For years, Gonzalo tried to work with 
agencies and programs. When it became apparent that they were unwilling 
to change and meet the emerging needs of the growing Hispanic 
community, Gonzalo finally partnered with other community advocates to 
create new institutions.
   Gonzalo Martinez is a founding Board Member and a volunteer at El 
Centro Cultural, La Esperanza Community Center, Primeros Pasos Child 
Care Center, and La Red Health Center. Gonzalo believes that through 
the arts we can create social justice. He founded El Centro Cultural 
and The Hispanic Festival, which attract thousands of people each year. 
La Esperanza Community Center focuses on immigration services, 
comprehensive pre- and post-natal care, helping domestic violence 
victims, English and citizenship classes, and other general translation 
and interpretation services. Primeros Pasos provides safe child-care 
and early childhood education to approximately 50 children a year.
  Gonzalo is not afraid to take risks to change the status quo and to 
prove how State government and non-profit organizations can work 
together to provide more efficient, cost-effective, and culturally 
appropriate services in the community.
  During my governorship, I had the opportunity to appoint Gonzalo to 
three councils. When I re-established the Governor's Council on 
Hispanic Affairs in February of 1995, I appointed Gonzalo to the 
council. The goal of the council is to advise the Governor and 
Secretary of Health and Social Services on means to improve the 
delivery of services to the Hispanic community in Delaware.
  In June of 1995, I also named Gonzalo to the Delaware State Arts 
Council. As a member of the State Council, Gonzalo contributed to the 
evaluation of grant applications and actively participated in policy 
discussions. Finally, I appointed Gonzalo to the Neighborhood 
Assistance Act Advisory Council in August of 2000. The Neighborhood 
Assistance Act Advisory Council was established to provide guidance and 
recommendations to the Director of the Economic Development Office and 
the Tax Appeal Board. Its purpose is to establish program priorities 
and to determine the impoverished areas that are in need of financial 
assistance.
  More recently, in my first term as a U.S. Senator, Gonzalo Martinez 
has served on my National Parks Committee, a committee established in 
2003 to recommend the best possible location for a National Park Unit 
here in Delaware.
  I respect and admire Gonzalo for his dedication, his passion, and 
most of all, for his humility. He never takes credit for the 
accomplishments of the organizations. Instead of trying to build one 
large organization to meet all of the needs, Gonzalo has partnered with 
others who have expertise in certain areas to create organizations to 
meet a specific need. While the partners are all different, and the 
organizations have different missions, the thing they have in common is 
Gonzalo Martinez. He sees not only what could be, but what should be.
  Through Gonzalo's tireless efforts, he has made a profound difference 
in the lives of thousands and enhanced the quality of life for an 
entire State. Upon his departure, he will leave behind a legacy of 
commitment to public service for both our children and grandchildren 
and for the generations that will follow. I thank him for the 
friendship that we share, and I congratulate him on a remarkable second 
career. I wish him only the very best in all that lies ahead.

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