[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 21 (Wednesday, February 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E219]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               IN HONOR AND REMEMBRANCE OF ROBERTO OCASIO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 25, 2004

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and remembrance of 
Roberto Ocasio. His love for family, music and community has left an 
indelible mark upon our city, and his passing has created a significant 
void for all who knew and loved him well.
  Mr. Ocasio was born in New York City and raised in Cleveland. By the 
tender age of ten, he was performing in public, already greatly 
inspired by Latin music and jazz. He mastered several instruments along 
the way, including guitar, piano, clarinet and saxophone. As a young 
man, he left Cleveland for New York City to further his musical 
education, then onto Boston, where he studied at Berklee College of 
Music, mastering composing and arranging.
  Mr. Ocasio's Latin Jazz eight-piece band, Roberto Ocasio's Latin Jazz 
Project, entertained local and national audiences and won critical 
acclaim. For two consecutive years, Roberto Ocasio's Latin Jazz Project 
was awarded the Cleveland Free Times Music Award for ``Best Jazz 
Band.'' More significantly than winning awards, Mr. Ocasio used his 
musical genius to reach out to the Hispanic community, offering 
instruction, song and hope by performing at schools, universities, 
churches and community events. Mr. Ocasio was honored as the ``2001 
Hispanic of the Year'' by the offices of the United States Senate, in 
collaboration with Nuevos Horizontes Newspaper, for his exceptionally 
dedicated service to our Hispanic community.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, please join me in honor and remembrance 
of Roberto Ocasio, who freely shared his gifts of music, warmth, wit 
and concern for others. His life was lived joyously and his gift of 
song and humanity has touched countless lives. I extend my deepest 
condolences to those who loved and knew him well--his wonderful family 
and many friends. Although he will be deeply missed, the lyrical song 
of Roberto Ocasio's spirited life will resound in the hearts of 
everyone he loved and inspired--today, and for generations to come.

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