[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 90 (Friday, June 25, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1257-E1258]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO CHRIS VICTOR SEMOS

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 24, 2004

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with profound 
sadness that I pay tribute to the life and the memory of Chris Victor 
Semos. He was a devoted husband, a loving father, a lawmaker, a 
humanitarian, and a leader in the community of God and the community of 
mankind. He was unflagging.
  It was my privilege to serve with Chris Victor Semos in the Texas 
State capitol in Austin.

[[Page E1258]]

Elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1967, he served the 
people of his district and his state with honor, integrity and 
distinction for 16 years. A lawmaker's lawmaker, he served as the 
Chairman of the Claims Committee, the Business and Industry Committee, 
the Dallas Legislative Delegation. He was untiring.
  His sense of timing was always perfect. Chris Victor Semos was born 
in 1936. This was also the year of the Texas Centennial. This was not 
by chance or happenstance, for he believed he was destined to celebrate 
Texas and all things Texas. It was the delight of Chris Victor Semos' 
heart to have the honor of serving as the Chairman of the Texas 
Sesquicentennial Commission. Because of the energy and the energy he 
devoted to the promotion and the celebration of Texas' 150th 
anniversary, his peers bestowed upon him the aptly descriptive 
sobriquet ``The Father of the Texas Sesquicentennial.'' He was 
indefatigable.
  Chris Victor Semos also made a lasting impact on Dallas. For 12 years 
the people of Dallas County as the County Commissioner. He was elected 
to the office in 1983. During his tenure, he poured every ounce of his 
considerable energy into building roads and bridges around the county. 
He was unfaltering.
  Because of his commitment to his community, Chris Victor Semos was 
the recipient of countless awards. His honors, his awards and his 
decorations are too vast to name. Emblematic of the esteem in which he 
was held by his peers and his community, the Oak Cliff Lion's Club 
honored Chris Victor Semos with the Humanitarian Award. It was not an 
honor that he took lightly. As a 50-year member of the Oak Cliff Lion's 
Club, he promoted the welfare of others and championed reforms that 
improved the lives of his fellow man and fellow woman. He was 
unrelenting.
  Chris Victor Semos was filled with joy when he was united in holy 
matrimony with Anastasia, his bride of 37 years. His heart was filled 
with joy with the birth of each of his three daughters, Mary Katherine, 
Victoria Evelyn, and Kristina Anastasia. They were his greatest mark of 
distinction. His love and devotion for his wife and his daughters were 
unceasing.
  Mr. Speaker, after a lifetime of devoting his life to serving others, 
Chris Victor Semos has gone to his eternal rest. Therefore, I ask my 
colleagues to join me in paying tribute to former Texas State 
Representative Chris Semos. Moreover, I join with the city of Dallas 
and the State of Texas in mourning the loss of an outstanding citizen 
and friend.

                          ____________________