[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 105 (Wednesday, September 8, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1542]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             JOE SERNA, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DENNIS A. CARDOZA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 7, 2004

  Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, shortly following what would 
have been former Sacramento Mayor Joe Serna's 65th Birthday, to join 
with his friends and family in helping to honor Joe's lifelong 
commitment to bettering the lives of his fellow citizens through the 
dedication of the Joe Serna Jr. Amphitheater at Delta College.
  The great labor leader, Cesar Chavez, once said, ``You knock on 
twenty doors or so, and twenty guys tell you . . . that they haven't 
got time. But maybe at the fortieth or sixtieth house you find the one 
guy who is all you need.''
  Joe was one of those remarkable men Cesar Chavez was looking for. He 
was a much rarer breed than one in forty or one in sixty. Joe was, at 
the very least, one in a million.
  He answered this call to service and action at an early age, losing 
his job at a manufacturing facility by endorsing a strike. He continued 
this fight on behalf of his fellow man for the remainder of his life. 
He was often called upon to lend assistance to his mentor, Cesar 
Chavez, and did not once turn down such a request.
  His devotion to others was remarkable and unrelenting; whether as a 
worker in a trailer factory, as a labor leader, as a volunteer in the 
Peace Corps, as the civic leader of California's capital city, or as a 
husband, father and grandfather.
  It is fitting that Delta College is naming a building for him. Once 
Joe had decided to answer Chavez's call and take the path of self-
sacrifice and dedication to his community, Delta College was the first 
place he turned to hone the skills that would allow him to be the most 
effective advocate he could be.
  We can only hope that future generations passing through the campus 
will have some measure of the integrity and dedication to his fellow 
man as Joe Serna Jr. displayed his entire life. We are all the better 
for his efforts and it is my honor to recognize and pay tribute once 
again to this fine American.

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