[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 131 (Tuesday, November 16, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2006]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DEATH OF RAUL BESTEIRO, 
                               ``MR. B''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 16, 2004

  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, this week my heart is heavy with the sad news 
of the passing of a unique and beloved patriot, Raul A. Besteiro Jr., 
known affectionately throughout South Texas, and around the world, as 
``Mr. B.'' His death has devastated the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, 
where he was simply a legend.
  Mr. B was just an exceptional human being. He did in the course of 
his life what all of us want to do, he literally changed people's lives 
. . . locally, nationally and internationally. His name was so 
synonymous with Brownsville that many people actually thought that 
``Mr. B'' meant ``Mr. Brownsville.''
  He touched the lives of thousands of young people in Brownsville as 
an educator and school administrator in his early years. He was their 
role model, surrogate parent, teacher, inspiration, motivator and 
champion.
  He was a force within the national business community in persuading 
the Congress to pass NAFTA, giving South Texas the economic opportunity 
and the development tools to attract more commerce--and better jobs--to 
Brownsville. He was my powerful ally in working to improve the economic 
circumstances and vitality of the Rio Grande Valley.
  Over the last decade, with NAFTA in place, he turned his attention to 
harnessing global trade routes to the Valley and the Port of 
Brownsville, a task now only partially complete.
  He remained an important part of improving the lives of young people 
in South Texas--and the Nation--through his work with the University of 
Texas at Brownsville, and with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus 
Institute's intern and fellowship programs.
  I loved Mr. B so much, and relied heavily on his counsel and his 
friendship. He loved trains; whenever I see a train, I think of Mr. B. 
I will miss him personally and professionally. Yet it is the Rio Grande 
Valley of Texas and the Port of Brownsville that will miss the presence 
of his sweet soul most profoundly.
  Brownsville has lost three legends in 2004: Senior U.S. District 
Judge Filemon B. Vela, U.S. Circuit Judge Reynaldo G. Garza, and now 
Mr. B. Brownsville Public Utilities Board member Cris Valadez offered a 
beautiful tribute when he said, ``In Spanish there's an old saying that 
we don't bury men like Mr. B; we plant them in hopes that others like 
him will grow and be here with us because it will be a better world.''
  Mr. B gave so much of himself to his community; he was a principled 
example to all those around him. He was the principal of Brownsville 
High School; he was superintendent of the Brownsville Independent 
School District; he was elected president of the Southern Association 
of Colleges and Schools; he became director of the Port of Brownsville; 
he was the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost 
College Distinguished Alumnus in 2000; he was named to the Legends of 
Texas Hall of Fame; he served as Chairman of the Board of the 
International Bank of Commerce for Cameron County; he was vice chair of 
the Brownsville & Rio Grande Railroad; he was a member of the 
Institutional Development Board at the University of Texas at 
Brownsville; he was a member of the Rio Grande Valley Partnership; he 
was board president of the Historical Brownsville Museum; he was 
elected vice-chairman of the Brownsville Public Utilities Board in 
2004; and he was a leader in the local Salvation Army, Red Cross, 
United Way of South Texas and the American Cancer Society.
  Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I hope when you say your prayers tonight, 
you will ask God to bless Mr. B's family--his beloved wife Mina and 
their children--as they learn to live without him; and pray for the 
community of Brownsville which has lost such a dear pioneer of our 
city.

                          ____________________