[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 52 (Tuesday, April 26, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E769-E770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       RECOGNIZING BOB MANSANARES

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 26, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Bob 
Mansanares, one of my fellow Coloradans on the occasion of his 
retirement from government service. For 32 years Bob has been one of 
our State's most dedicated public servants.
  He began his Federal career in 1973 as a claims representative for 
the Social Security Administration and went on to become the Regional 
Director of the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs. At the time 
of his retirement and since July 2001 he has directed the Energy 
Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program.
  Bob, born in Del Norte, Colorado, to Martin and Ernestine Mansanares, 
is the oldest of four siblings. Money was scarce in his home but there 
was always food, clothing and a roof over his head. Above all he had 
the things that money cannot buy, love and the support of his family 
and friends. So while Bob grew up poor he never considered himself a 
victim or disadvantaged. One of his fondest childhood memories is 
fishing the streams of the valley with his father. Del Norte is an 
agricultural rural community and Bob and the family did farm labor as a 
child, picking potatoes and picking peas for a penny a pound to make 
ends meet. It was there that Bob acquired his work ethic and his 
unshakable faith in the working men and women of this country. He went 
from those humble beginnings to be the first in his family to go to 
college. In 1968 he was recruited by the Migrant Action Program to 
attend the University of Colorado at Boulder earning his degree in 
1972.
  While he was a student in college, Bob was torn between making a lot 
of money and devoting his life to public service. Fortunately for us, 
he chose the latter and has spent his entire Federal career in programs 
that focus on workers benefits and entitlements. He chose to repay in 
some small measure the debt he felt he owed to the community and to 
those less fortunate than he. As a former farm worker he became keenly 
aware of the working poor who had little or no knowledge of the 
benefits and entitlements available to persons who suffered from work 
related injuries or disabilities.
  Over the course of his 32 year career his work philosophy has always 
been to make the process easier, to avoid acronyms and technical 
terminology which many find difficult to understand. Under his purview 
the process has become more user friendly. This lay approach to 
claiming benefits has been the key to his many successes. Another of 
Bob's notable achievements is serving as Commissioner on the Veterans 
Claims Adjudication Commission to review and write the report of 
findings, conclusions and recommendations for the disposition of claims 
to the VA.
  The joy of his life has been Mary, his wife of 34 years, and their 
four children, Nick, Elissa, and David. His oldest daughter, Christie, 
died tragically in an automobile accident in 2001.

[[Page E770]]

  Bob has always been a modest man, avoiding the limelight and the 
accolades he so richly deserves. That is why I chose to honor him now 
for a lifetime of service, particularly those who might otherwise get 
lost in the federal bureaucracy.
  Bob's simple philosophy includes ``taking it one day at a time,'' and 
that is what he plans to do. Bob's mother passed away in 2001 and since 
then he has been telling his father that if he waited until he retired 
they would spend many days fishing the streams of his youth in his 
beloved San Luis Valley. Bob, good luck to you and Martin, may the fish 
always bite and may the sun always be at your back, as you ``take it 
one day at a time.''
  Enjoy your retirement.

                          ____________________