[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 91 (Friday, July 1, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1425]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING GILBERT ARENAS CASTILLO ON HIS 80TH BIRTHDAY

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                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 30, 2005

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a constituent of 
mine, Gilbert Arenas Castillo on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
  Like many immigrant-Americans, Mr. Castillo came to this country as a 
young adult seeking to fulfill his dream of a better life in a new 
land. His story is the classic immigrant tale of leaving the comforts 
of family and home behind in the adventurous and challenging pursuit of 
the American Dream.
  In attaining his version of the American Dream, Mr. Castillo 
purchased a home and together with his devoted wife Delia Gutierrez 
Castillo raised a family of 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and 5 great 
grandchildren; became a United States citizen; exercised his civic 
duties including voting regularly; became a land lord; retired 
following a successful career; became a certified television 
technician; and recently earned his high school diploma--at the age of 
79!
  I can think of no better honor to salute Mr. Castillo's achievements 
on the occasion of his 80th birthday than to enter into the 
Congressional Record the story of his life as he wrote it on the recent 
occasion of his high school graduation.
  Mr. Speaker, I extend my best wishes to Mr. Castillo and his family 
on his 80th birthday, and I hold him up as a model example of the 
American Dream come true.

                   Autobiography of Gilbert Castillo

       I was born in Mexico City, Mexico on July 18, 1925. I had a 
     very difficult childhood. At the age of ten I began hearing 
     stories about the United States of America, the land of 
     promise. It was soon my dream to go to the United States. I 
     was told that there your dreams can be achieved.
       In 1943, when I was 18 years old, I had the opportunity to 
     come to the United States as a contract worker. I came to 
     work in Texas at the Santa Fe Rail. I was one of many Mexican 
     Immigrants working for the railroad. It was hard work laying 
     rails down and the weather was unforgivable. It was either 
     extremely cold or extremely hot but nonetheless I fell in 
     love with this great country.. I was only able to work under 
     contract for six months then I had to return to Mexico.
       A few months later I signed another contract to come back 
     to work in the U.S. I was working in the fields of Madera, 
     California as a field hand or as we were referred to back 
     then as a ``bracero''. I did this for six months.
       For the next year and a half I worked in several different 
     restaurants as a bus boy. Those jobs took me from Sacramento 
     to San Francisco. They were very exciting times. I was happy 
     to be living in the U.S.A.
       In 1946 I returned to Mexico. I spent the next two years in 
     Mexico dreaming of returning to this country. In 1948 I 
     returned to the United States.
       I was working in a restaurant in 1949 when I met a 
     beautiful lady named Delia. We fell in love and got married. 
     We spent 52 years together. Delia was a wonderful wife and 
     mother. She was completely dedicated to the family. She 
     passed away in December of 2001 and is greatly missed. We had 
     a total of six children. Our eldest son Gilbert Jr. works for 
     Southern California Edison, Evelyn our eldest daughter works 
     for the County of San Bernardino County, and her husband 
     David is a CPA for the City of Redlands. Our two other 
     daughters Blanca Stella and Judith are both police officers 
     as is my son-in-law Rudy. Our son Victor works for U.S. 
     Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard and was a member of the 
     1992 Presidential Electoral College, and our youngest son 
     Christopher works in the home construction industry.
       In 1955 I started working for General Motors in South Gate 
     California. I worked there for 28 years assembling 
     automobiles. While I was working for G.M. I went to night 
     school and received a certificate in electronics. It took me 
     two years to complete that course, but at the end I was a 
     certified television technician. On my spare time I repaired 
     televisions, radios and stereos.
       I became a U.S. citizen in 1976 and have exercised my 
     voting power ever since. My wife Delia also became a citizen 
     in 1995 and was also very proud to be an American.
       In 2002 I decided to return to school and work towards 
     attaining my high school diploma. Going back to school has 
     been very beneficial for me. It has kept me busy, attending 
     five days a week. It has kept my brain sharp and eager to 
     learn more. It has also given me the opportunity to make new 
     friends. In fact, I met a wonderful lady named Josephine. She 
     is very special to me and we have become very close 
     companions.
       My goal is to continue my education. I would also like to 
     learn a new trade. I'm looking in to a refrigeration course. 
     I will be eighty years old in July of this year, and I still 
     believe that you can achieve your dreams at any age. I love 
     this country and the opportunities it has given me. With a 
     little hard work and dedication you can accomplish anything 
     in this great country no matter how old you are. I am proud 
     to be an American. May God bless the United States of 
     America.




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