[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 128 (Tuesday, November 14, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2030]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO PAUL DE LA GARZA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM DAVIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 14, 2006

  Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in honor of Paul de la 
Garza, a passionate, dedicated journalist whose stories have sparked 
critical changes at Tampa's James A. Haley VA Medical Center and 
elsewhere. Paul's passing last month is a tremendous loss to his 
colleagues at the St. Petersburg Times and the entire Tampa Bay 
community.
  Paul's inspiring work ethic developed at an early age. From humble 
beginnings in Port Isabel, TX, Paul worked his way through elementary 
school, high school and college and fought his way into the newsroom. 
Paul cultivated his love for journalism at the University of Texas at 
Austin where he served as reporter and editor of the student newspaper, 
earning a job offer in the Associated Press's Chicago bureau.
  Paul first came to the Tampa Bay area in 1992 to work for the St. 
Petersburg Times, writing police news stories, a column and helping to 
edit the Tampa section. He went on to work at the Chicago Tribune as a 
metro reporter, then a foreign correspondent and Mexico City bureau 
chief.
  The St. Petersburg Times welcomed Paul's return in 2000, and since 
then, his breaking news stories have helped to expose problems in 
veterans health care services at Haley, as well as shedding light onto 
operations at Tampa's MacDill Air Force Base.
  Paul's relentless pursuit of sources, his ability to befriend people 
from all walks of life, and his passion for revealing the truth, made 
him a superb journalist. But Paul will also be remembered for his 
compassion for others, his brave battle against Hodgkin's disease, and 
his intense love of family.
  On behalf of the entire Tampa Bay community, I would like to extend 
my deepest sympathies to Paul's family. May his wife and children find 
comfort in the many people that Paul inspired and the legacy he leaves 
behind.

                          ____________________