[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 135 (Friday, December 8, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2149]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           REMEMBERING ROGELIO SANCHEZ UPON HIS RECENT DEATH

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. SILVESTRE REYES

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 7, 2006

  Mr. REYES. Mr. Speaker, today I remember a friend who passed away 
last week, former El Paso County Commissioner Rogelio Sanchez.
  More than a friend, Rogelio was a public servant and part of the 
political lineage that enabled me to serve my city and my country in 
Congress. Born in Mexico, a valedictorian at Fort Hancock High School, 
a graduate of Sul Ross State University, a World War II veteran, and a 
teacher for many years in El Paso, Rogelio served the lower valley of 
El Paso, Texas, on the El Paso County Commissioner's Court for 36 
years. At a time when minorities were not adequately represented in 
government, his leadership on Commissioner's Court and his persistent 
advocacy of diversity and opportunity opened the door for many Latinos 
to enter politics and public service.
  He neutralized prejudice with his humor and easy-going manner and 
overcame discrimination with a record of accomplishment that includes 
roles in the construction of the Sun Bowl, Trans Mountain Road, 
Thomason Hospital, the new country courthouse, the new county jail, and 
many senior citizen nutrition centers. His fingerprints on El Paso are 
some of our proudest structures.
  In addition, his work holds a special place in my heart because he 
was responsible for initiating Head Start in El Paso, a Federal program 
the success and expansion of which ranks high among my legislative 
priorities.
  Politics and public service in El Paso looked a lot different when 
Rogelio left Commissioner's Court in 1997 than when he first won 
election to office in 1960. The path he helped blaze ultimately led me 
to Congress. He was a giant for his people. He was an inspiration for 
me.
  Nothing says more about a man, however, than his family. Rogelio was 
one of 10 children born to Rogelio and Petra Sanchez and the first 
among them to attend college. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, 
Mary, and their three children, Michael, Albert and Maricela. In 
addition to knowing Rogelio as a public servant, I knew him as a family 
man--and that is how I will remember him.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in mourning the death 
of Rogelio Sanchez and recognizing his legacy.

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