[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 13 (Tuesday, January 23, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MS. NORA ROCK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 23, 2007

  Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I rise to commend a pioneer of Brownsville, 
Texas, on the occasion, of her 105th birthday.
  Nora Rock will celebrate that birthday tomorrow; and her name belies 
her strength. She is a rock. That also describes her faith in the Lord; 
He is her rock.
  Her family came to Brownsville in the aftermath of the Civil War. Her 
grandfather was part of the Union Army occupying Brownsville in the 
1860s.
  She is an amazing woman, a quiet, simple lady whose love in life is 
service to others. She believes her longevity is a gift from God, one 
which she repays by spending her long life helping others in her 
community.
  She remembers going to military band concerts at Fort Brown--the Army 
fort around which Brownsville grew--as a teenager during World War I, 
and remembers the daily cannon firings during those troubled times.
  Ms. Rock is a very nice and humble lady who is wholly devoted to her 
faith and the South Texas community. Her way is to help others in a 
private way, not a public way to win accolades. The look of happiness 
in the eyes of another is all the tribute she would want or need.
  She is an extraordinary American who has seen the history of our 
Nation in the 20th Century from the front row. She says she is still so 
vibrant after 100 years because the Lord has seen fit to keep her on 
the earth, but also--she says with a twinkle in her eyes--because she 
loves chocolate.
  Madam Speaker, I would imagine she would not have expected for a 
woman to occupy the Speaker's Chair for the U.S. House of 
Representatives during her lifetime; we are both glad to have the 
opportunity to see you there.
  I ask Speaker Pelosi, and our colleagues, to join me in commending 
the long and beautiful life of Nora Rock.

                          ____________________