[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 70 (Tuesday, May 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E905]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING SORROW OF THE HOUSE AT THE DEATH OF THE HONORABLE JUANITA 
  MILLENDER-McDONALD, MEMBER OF CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, April 23, 2007

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, my presence on this floor 
today is marked by a sad and heavy melancholy over the loss of a friend 
and dearest colleague. We have lost a good friend, indeed a great 
friend, in Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald. I wish to extend 
with deepest sincerity my sympathy and condolences to her family and to 
her constituents of Long Beach, Compton, and Los Angeles.
  It is a common tradition in our society to look past the loss of the 
physical being in order to best preserve and cherish the personal 
being. However, the difficulty in this emerges when we constantly find 
ourselves reveling in the presence of that person as an everyday part 
of our lives. Congresswoman Millender-McDonald will be so sorely 
missed. She was and is still a part of our everyday lives. It is hard 
to fathom the idea that we will never hear her voice again--for her 
eloquence and passion in speaking, and her unforgettable laughter, will 
ring in our ears. The strength and tenacity that propelled her through 
her life's work will continue to inspire us. As we continue our work in 
her memory, I encourage all of us to remember her as we walk through 
the hallowed Halls of Congress. If we stop and listen, we will hear her 
footsteps echo in these great marble corridors.
  Juanita's accomplishments and achievements in life were many. But as 
we mourn the loss of her physical-self, we would do well to remember 
her compassionate-self, her temperate-self, which encompassed an 
unfailing dedication to public service. I most humbly thank 
Congresswoman Millender-McDonald for her being an exemplary public 
servant. I praise her for her stalwart fight against cancer. At last, I 
am comforted by the fact that her truly unconquerable soul is yet 
unvanquished.

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