[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 21, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING ELIZABETH FOSTER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2008

  Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Elizabeth 
Foster, who will be inaugurated as President of the Republic of the Rio 
Grande during the Webb County Heritage Foundation's annual Founders' 
Day Celebration at Texas A&M International University on May 10, 2008. 
Each year, the Heritage Foundation selects an individual who embodies 
outstanding commitment to historic preservation, and this year, that 
deserving individual is Mrs. Elizabeth Foster.
  Elizabeth was born on December 5, 1920, in Mission, Texas, to her 
parents, Louis J. Kowalski, and Dorothy Newhall Kowalski. She spent her 
early childhood in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, where her father was 
involved in the tobacco business. In 1931, Elizabeth's family moved to 
Laredo, Texas, when she was 10 years old. Elizabeth attended Heights 
Elementary School, L.J. Christen Middle School, and graduated from 
Laredo High School in 1937. She portrayed Princess Pocahontas in the 
Washington's Birthday Celebrations of 1939 and 1941, and was presented 
by the Society of Martha Washington in 1940. She married John E. Foster 
on May 1, 1941. She had 8 children: John, Elizabeth, Dorothy, Alice, 
Mary, Edward, Sarah, and Stephen, and is a proud grandparent to 10 
grandchildren. Mrs. Foster has admirably served the community of 
Laredo, Texas, through her civic work with the Daughters of the 
American Revolution, Ladies' Luncheon Club, and the Cotillion Club. She 
is also an active member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church.
  Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the 
dedication of Mrs. Elizabeth Foster to preserving the history of the 
City of Laredo, and for her inauguration as President of the Republic 
of the Rio Grande.

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