[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 56 (Thursday, April 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E882]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


CONGRATULATING MARTHA HERNANDEZ FOR 45 YEARS OF COMMITMENT TO FIREMAN'S 
                                  FUND

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 2, 2009

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, in an age in which the average job tenure 
is 5 years, it is increasingly rare fo someone to be with the same 
company for 20 years, and extraordinary that someone would be with one 
organization for 45 years and still engaging in the workplace with the 
same enthusiasm and professionalism that they had throughout their 
career.
  Such is the case with Martha Hernandez, who joined the Fireman's Fund 
Insurance Company in San Francisco in May 1964 and continues to be with 
them today, moving with the company to Novato, California, in my 
Congressional District.
  Martha came to Fireman's Fund as a 14-year-old girl having moved from 
Mexico City with her parents and brother Rubin to the United States 
where they settled in Pacifica, California. Her first job at the Fund 
was manually coding policies that would then go to a key punch 
operator, high tech for the time, but now the technological equivalent 
of the horse and buggy age. Over time, Martha's work continued to 
expand and she became an underwriting technician where she developed an 
excellent reputation for her attention to detail.
  For Martha, the people at Fireman's Fund are a part of her family, 
and apparently it is a two way street. She left the company for a grand 
total of two weeks in 1984 when there was a reduction in force, but 
came back when her friends and colleagues helped find another job for 
her. As far as everyone is concerned, she never left Fireman's Fund 
just as no one can ever escape a loving home.
  Martha is very involved in her church and is a devoted aunt to her 
four nephews and one niece and a two-year-old great niece. Over the 
years, she has made her own unique contributions to the Christmas 
holiday festivities at Fireman's Fund by bringing in her three types of 
homemade tamales that have reduced the enthusiasm her colleagues have 
for the ones they usually get in restaurants.
  Martha continues to work at Fireman's Fund in their Resolution 
Services division, and commutes everyday from her home in San Francisco 
to Novato in her red and white Mini Cooper.
  Madam Speaker, most of the news we read regarding work life is 
directed at people who are in top management who might be making the 
big decisions. However, our economy is really dependent upon the people 
who keep things going, processing the information, and making certain 
that goods and services are provided for. Martha Hernandez is a person 
who has helped our country to flourish, and it gives me tremendous 
pleasure to recognize her contribution to Fireman's Fund and to the 
well-being of the Bay Area.

                          ____________________