[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 120 (Tuesday, August 2, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Page S5244]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        REMEMBERING GEORGE RAMOS

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I would like to take a few moments 
to remember George Ramos, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with the 
Los Angeles Times who served his beloved hometown for decades and 
inspired countless others to follow in his extraordinary footsteps.
  Born in 1947, George Ramos was a native of East Los Angeles. At a 
time when only a small number of Latino students enrolled in college, 
Ramos graduated in 1969 from California Polytechnic University in San 
Luis Obispo with a bachelor's degree in journalism.
  Shortly after completing his studies, Ramos enlisted in the U.S. Army 
and served in West Germany and South Vietnam before returning to 
journalism. He worked for several newspapers before arriving at the Los 
Angeles Times, where he served for more than 25 years.
  As an editor and reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Ramos joined 
with 17 Latino journalists to write the Pulitzer Prize winning ``Latino 
Project'' and also contributed to the Los Angeles Times' Pulitzer 
Prize-winning coverage of the 1992 Los Angeles riots and the 1994 
Northridge earthquake. In addition to his award winning work in print 
media, Ramos also briefly co-hosted the Emmy Award-winning show ``Life 
& Times'' and served as a part-time faculty member at the University of 
Southern California. When he left the Los Angeles Times in 2003, he 
returned to California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo as a 
member of the journalism faculty.
  Ramos lived in the Los Angeles area for most of his life and enjoyed 
the diversity of its vibrant neighborhoods. He maintained close ties to 
his childhood community of East Los Angeles and frequently visited 
local schools to speak about journalism and the importance of higher 
education. Ramos served as a mentor to many aspiring journalists and 
also as two-term president of California Chicano New Media 
Association--a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting diversity 
in the field of journalism.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in recognizing and honoring the 
memory of George Ramos for his long and distinguished service to our 
country.

                          ____________________