[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 113 (Thursday, July 26, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING ALEXANDER TEVES, HERO AND VICTIM OF THE AURORA, COLORADO 
                       SHOOTINGS ON JULY 29, 2012

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2012

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and memory 
of Alex Teves, who was killed in the terrible shooting in Aurora, 
Colorado, not long ago. He died saving his girlfriend's life, pushing 
her out of the way and covering her with his body as bullets flew 
around the theater. He was only 24 years old.
  At his young age, he was already the kind of person many of us hope 
to be. Friends, family and everyone who knew him describe him as an 
extraordinarily warm, generous and sincere man. Beyond the goodness he 
showed his close friends, he was enthusiastic to meet and get to know 
everyone, whether they were older, younger, shared his interests or had 
never spoken with him before. People felt his optimism, his honesty and 
his genuine kindness as soon as they met him. He made the most of his 
natural gifts and abilities and made time to help others. He was more 
than a good example--he was a rare and very good human being.
  Every day in high school he wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans, and 
was so well-known and well-liked that the entire student body held a 
``Teves Day'' each year for everyone else to wear the same. He 
graduated from the University of Arizona in 2010 and earned his 
Master's in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver just 
this June. He was preparing to dedicate his life to helping those who 
could benefit from his warmth, his compassion and his wisdom. To anyone 
tempted to become cynical about our country, our future or our way of 
life, I say Alex Teves proves them wrong.
  Our nation loses someone special to gun violence far too often. In 
Alex, we lost someone who was not afraid to befriend strangers, not 
afraid to push himself in the service of others who needed help, and 
not afraid to give his life for someone he loved. He lived a quiet, 
everyday kind of heroism that never gets the recognition it deserves 
and never seeks it. I humbly offer my voice to the many, many others 
who are grieving for his death today, and offer them as much comfort 
and support as I can. He was a truly extraordinary person, and those 
who knew him best will miss him for a very long time. I believe his 
name will live on as a good, even a great, example for others. He felt 
a natural instinct to love, help and be good to the people around him, 
and he passed it on simply by being himself. He deserves a greater 
tribute than I can pay him today.

                          ____________________