[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 38 (Friday, March 15, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E314]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              IN RECOGNITION OF AMBASSADOR RAYMOND TELLES

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. XAVIER BECERRA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 15, 2013

  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the legacy of a 
great American, Ambassador Raymond Telles, a true pioneer in 
international and civic leadership.
  Ambassador Telles passed away on March 8, 2013 at the age of 97 in 
the company of those who loved him. He is survived by his daughters, 
Dr. Cynthia Telles and Dr. Patricia Telles-Irvin and their families. 
His life was the very definition of a trailblazer. Ambassador Telles 
was America's first ambassador of Latino descent, the first Latino to 
be mayor of a major American city and a decorated U.S. Air Force 
Colonel.
  Born September 5, 1915 in El Paso, Texas, Ambassador Telles began his 
career at the Department of Justice before being drafted into the 
United States Army Air Force where he admirably served as the Chief of 
the Lend-Lease Program for South and Central America. In honor of his 
distinguished work, he was awarded the Mexican Legion of Merit, the 
Order of the Southern Cross from Brazil, Columbian wings, and the 
Peruvian Flying Cross. Later Ambassador Telles served as a military 
aide for President Harry S. Truman and General Dwight D. Eisenhower 
during World War II.
  After being recalled as the Executive Officer of the 67th Tactical 
and Reconnaissance Group during the Korean War, Raymond Telles was 
elected Mayor of El Paso, Texas in November 1957. While in office, he 
encouraged fire and police departments around the city to diversify 
their workforce. Following a close first election, he went on to win a 
second term unopposed. After his tenure as mayor, President John F. 
Kennedy appointed him as U.S. Ambassador to Costa Rica. In 1967, 
President Richard Nixon called on Ambassador Telles to serve as 
Chairman of the U.S.-Mexican Border Commission. He would later be 
appointed as Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity 
Commission where he served in the administrations of Presidents Richard 
Nixon and Gerald Ford.
  Although Ambassador Telles will be known in many political circles as 
a tireless public servant, he will eternally be remembered by those 
closest to him as a caring father, loving husband, and mentor who paved 
the way for others to succeed long after his passing. As someone who 
advised so many young emerging leaders, he can rest comfortably knowing 
that the light of his legacy will shine for several generations to 
come.
  Mr. Speaker, we are truly fortunate to live in a country which gives 
every one of us an opportunity to make our dreams come true. A few 
remarkable Americans achieve a level of service to country that opens 
the door not just to their dreams but to ours as well. Many of us, 
therefore, have a profound desire and abiding obligation to look up to 
the sky to say to Ambassador Raymond Telles, ``Thank you!'' Surely, he 
is smiling upon us now as he surveys the countless dreams he brought to 
life. May Ambassador Telles rest in peace and may his family celebrate 
the life and memory of a dear family man and American patriot.

                          ____________________