[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 15 (Monday, January 27, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H1261-H1262]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PASSING OF ADELFA CALLEJO, DALLAS, TEXAS

  (Mr. VEASEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. VEASEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to recognize Adelfa Callejo, 
a legendary Latina civil rights leader in Texas who died Friday at the 
age of 90.
  A Dallas lawyer and civil rights leader who was first exposed to 
activism as a girl interpreting for her father, Adelfa made a 
significant impact during her life.
  Ms. Callejo became the first Latina to graduate from SMU School of 
Law and practiced in Dallas for more than 40 years, mentoring many 
Latino and Latina lawyers along the way.
  Adelfa Callejo, La Madrina, or Godmother, as many called her, is well

[[Page H1262]]

known for her civil rights work to eliminate racial barriers, stop 
immigrant abuse, and improve education in the State of Texas.
  During her dedication of an elementary school named after her in 
Dallas last year, Adelfa told the audience:

       Only through education will we make the world a better 
     place than we found it.

  May her commitment to improving education and her legacy of working 
on behalf of a better Texas continue through her family and all of 
those lives she has touched throughout the decades.

                          ____________________