[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 130 (Thursday, September 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5559-S5560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CONGRATULATING TASSO de CASTRO LUGON

 Mr. MANCHIN. Madam President, I wish to extend warm wishes and 
gratitude to my dear friend, Tasso de Castro Lugon, who is retiring 
after a lifetime of outstanding public service as a southwestern 
Brazilian judge in his State of Espirito Santo and as a member and 
former chairman of the Partners of the Americas.
  I first met Tasso when I served as Secretary of State of West 
Virginia and have had the pleasure of working with him continuously as 
Governor and now as a Senator. We immediately established a friendship 
over shared philosophies, including the importance of forging 
meaningful relationships, working together for the common good, and 
creating lasting connections with the people we represent--something I 
also like to call retail government.
  In West Virginia we value hard work, loyalty, and our cultural 
practice of neighbors helping neighbors. These values depict who we are 
as West Virginians and as Americans, which is why I am so very honored 
to congratulate Tasso on not only his countless achievements throughout 
his professional career but also his devotion to always staying true to 
those defining principles.
  Always committed to the rule of law, Tasso served as a judge in the 
Brazilian court throughout his career. But true to his staunch 
dedication to building long-lasting relationships with local 
communities and those abroad, Tasso also became a member of the 
Partners of the Americas for 36 years before

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reaching the pinnacle of his career serving as chairman of the board.
  Throughout his tenure, Tasso has upheld an unfailing devotion to the 
friendship between the sister States of Espirito Santo and West 
Virginia. From the shores and peaks of Espirito Santo to the mountains, 
valleys, and rivers of the Mountain State, our friendship grew out of a 
common bond of respect to strengthening the relationship between our 
sister States. I cannot thank Tasso enough for cultivating that respect 
through a lifetime of unwavering service and dedication.
  West Virginians will continue to advance in many endeavors based on 
the new relationships and contacts that Tasso has formed, and our State 
will continue to benefit from his promotion of cultural, economic, and 
educational development between North and South America.
  I join my fellow West Virginians in sending our warmest regards to 
Tasso and his family for a happy and healthy retirement. We are deeply 
grateful for his loving and carefree spirit that he has dedicated to a 
lifetime of public service.

                          ____________________