[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 4 (Friday, January 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E45]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN HONOR OF PETER CHACON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JUAN VARGAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 9, 2015

  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Peter Chacon for a 
lifetime of selfless service and leadership to our nation and our 
community. He served honorably in the United States Air Force during 
World War II and in the California State legislature for over 20 years.
  Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Mr. Chacon was raised in a home of modest 
means with three older sisters and three younger brothers. As a 
teenager, he would shine shoes and park cars in downtown Phoenix to 
help support his family. His father, Petronilo Chacon, served as a 
commander in Mexico to Pancho Villa's revolutionary Army and taught Mr. 
Chacon to fight for what he believed in with passion and determination, 
while defending the rights of those who could not do the same.
  In 1943, at the age of 18 and in the midst of World War II, Mr. 
Chacon enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He served honorably for two 
years of wartime service as a Ball Turret Gunner on a B-17 Flying 
Fortress. During his service, he flew 35 successful missions over 
Germany. On one such mission, his plane was shot down and forced to 
crash land on a small island off the Italian coast where he and the 
rest of the crew were later rescued.
  After the war, Mr. Chacon returned home as a hero and enrolled in San 
Diego City College and later San Diego State University where he 
received a bachelor's degree in education and a master's degree in 
school administration. He began a career as a teacher, where he 
discovered injustices facing Spanish speaking children in schools. In 
1968, with the help of two friends, Mr. Chacon founded the Chicano 
Federation in an effort to unite the Latino voice in the San Diego 
community. One of the first accomplishments of the Chicano Federation 
was the creation of the historic Chicano Park in the Barrio Logan 
community. Chicano Park has come to be an important symbol of the 
Chicano Movement.
  In 1969, Mr. Chacon decided to run for the California State Assembly 
in an effort the change the education system from within. Mr. Chacon 
was elected in 1970 to represent California's 79th assembly district, 
where he served for 22 years. He is best known for authoring 
legislation to create the California Housing Finance Agency, the Rural 
Housing Development Program, and the landmark Bilingual/Bicultural 
Education Program for the more than 230,000 limited English speaking 
students in the state.
  Mr. Chacon was an inspirational leader in the San Diego community and 
his contributions will not be forgotten. He is survived by his four 
sons, Chris, Paul, Ralph and Jeff.

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