[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 176 (Monday, December 7, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MR. JOSE HURTADO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 7, 2015

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Jose 
Hurtado, a faculty member at Napa Valley College, who is retiring this 
month after 38 years of service.
  Mr. Hurtado's family immigrated to the United States in 1958. I had 
the pleasure of growing up with Jose, who went on to earn degrees from 
Napa Valley College, UC Davis, and Sacramento State College. He was the 
first in his family to earn college degrees, and his younger siblings 
quickly followed his lead.
  In 1977, Mr. Hurtado began work as a counseling assistant at Napa 
Valley College. In 1980, he became the first Extended Opportunity 
Programs and Services (EOPS) Counselor hired to a tenure-track 
position. Nine years later, in 1989, Mr. Hurtado moved to the 
Counseling Department. He subsequently served as Division Chair of Napa 
Valley College's Counseling Department, before working temporarily as 
the school's Coordinator of the non-Credit Matriculation Program. In 
2003, Mr. Hurtado moved back to General Counseling on the Napa campus, 
and began working with the school's student-athletes in 2010. In 2013, 
Mr. Hurtado became Coordinator of the combined Career and Transfer 
Programs at Napa Valley College.
  Over the course of his 38-year career, Mr. Hurtado earned numerous 
awards and accolades. He was elected to the Napa Valley Unified School 
District Governing Board in 2004, and in 2011, he joined Community 
Action Napa Valley, an organization of which he is currently Chairman. 
Last year, Mr. Hurtado was appointed by California Governor Jerry Brown 
to the Napa Valley Expo Board of Directors, and in 2015, he became a 
member of the Napa County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
  Looking back, Mr. Hurtado is especially proud of his children and 
grandchildren, his U.S. citizenship, and his election to the school 
board. His children's weddings remain among Mr. Hurtado's happiest 
moments. He remains lovably quirky to the community, reading four 
newspapers every Sunday and cheerfully interacting with Napa Valley 
students on a daily basis. Next year, Mr. Hurtado plans to complete a 
500-mile trek on Spain's ancient Camino de Santiago trail.
  Mr. Speaker, Jose Hurtado has devoted nearly 40 years to his 
community and to the education of our young people. He has demonstrated 
exceptional character, confidence, and compassion, and his community 
has benefitted enormously from his efforts. For these reasons and 
others, it is fitting and proper that we honor him here today.

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