[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 179 (Thursday, December 10, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1770]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE OCCASION OF MR. PAT CORELLA'S RETIREMENT

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                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 10, 2015

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, I wish to recognize and congratulate Mr. 
Pat CoreIla on the occasion of his retirement from his post as Deputy 
Director of the Pima County Library.
  Mr. Corella has dedicated over fifty years to serving his community 
with distinction. Born from humble beginnings, Mr. CoreIla has become a 
symbol of hard work, perseverance, and selflessness. A Tucson native, 
Mr. CoreIla is one of six siblings with strong family ties. Since a 
young age, Mr. CoreIla has borne much responsibility whether helping 
his family harvest crops in California during the summers to becoming 
an independent young man. He graduated from Pueblo High School in 1965 
and soon began his involvement with the Pima County Public Library 
system. As a library page, he assisted in shelving, book circulation, 
operating equipment and researching.
  In 1970 after marrying and beginning a family, he enrolled in the 
University of Arizona as a full-time student. In less than four years, 
Mr. CoreIla earned his bachelor's degree in Government and Public 
Administration. During that time, it was his job to drive the 
``bookmobile'' to areas in Tucson and Pima County where he provided 
imperative library services to low-income and underrepresented 
communities.
  Mr. Corella was instrumental in the opening of library branches in 
Tucson's barrios and surrounding rural communities. Due in part to his 
leadership, nineteen library branches were opened and sixteen others 
were either expanded or remodeled. Mr. Corella has always understood 
that libraries were educational institutions full of opportunity for 
underserved communities. He helped transition these library branches to 
modern technology and expanded the role of providing more services and 
resources beyond books. Today, Pima County branch libraries provide 
literacy programs for adults and children, after-school tutoring and 
access to computers and community services.
  Mr. Corella's final day was November 26, 2015, exactly fifty years to 
the day he began as a library page.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure and honor to recognize the commitment 
and dedication to our Southern Arizona community and the library system 
that Mr. Corella has demonstrated for well over fifty years.

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