[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 14 (Monday, January 25, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E53]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN MEMORIAM, DR. MARY JO FRANCO FRENCH, MD, JANUARY 4, 1936-DECEMBER 
                                31, 2015

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. KYRSTEN SINEMA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 25, 2016

  Ms. SINEMA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember Dr. Mary Jo Franco 
French, M.D., (Mary Jo), who passed away on December 31, 2015. A native 
Phoenician, Mary Jo was a revered leader in the Latino community, whose 
imprint on the city touched a countless number of people. She was the 
daughter of the Mexican Consul to Arizona, attended Xavier College 
Prep, ASU and medical school in Mexico City. From 1970-1980, Mary Jo 
was the editor of El Sol, the first Phoenix Spanish newspaper, which 
her parents launched in the 1930's. Mary Jo served on the Board of 
Directors of Alma de la Gente, the El Mirage Diabetes Coalition, Vesta 
Club, and Friends of Mexican Art. As the Executive Director of Hispanic 
Health Coalition, Mary Jo addressed critical health issues confronting 
the Valley's Latino families.
  In 1981, President Ronald Reagan appointed Mary Jo to the Defense 
Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS). As an Honorary 
General, Mary Jo met with service women throughout the world, 
discussing the challenges faced by our enlisted women. Mary Jo chaired 
the Veterans Day Parade and the Grand Army Ball; in 1988 she received 
the George Washington Award for distinguished civil service. For her 
years of leadership, Valle del Sol honored Mary Jo with the Profiles of 
Success Award in 1994. She was a principal strategist behind Pope John 
Paul II's visit to Phoenix in 1987.
  Above all else, Mary Jo was Alfred's wife for over 43 years, she was 
mother to Laura and Alfred Jr. and grandmother to Maya and Aran. 
Members, please join me in extending condolences to the Franco French 
family, as they mourn the loss of Mary Jo, an iconic woman, trailblazer 
and role model and who will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by 
all whose lives were made better because of her.

                          ____________________