[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 72 (Thursday, April 27, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S2613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REMEMBERING DR. ROLANDO ALUM, SR.

 Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the memory 
of the late Dr. Rolando Alum, Sr., of West New York, NJ. At the age of 
104, Dr. Alum passed away on March 27, a month ago today, leaving 
behind a legacy of community service and a family full of achievements. 
I had the distinct pleasure of knowing Dr. Alum personally. He was my 
constituent from when I first served in the New Jersey State Assembly 
over 25 years ago to when I became U.S. Senator. I could not be more 
impressed with the accomplished life of Dr. Rolando Alum, Sr., and his 
embodiment of the American spirit.
  Dr. Alum was born and raised in Havana, Cuba. He began his career as 
a professor and dean at a local technical college, educating his 
students on literature and grammar. He then went on to become a 
dentist, treating patients with whom who he would keep in touch 
throughout his life. In 1961, Dr. Alum and his family fled Cuba in 
pursuit of liberty and a better life after the Castro brothers turned 
the island-nation into a Soviet-modeled totalitarian country.
  When Dr. Alum came to the United States, he decided to settle and 
raise his family in Hudson County, NJ. His first job was at a cardboard 
box factory in Essex County. Wanting more for his family, Dr. Alum 
worked tirelessly to become a successful research scientist for a 
pharmaceutical company, eventually joining a research team that 
included a Nobel Prize winning doctor. At his company, Dr. Alum 
established important quality control measures and developed 
influential drugs.
  The light of Dr. Alum's life was his family. Rolando and his pre-
deceased wife, Sara, raised a truly exceptional family by any measure. 
I have worked side by side with his oldest son Roland Alum, Jr., on 
many civic and community engagement activities to better the State of 
New Jersey. Dr. Alum's youngest son Luis is an accomplished attorney 
and a leader in New Jersey's legal community. Rolando's grandson, 
Alexander, is the Assistant U.S. Attorney in Puerto Rico. Janelle, Dr. 
Alum's granddaughter, is a school teacher in my hometown of Union City. 
With such a successful family, I have no doubt that Dr. Alum was proud 
of each and every member of his family.
  One of Dr. Alum's dreams was to one day see democracy in Cuba. 
Fearing violence from the Castro regime, Dr. Alum, like countless other 
Cubans who fled from the Castro regime, never returned to his native 
land. As a U.S. Senator of Cuban descent, I have dedicated my entire 
career to fighting for the Cuban people and will continue to work 
towards bringing freedom to Cuba.
  Dr. Rolando Alum, Sr., was a model U.S. citizen and is a testament to 
what Cuban Americans, Latinos, and immigrants contribute to our great 
country.

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