[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 173 (Thursday, October 26, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF PHILLIP V. SANCHEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 2017

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to the 
life of U.S. Ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez, who served 
under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in Honduras and 
Colombia, was a distinguished and influential leader serving the San 
Joaquin Valley. He was one of the first Latinos to hold public office 
and was known for his charitable nature, diplomatic character, and 
perseverance. The San Joaquin Valley will be forever indebted to 
Ambassador Sanchez for his tireless efforts on behalf of the community.
  Phillip V. Sanchez was born on July 28, 1929. He was raised in 
Pinedale, California. At just six years old he would join his mother in 
the fields to pick fruit and cotton. His mother heavily influenced him 
to pursue an education. Mr. Sanchez graduated from Clovis High School 
in 1946 and continued his education at Fresno State in political 
science. While in college, Mr. Sanchez joined the Army National Guard 
and advanced to the rank of colonel in the Army Reserve. He had over 40 
years of military service.
  In the 1960s, he began his career in public service as the Chief 
Administrative Officer of Fresno County. Ambassador Sanchez became a 
board member for Clovis Unified School District before being appointed 
by Governor Ronald Reagan to the California Community Colleges Board of 
Governors and the California State University and Colleges Board of 
Trustees. He was also a trustee of the National Hispanic University. In 
the 1970s, Mr. Sanchez was appointed by President Nixon as the 
Assistant Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity.
  After the Office of Economic Opportunity was dismantled in 1973, Mr. 
Sanchez was appointed Ambassador to Honduras. While in Honduras, he and 
wife Juanita adopted a child and began to help Americans adopt orphans. 
They had a love of children and later founded an orphanage in Mexico 
that they oversaw for 25 years. Under President Ford, Mr. Sanchez was 
transferred to Ambassador of Colombia.
  Later in his life, Ambassador Sanchez worked as publisher of the New 
York Tribune and Noticias del Mundo, and was president of CAUSA USA, a 
faith-based anti-communist organization. After 9/11, Mr. Sanchez 
decided to return to the Fresno area to retire. He was honored at the 
2008 Top Dog Alumni Awards Gala and in 2010 was named Chicano Alumni 
Legacy Builder by Fresno State. Mr. Sanchez made a positive difference 
in many lives and inspired people to follow their dreams.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the life of 
U.S. Ambassador Phillip V. Sanchez, whose generosity and unending 
dedication to the community will be greatly missed. Mr. Sanchez's 
memory will live on through the contributions he made to our Valley and 
throughout the world. It is my honor to join his family and many 
friends in celebrating his impactful life, which will never be 
forgotten.

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