[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 54 (Thursday, March 28, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2890]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HONORING THE LIFE OF JOHN BERSIA

  (Mrs. MURPHY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mrs. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of 
central Florida community leader, faculty member, and editorial writer, 
John Bersia, who recently passed away.
  Born and raised in central Florida, John earned a bachelor's degree 
from the University of Central Florida as well as masters degrees from 
Georgetown University, American University, and the London School of 
Economics.
  He then returned to our community to begin writing editorials for the 
Orlando Sentinel. There, he won a Pulitzer Prize for an editorial 
series that exposed the predatory lending practices of irresponsible 
payday lenders, leading to legislation that cracked down on that 
industry.
  In 2001, he began teaching at the University of Central Florida, 
where he helped establish the Center for the Study of Human Trafficking 
and Modern Slavery. Throughout his career, he inspired his students to 
pursue a love of travel, new cultures, and humanity-focused work, but 
his passion spread beyond that campus.
  He hosted a weekly TV show on WUCF and chaired different 
institutions, including the Global Connections Foundation, the World 
Affairs Council of Central Florida, and the Orlando Area Committee on 
Foreign Relations.
  John sought to broaden people's connections to the outside world 
while helping us see that global issues can also be local.
  For that and much more, he will be truly missed.

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