[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E59]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF ADOLPH FLOYD GONELLA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. ANNA G. ESHOO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 21, 2021

  Ms. ESHOO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and work of 
a distinguished American and a brother-friend, Adolph Floyd Gonella, 
Ph.D., who was born on November 1, 1933 in San Mateo County, 
California, and passed away on January 4, 2021, at the age of 87. Floyd 
Gonella was the son of Amedeo and Margherita Gonella who were 
immigrants from Italy. His father was a farmer who raised cabbage and 
artichokes. Floyd's family lived humbly and he learned from them the 
value of hard work and service to others. He experienced anti-Italian 
discrimination during World War II when they were declared enemy aliens 
and placed under curfew as residents of a coastal county. This 
contributed to his empathy and passion for helping the disadvantaged 
among us.
  Dr. Gonella earned his degree in education and several teaching 
certificates from San Francisco State where he was a star football 
player, and he earned a doctorate in education at the University of 
California, Berkeley. His distinguished career included service as an 
adjunct professor at Santa Clara University, and as Superintendent of 
the Jefferson Union High School District. He went on to be elected to 
three 4-year terms as the San Mateo County Superintendent of Schools 
and was considered `Mr. Education' by everyone.
  Dr. Gonella retired as County Superintendent of Schools in 2003 and 
stepped up to become Superintendent of East Palo Alto's bankrupt 
Ravenswood City School District. Working with city, school and 
community leaders he revitalized the district and brought it to fiscal 
and educational health. He then went on to the dysfunctional Vallejo 
City Unified School District where he and Superintendent Rick Damelio 
were successful in rescuing the district. In addition to assisting 
poorly performing school districts, Dr. Gonella and his wife, Margaret, 
created the Daly City Youth Health Center which has been providing 
services to low-income teens for thirty years.
  Dr. Gonella earned many awards, including Coach of the Year in 1962 
and the Fred Kiesel Distinguished Service Award. He served on the 
California Advisory Council on School Restructuring and was named 
Outstanding Alumnus by the San Francisco State Education Department. 
For three decades he served as Team Chair of the Western Association of 
Schools and Colleges, frequently traveling to various Asian countries 
to accredit schools. He also led the Daly City Chamber of Commerce in 
an extensive membership drive.
  Dr. Gonella gave generously of his time and considerable talents to 
the San Mateo County Child Care Partnership Council, the Criminal 
Justice Council, the San Mateo County AIDS Program Community Advisory 
Committee, the Junior Statesmen Foundation, the First 5 Commission, and 
the American Heart Association. In 2003, the County Office of Education 
honored him by naming its offices the Floyd Gonella Education Center.
  Floyd Gonella was a decades-long friend and trusted advisor to me and 
beloved by my entire family. His compassion and care for those less 
privileged were a source of inspiration to all who had the good fortune 
to know him, and his expertise as an educator was unparalleled. He will 
be sorely missed by all who knew him, worked with him, and called him 
friend. He leaves his wife, Margaret Taylor; his daughter, Michelle 
Gonella; his son, Michael Gonella (Chelsea) and grandsons, Nick and 
Alex; and his son, Stephen.
  Madam Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me 
in expressing our condolences to Margaret Taylor and the entire Gonella 
family. Floyd Gonella lived a purposeful life, transforming the lives 
of countless students who he had great faith in. He made our community 
a better place to live in and learn, and he strengthened our country 
with his countless contributions.

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