[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E124]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONGRATULATING RAY DAVILA ON HIS RETIREMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MICHAEL CLOUD

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 14, 2023

  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, I would like to wish Reginaldo ``Ray'' Davila 
a very happy retirement after 73 years in the shoe repair business in 
Port Lavaca, Texas. Ray and his beloved wife, Tina, came to this Nation 
as a young couple in 1954 with $20 to their name and three children to 
support. After eventually settling in Port Lavaca, Ray opened a cobbler 
shop--a trade he learned from his father in Mexico as a teenager.
  Though initially a small operation, the Davilas eventually saved up 
enough to purchase neighboring real estate on the block as an 
investment. This extra revenue allowed the shop to continue to operate 
as other cobblers went out of business. As time went on, Ray's cobbler 
shop evolved into a place for locals to stop by and get to know one 
another, becoming a hallmark of Port Lavaca.
  After passing day-to-day operations along to his son, Ray is now 
fully retiring at the age of 96. I join the community of Port Lavaca in 
thanking him for his many years of dedicated service and wishing him a 
happy retirement.

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