[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 153 (Thursday, September 18, 2025)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E877-E878]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            CELEBRATING THE 80TH BIRTHDAY OF JOSEPH ELDRIDGE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES P. McGOVERN

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 18, 2025

  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the lifelong 
contributions of Reverend Joseph Eldridge, who celebrated his 80th 
birthday earlier this year. I have had the honor of knowing Joe for his 
selfless devotion to the causes of human rights and social justice over 
many decades, particularly with respect to Central and South America. 
Joe has been called a ``servant-leader'', which I think is a perfect 
way of describing the way he has offered his knowledge, his integrity, 
his hard work and his faith to lift up the poor, the sick and the 
oppressed, often at great risk to his own safety and security.
  Throughout his life, Joe Eldridge has demonstrated his love of 
humanity and his respect for every person's dignity. He listened deeply 
and given wholeheartedly. From his earliest beginnings, growing up in 
Tennessee and inspired by his father, who was a Methodist minister, Joe 
has stood up for what is right. In a social environment that was filled 
with racism and fear, he believed in a God who is fundamentally loving 
and accepting. He became

[[Page E878]]

active in the civil rights and anti-war movements of the 1960's and 
1970's, and after attending seminary decided to expand his knowledge of 
the world by working as a missionary. He soon ended up in Santiago, 
Chile, where he endured the 1973 coup that deposed President Salvador 
Allende. As he began witnessing the abuses of the Pinochet regime and 
guiding foreign journalists to document them, his friends started 
disappearing. He returned to the United States to pursue a master's 
degree at American University's School of International Service.
  Over the next two decades he piled up an impressive record of 
leadership by founding the Washington D.C. Office on Latin America, 
with which I have worked closely on so many issues, and directing the 
D.C. office of Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (now Human Rights 
First). He also worked on Latin American rights for the United 
Methodist Church and got himself thrown out of Honduras for 
investigating abuses by its military junta.
  In the 1990's and 2000's, Joe continued his passionate advocacy for 
human rights and justice through his service as a School of 
International Service professor and as American University's longest 
serving chaplain. He is known for transforming the Kay Spiritual Life 
Center into ``a hub for social justice and courageous conversation on 
campus,'' and for bringing human rights and racial equity into the 
forefront of campus engagement. And it was not only in the university 
community that he performed his pastoral role--as a minister, he 
married legions of social activists and christened hundreds of their 
children. Whether it was weddings, funerals, or baptisms, Joe was 
always there for his community.
  In recent years, he has also served as an active and generous member 
and officer of various boards and advisory committees, including those 
of the Center for International Policy, the Area Foundation, and the 
U.S. Institute of Peace. In each of these roles, Joe has brought not 
only his kind and gentle demeanor and his thirst for truth and 
fairness, but also a wealth of experience, wisdom and good judgment. 
His influence has been legendary and welcomed.
  Joe is also a devoted husband and father who delights in spending 
time with his family. He has traveled widely with his loving wife, 
Maria Otero, and takes great pride in his three children, Justin, David 
and Ana, who lead their lives according to the values they learned from 
him.
  As Joe retires from his boards and other formal duties, I hope my 
colleagues will join me in offering him thanks for a lifetime of 
service that has made the world a better place. I wish him many years 
ahead of good health and what our late, great colleague, John Lewis, 
called ``good trouble''.

                          ____________________