[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 26251-26255]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            TRIBUTE TO THE LATE HONORABLE HENRY B. GONZALEZ

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. LaTourette). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski) is 
recognized for 15 minutes.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute not only to a 
fine Member of this House, but also to a friend, Henry B. Gonzalez.
  When I think of Henry, I think of the tall redwood trees of 
California. Henry stood just that tall. He was part of the tall timber 
of America. As we analogize that to the House of Representatives, a lot 
of those tall timbers have left this House and this institution, with 
Henry just having been the last.
  When I think of Henry, I think of the personal experiences I had, but 
most of all, what I conceive his philosophy of life to be. He was a man 
who held to the statement in the Declaration of Independence that all 
men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain 
inalienable rights, and among those are life, liberty, and the pursuit 
of happiness.
  Henry was not only a man of this House, a man of Texas, and a great 
American, but Henry in fact was a man of humanity. I am sure that if 
Henry's life had extended beyond where it ended and he had the 
opportunity to survive and offer his leadership, he would have liked to 
have extended that principle that all men are created equal to all of 
humanity.
  From a personal aspect, I knew Henry in serving in this House for the 
last 16 years, 14 years with Henry. About 2 or 3 hours of a trip in my 
district one day with Henry B. Gonzalez was probably the most 
satisfactory time I have ever spent while I have been in Congress. 
Henry had that gift of knowing history and not being a revisionist of 
history, and to tell it as it was as he went through the Johnson-
Kennedy years in his early beginnings in this Congress. I will always 
cherish that moment.
  But most of all, Henry was a man of conscience, and sometimes we have 
less of those men in this House and in this Nation than we would like. 
He served as an example to young Members such as me in the beginning of 
my term in this House, and he has done it for so many others, as we 
have heard today.
  As we pay respect to the Gonzalez family for their great loss, we 
also indicate to the world that it has lost a man of humanity, Henry B. 
Gonzalez.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. LaFalce), 
our ranking member of the Committee on Banking and Financial Services
  Mr. LaFALCE. Mr. Speaker, when God created all his hundreds of 
billions of children over the years, he had a very special moment when 
Henry B. Gonzalez was created. Then, once Henry was born, he must have 
thrown that mold away, because I do not think we have ever seen or ever 
will see an individual like Henry B. Gonzalez.
  I am in my 13th term. We have had 435 Members of the House in each of 
my terms. For so many of us, we blur and it is all gray. Not Henry B. 
Henry B. stands out as unique in our memory. I am proud to be here in 
honor of that memory.
  He was a strong individual, strong-willed about issues that he 
believed in. What did he believe in? He believed in the poor, he 
believed in the voiceless. He believed that he had to stand up and 
speak up for them.
  He would be so pleased today, as I know he was before he died, 
knowing that his work is being carried on by his son, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez), because I'm sure he knows he could not have 
picked a more able individual to continue the tradition of the Gonzalez 
family.
  I would send to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez) on my own 
behalf, but in a sense on behalf of all people who have ever been 
touched by the gentleman's father, and that means millions, our 
heartfelt sorrow to the gentleman, to his mother, Bertha, to the entire 
Gonzalez family.
  I only hope that the spirit of the gentleman's father, the principles 
that he stood for, the championing of the downtrodden, will never be 
forgotten by any Member of this House, and most especially by Members 
of the Democratic Party, his family that he loved so very much also. 
God bless.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Becerra).
  Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by extending to the Gonzalez 
family my most sincere condolences on the passing of a great 
individual, Mr. Henry B. Gonzalez. I was very fortunate to have a 
chance to serve with him, and it was a fitting tribute to be able to 
say that I served with someone whom I had respected for so many years 
and grew to believe was a mentor for many people who thought that 
oftentimes justice and opportunity would not be there for them.
  Henry B. Gonzalez lived to serve the people, to champion the toil and 
sacrifice of working men and women, to give robust life to their voice, 
and to defend the precious victories for those whom too often society 
made winning very difficult.
  Whether one was on the front line, in a dark alley, before an 
unfriendly court, or whether one was just fortunate enough to be in 
this, the people's House, one could not and will not ever find a 
greater fighter, a more compassionate and passionate and eloquent 
advocate, or a more decent and esteemed human being than Henry B. 
Gonzalez.
  For many of us who saw him, we saw when he would be the only one to 
stand. Sometimes people did not understand why and where he was going, 
but by the time he was done, that light was very clear at the end of 
that tunnel. For many, they could not understand how for so many years 
this man could continue, but he did.
  We are very fortunate that we are joined in this House of the people 
by someone who has had a chance to know him better perhaps than anyone 
who stands here and speaks, and that is our Congressman, the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez), who can continue to fight for many of the 
things that our esteemed friend, Henry B., always stood for.

[[Page 26252]]

  It is in that vein that I think that most of us come here to say to 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez), to the rest of the Gonzalez 
family, that Henry B. cannot die. He lives, because what he stood for 
lives in the hearts of people from the beginning of time. And yet, 
there are people who will need to have Henry B.s because there are 
those who are still struggling.
  I say to the gentleman and to all of the family, Henry B. has not 
left us, because there are many who wish to keep that fire going, and 
that fight. I thank Henry B. for having entered into the lives of so 
many of us, and for continuing to be there as we continue that fight.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Baca).
  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a great individual, a 
pioneer, a leader, a positive role model, a visionary, an individual 
that had a lot of integrity, exemplified fairness, justice, our 
American principles, I speak of the late Henry Gonzalez, a father of a 
devoted congressman, my friend, Charles Gonzalez of Texas.
  Let me begin by stating what an honor it has been to serve with 
Charlie, a member of the Hispanic Caucus. We have fought hard to 
protect the civil liberties of the underserved in the communities 
around the Nation, an issue that Henry championed, an individual who 
was the founder of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, an individual 
that believed in protecting the rights of working families, an 
individual who believed in protecting our communities, an individual 
who wanted to make sure that we gained respect.
  In the Latino community we say ``respecto.'' Respecto is so important 
to a lot of us. Henry B. Gonzalez exemplified that. He was a beacon of 
hope. He was an individual that wanted to make sure that every 
individual had their dreams and their hopes fulfilled. He was an 
individual that I did not have the privilege of serving with but had 
the opportunity to meet.
  He is a true model for me and many individuals throughout the State 
of California, throughout the Nation. He will stand up as an individual 
who exemplified what we all want to be, all of us who are saying Henry 
B., you provided an opportunity for all of us to follow in your 
footsteps.
  You are a pioneer who has opened the doors for many individuals to 
pursue an avenue, not only when he became the first Hispanic 
Representative from Texas, as I am the last Hispanic to be elected in 
the State of California, we want other individuals to be elected as 
well.
  Henry, you have given us a lot of hope. You stood up for us. You 
fought for us. You will continue to be in our history books. As our 
children will read about you, you have left the legacy of honesty, of 
fairness, of a devoted father, of a husband.
  Henry Gonzalez, you emphasize the meaning of democracy and what can 
be accomplished when that is structured. You are an individual who has 
stood up and fought, one who is willing not to take no for an answer, 
but willing to pursue what needs to be done.
  My colleagues and my friends from both sides of the aisle respect his 
vision and his compassion. I wish the Gonzalez family my deepest 
condolences on the passing of a true gentleman, Henry B. Gonzalez.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Pelosi).
  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for 
getting us this extra time.
  Mr. Speaker, it is very interesting to see that so many people from 
the State of Texas, so many people who have served on the Committee on 
Banking and Financial Services, indeed, so many people who served with 
Henry B. in the Congress want to participate in the special order.
  I think, Mr. Speaker, this is a very special day in the House of 
Representatives. All of us who serve here have a special honor, but to 
have served with Henry Gonzalez was a very special privilege indeed. He 
was a teacher, a teacher about principle, about integrity, about 
justice.
  Mr. Speaker, I had the privilege of serving on the Committee on 
Banking and Financial Services under his leadership and saw firsthand 
his determined commitment to addressing the needs of the country's 
poorest people. He was a fierce advocate on behalf of those individuals 
and groups many would consider the least among us.
  His leadership on many issues from insuring access to safe decent and 
affordable housing, to improving the living conditions of residents of 
the colonias made an enormous difference in the lives of countless 
people around the Nation. He was a passionate person, as we all know 
and as has been testified to here, but he was an extremely 
knowledgeable person, a very, very smart leader.
  His passion was something that drove him, but his knowledge has 
benefitted all Americans, including his campaign to open the workings 
of the Federal Reserve to more public scrutiny, his stewardship of the 
investigation of the S&L scandal and his legislation to fix the FDIC. 
His zeal for truth and justice were a hallmark of his decades of public 
service.
  I hope it is a source of comfort to you, Charlie, and to your family, 
that so many people share your grief, and are praying for you at this 
time. My condolences and those of all of my constituents to whom Henry 
B. was a hero. He visited us in San Francisco. The gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Kanjorski) was on that occasion when we honored Henry 
B. in San Francisco, and on behalf of those constituents, I extend to 
you, to your mother, Bertha, and to your entire family our deepest 
sympathy and our very great gratitude for the life and service of Henry 
B. Gonzalez.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona 
(Mr. Pastor).
  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to extend my heartfelt 
condolences to Henry B.'s family, and I would also like to thank them 
for allowing us to share Henry B. Gonzalez.
  Mr. Speaker, Henry B. Gonzalez was a voice and will continue to be a 
voice for the common person, and one of my highlights being in Congress 
was having the honor of serving with Henry B. Gonzalez.
  I hope as he looks down upon us, it will give us the courage to fight 
for the common man and make sure that all people have the equality that 
they greatly deserve.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
extraordinary public servant from Texas, the late Honorable Henry B. 
Gonzalez of San Antonio, who died last week on November 28, 2000. Henry 
B., as he was affectionately known, was an active and beloved Member of 
the House of Representatives--and my friend--and he will be dearly 
missed by all.
  Henry B. served the 20th Congressional District of Texas for 37 years 
as a dedicated and respected member of the House of Representatives. He 
held deeply rooted values and ideals and fiercely fought for those he 
represented. Henry B. Gonzalez was elected to serve in the House of 
Representatives in 1961, as the first Mexican-American from the State 
of Texas, and for the next 37 years he was a force with which to be 
reckoned. In 1989, he became Chairman of the Banking Committee, and 
during his tenure he served a critical role during the savings and loan 
crisis.
  Gonzalez was devoted to his family, his profession, and to his 
community, and he leaves a legacy of service that will be remembered by 
his many friends and constituents. His Congressional legacy includes 
bringing the University of Texas Health Science Center and the Audie 
Murphy Veterans Hospital to San Antonio, as well as securing millions 
of federal dollars for housing, hospitals, urban renewal and schools, 
in efforts to make his Congressional district a better place in which 
to live. As a public servant, his legacy extends to the throngs of his 
friends and to many people that he never met. Henry B. reached out to 
try and help anyone in need and he was capable of friendship to those 
in all walks of life--with equal dignity for all.
  It was a sad day for me when Henry B. decided to retire from 
Congress. As a friend and one of his colleagues from the Texas 
delegation, I hold the utmost respect and admiration for Henry B. 
Gonzalez. Like everyone else who knew and/or served with Henry--I felt 
a close and personal kinship to Henry. We

[[Page 26253]]

shared many stories--and critiqued many of our old friends and 
colleagues. He always found something good and kind to say about those 
with whom he served. He also was capable of remembering those who 
slighted him or those he represented. Like the old saying--Henry was 
very much the epitome of being like fire and water--a faithful friend 
or a fearful enemy. I was privileged to be his close and personal--and 
admiring--friend.
  Henry B. brought dignity and honor to Congress--and in all that he 
accomplished. His distinguished career and contributions to the State 
of Texas will be long remembered, and I would like to take this 
opportunity to join Charles and the rest of his family, his friends, 
and my peers in paying our last respects to Henry B. Gonzalez.
  Mr. Speaker, as we adjourn today, may we do so in memory of this 
beloved statesman and public servant, the Honorable Henry B. Gonzalez.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a former 
colleague and great member of this body, Henry B. Gonzalez. I am proud 
to have had the opportunity to serve for over a decade with Congressman 
Gonzalez, whose life and career were distinguished in so many ways. He 
is a legendary figure in Texas politics, being the first Mexican 
American elected to the Texas Senate. He then made an indelible mark on 
national politics, coming to the House of Representatives in 1961 and 
eventually ascending to the Chairmanship of the Banking Committee. 
Known for his great kindness and thorough constituent service, Henry B. 
Gonzalez was a leader of the civil rights movement, serving as a mentor 
and role model fore people and legislators of all races and 
backgrounds. In this way, his accomplishments transcended politics to 
touch our society at large, and it is this legacy that will never be 
forgotten.
  Mr. Speaker, what I will remember most is the courage Henry B. 
Gonzalez brought to his work, taking on the toughest of issues, time 
and time again, through some of the hardest times our country has ever 
seen. He represented as well as anyone ever has the ideals of the 
Democratic Party, believing intensely in and fighting for the rights of 
the disenfranchised and the poor. His commitment to equal protection 
under the law never wavered, working tirelessly for affordable housing 
and enhanced consumer protections. These were principles which his son 
and our colleague, Charlie, continues to pursue. I wish Charlie and his 
family my heartfelt condolences, and hope we will all remember the 
example of Henry B. Gonzalez as we go about our work in Congress.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, it is with a mixture of sadness and 
food remembrances that I stand before you to mourn the passing of 
former Congressman Harry B. Gonzalez, a man who served in this House 
for 18 terms.
  On Saturday, I attended Congressman Gonzalez's funeral service in his 
beloved San Antonio and saw an extraordinary and sincere outpouring of 
gratitude from the city he served with devotion, honesty and integrity. 
He served San Antonio not only as a United States Representative, but 
also as a member of the San Antonio City Council and the Texas Senate.
  Congressman Gonzalez, known with affection in our hometown as ``Henry 
B.'' was eulogized by San Antonio Archbishop Patrick Flores quite 
simply as a ``good and faithful servant.'' He was--consistently and 
persistently--a good and faithful servant to his beloved constituents 
in the 20th District of Texas.
  Henry B. was also a staunch partisan and a worthy adversary. He was a 
man whose life was marked by devotion to family, to community, and to 
public service.
  It was an honor--and on occasion a learning experience--to serve with 
him in the Bexar County congressional delegation.
  In Texas there is a saying, attributed to a Texas Ranger of long ago, 
that advises that ``No man in the wrong can stand up against a fellow 
that's in the right and keeps on a-comin'.'' Throughout his 
extraordinary life of public service, Henry B just kept on a-comin'.
  Mr. GEPHARDT. Mr. Speaker, I am deeply saddened by the loss of Henry 
Gonzalez. Henry was a good colleague, a good friend, and a real 
champion of the poor and all underprivileged Americans.
  In many ways, Henry was a trailblazer. The first Mexican-American 
from Texas to serve in the House, Henry always fought hard for his 
constituents in San Antonio. He was in the House for 37 years. His 
extraordinary length of service was matched only by his commitment to 
fairness and equality for every American, regardless of race, religion, 
or ethnicity.
  Henry was one of the early leaders of the modern civil rights 
movement. In 1953, one year before the Brown vs. Board of Education 
decision, Henry was a member of the San Antonio City Council, and he 
helped pass a measure of desegregate city facilities. In 1956, three 
years later, Henry won election to the state Senate, and become the 
first Mexican-American in that body in over 100 years. By the way, he 
won that race by 309 votes--after three recounts, and it was a good 
thing that he won.
  Because he continued the good fight. In 1957, Henry spent 22 hours 
filibustering bills that supported segregation.
  Henry brought that same spirit to our Congress.
  In 1961, he was sworn-in to the House, and as he raised his right 
hand, left hand, he clutched a bill to end poll taxes, which 
discriminated against the poor and minorities. And this bill ultimately 
found its way into the 1965 Voting Rights Act. As a Member of Congress, 
Henry fought for low-cost housing so people would have a roof over 
their heads. And he became a real force in our body for the principle 
of equal opportunity.
  Henry was also one of the greatest Chairman of the House Banking 
Committee. He helped repair the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, 
and he helped steer the country through the savings and loan crisis.
  Deeply committed to his constituents and to his Caucus, Henry was a 
terrific ally who did so much for Democrats because of what it meant 
for the American people.
  Henry's passing leaves us with a void that can't be filled. But we 
will never forget his extraordinary dedication and service to this 
Congress and the country. His career is an inspiration to all of us, 
and humbly, we will work as hard as possible to fulfill his vision for 
all Americans.
  Mr. PICKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to my colleague 
for whom I have a profound sense of respect, the Honorable Henry B. 
Gonzalez of Texas. Congressman Gonzalez has had a long and 
distinguished career of public service as a pioneer in civil rights.
  In the 1950s, Congressman Gonzalez served on the city council of San 
Antonio where he effectively spoke out against segregation of public 
facilities. As a Texas state senator, he led an effort to block racial 
segregation bills aimed at circumventing Brown v. Board of Education 
and emerged as a leading spokesman for social equality and for bridging 
racial divides in America.
  After winning a seat in the House of Representatives, Henry worked 
for the passage of a number of legislative proposals of the New 
Frontier and Great Society, as well as the Equal Opportunities Act of 
1964 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Later in his career, his 
leadership was an integral part of enacting legislation in flood 
insurance reform, major housing initiatives, increasing accessibility 
to credit for small businesses, strengthening laws on money-laundering, 
bank fraud and other financial crimes. Later, he skillfully and adeptly 
led restructuring efforts of the federal deposit insurance system 
following the collapse of the savings and loan industry in the late 
1980s.
  An honest man who dedicated his life to the public good, Congressman 
Henry Gonzalez served as a role model for all to follow. May God give 
his family, friends, colleagues and constituents the peace, strength, 
and understanding to sustain the grief of his loss.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor a great man and a genuine 
leader whom we lost one week ago today: Henry B. Gonzalez.
  Henry B.--as his friends affectionately knew him--was a pioneer who 
came from the most humble beginnings. His parents, Mexican immigrants, 
raised him in San Antonio's West Side in a home with dirt floors and no 
running water. He experienced discrimination and segregation firsthand 
during his childhood and youth in Texas.
  He defied all odds by putting himself through college, serving his 
community while at the San Antonio Housing Authority, and later in San 
Antonio's City Council. He went on to serve as a Texas state senator--
the first Texan of Hispanic-descent to do so in over 100 years. He 
later achieved another first, becoming the first Mexican-American to 
serve the state of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  Throughout his nearly 40-year congressional career, Henry B. served 
with distinction--always faithful to his morals and beliefs--and as a 
true Texan--with courage and determination. He was a tireless advocate 
of the poor and the disenfranchised in our country, and always carried 
in his heart a special place for the people of his hometown of San 
Antonio. He was instrumental in the dismantling of segregationist laws 
in Texas while in the state senate; he led the restructuring of our 
nation's financial services industry during the S&L crisis as Chairman 
of the House Banking Committee; and he championed projects and 
initiatives that brought economic development, access to healthcare, 
and jobs to his beloved San Antonio.

[[Page 26254]]

  Beyond Henry B.'s political and legislative accomplishments, he 
served as a role model for two generations of aspiring leaders. Scores 
of Texans--young and old, public servants and corporate leaders, 
Democrats and Republicans--can point to Henry B. as their inspiration 
and role model. His accomplishments were our accomplishments; for this 
we all owe him a debt of gratitude.
  There's a popular Mexican dicho that states: El que da camino es por 
que ya andubo, which means: ``He who makes a path does so because he 
has walked it.'' Henry B. blazed a path--not just for Hispanic leaders, 
but for all leaders, by having the courage to be the first.
  Henry B.'s life was a fulfillment of the American Dream--it 
illustrates the greatness of America and the potential that is in each 
and every one of us, regardless of skin color, national origin, or 
economic background. I would like to offer my most sincere condolences 
to my friend, Charlie Gonzalez, his family, and the people of San 
Antonio--you are in my prayers. I hope you will find comfort in that 
Henry B. lives on in the legacy he has bequeathed to all of us.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring our friend, Henry B.
  Mr. KANJORSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Gonzalez).
  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Iowa 
(Mr. Ganske) for his accomodation, and to everyone that has 
participated today in this special order, something that was so dear to 
dad.
  This is obviously a very bitter sweet experience for a Member to be 
able to come up and address the House and talk about one's parent. It 
has been a difficult time for many reasons, many of you could 
understand, but to pay tribute to dad today here on the floor of the 
House, he would accept that only if we were paying tribute to all of 
those who served here before him, with him and after him.
  He truly believed this was the greatest institution on the face of 
the Earth, and I am convinced that he was right. When a Member dies or 
a former Member dies, I truly believe that all of us show up that next 
morning, and we all have questions. We do not share these questions 
with one another for whatever reason, but I think that we question our 
own mortality to begin with. Then the next thing is we question our 
investment in our sacrifice as public servants.
  Though we all recognize what a great privilege and honor it is to 
serve, we know the costs, not just to ourselves but to our families. 
All of you hearing me now happen to be a Member or a former Member know 
exactly what I am talking about. You start questioning whether you made 
a difference. You start questioning whether public service was worth 
it.
  I like to think that my dad's life, that even especially in his 
death, it validates that it is a worthy and honorable sacrifice and 
that we are recognized and that we do make a difference in our own way 
not just Dad but everyone else.
  Dad would be disappointed because I cannot exactly remember the 
quotation, but I believe it is from Julius Caesar by Shakespeare and 
that the good that men do is often interred with their bones.
  I think that is everyone's greatest fear but probably more so ours 
than anyone else because there is so much sacrifice. There is so much 
hard work, to get here, to remain here, to do that which our 
constituents have sent us to do in representing their interests.
  I want to tell you that at Dad's funeral, there was so much evidence 
that it does not have to be interred with our bones. That Dad's legacy 
lives every day in the lives of those that he served.
  At the funeral home, at the viewing, at the church, at the vigil at 
the funeral service, at the cemetery, I cannot begin to tell you how 
many people came up and told us their individual stories, and for each 
of the Members here today and those that served before Dad, there are 
countless thousands of people out there that you have helped that you 
do not even realize, that they may not be thanking you today and it may 
be their children or grandchildren that will thank you tomorrow. But it 
is there for all of us.
  That is why I say I think Dad's life and even in death, it validates 
that public service is the noblest of all callings; that is what my 
father taught me. Of course, he said that was second only to the 
priesthood.
  For the families of the Members, because I have the distinction of 
actually having been a child of a public servant who dedicated nearly 
half a century to public service, as well as the Member of Congress, 
what it does to our families.
  When we were at the cemetery and we were in the family car and we 
were coming out to go to the plot, there was probably a 90-year-old 
woman who handed us a little note, and it was just scribbled. And it 
was to my mother and to all of us in that car, and what it said was, 
thank you for sharing your husband, your father, your grandfather, and 
your great grandfather with all of us here in this city.
  So I know there will be times for all of us when we wonder, but truly 
even the public understands the sacrifice. They may not tell you. But 
they love the fact that our families are willing to share us, because 
it is that kind of devotion and commitment that it takes.
  So do not ever question public service. I can tell you if you are 
truly committed, dedicated and a humble public servant, as my father 
was, there are rewards way beyond the immediate. Many times you will 
not hear about it. My father may have heard of some of it, but he 
surely did not after November 28th when he passed on. But that is when 
we have the greatest outpouring.
  Again, to everyone that has ever served here, and especially to their 
staffs and to their families, from the Gonzalez family, thank you so 
much for making my father's life so complete and making his dream of 
public service a reality.
  Mr. Speaker, I wish to submit a tribute for my father by his former 
Chief of Staff and Press Secretary, Gail Beagle.

 Tribute to the Late Henry B. Gonzalez, U.S. Representative From Texas

                            (By Gail Beagle)

       In 1958 then Texas State Senator Henry B. Gonzalez ran for 
     Governor of Texas. I had just graduated with a degree in 
     journalism from Texas Woman's University at Denton, and with 
     $100 I had borrowed from my life insurance policy I left from 
     my hometown of Nederland for Austin to job-hunt.
       In Austin I learned of a fundraiser for Sen. Gonzalez being 
     held at a restaurant called Spanish Village. I took $10 of my 
     $100, got a ride with a University of Texas student with whom 
     I had interned the summer before on the San Antonio Light 
     newspaper, paid my money at the door, and told Sen. Gonzalez 
     of my interest in campaigning for him for Governor in 
     Jefferson County. ``I will be at my parents' home until I get 
     a job in Austin,'' I said. ``I anticipate I will be there 
     through the Democratic Primary on July 26. Who is your 
     Jefferson County campaign manager?,'' I asked. ``No one,'' he 
     replied. ``You can be the campaign manager there!''
       As an active member of the civil rights movement in the 
     1950's, I very much knew who State Sen. Henry B. Gonzalez of 
     San Antonio was. He was the Senator who delivered in Austin 
     an intelligent, impassioned filibuster against a package of 
     bills promoting and facilitating segregation in Texas. He was 
     a breath of fresh air on the Texas political horizon, a 
     bright and shining star, and a public official unlike any I 
     had ever seen before. It was my thought that I would never 
     see another one like him again.
       Subsequently I worked for him in the Texas State Senate 
     during two legislative sessions (1959 and 1961), and served 
     as his volunteer press aide in early 1961 in his bid to 
     replace Lyndon Johnson as a U.S. Senator from Texas, after 
     LBJ was elected both as Vice President and as a returning 
     U.S. Senator. It was a wild and crazy special election with 
     more than 70 fellow Texans battling it out, and with Gonzalez 
     once again going primarily by stationwagon to the 254 
     counties across Texas.
       However, just a few months late in the Fall of 1961, Sen. 
     Gonzalez's great opportunity came with the appointment to the 
     Court of Military Appeals of San Antonio's and Bexar County's 
     long time Congressman, Paul Kilday. A special election was 
     called and after a hard fought battle which brought former 
     President Dwight Eisenhower to San Antonio to campaign for 
     the opposition, Henry B., as he was affectionately called, 
     was elected on November 5, 1961 to serve in Congress.
       I had moved to San Antonio from Austin to campaign, and it 
     was from San Antonio that I first left for Washington to 
     serve newly elected Congressman Gonzalez.
       HBG was active on many legislative fronts so it was easy to 
     have something to report to the press, and it was easy to get 
     together a good staff because there were so many enthusiastic 
     and well qualified people who wanted to work for him.
       The congressional work with the Congressman was fulfilling 
     inasmuch as there was

[[Page 26255]]

     much to be accomplished with an office holder who with great 
     gusto gave everything to his job as a public servant.
       We worked the first six years creating a world's fair 
     (HemisFair) for San Antonio with several pieces of 
     legislation the Congressman succeeded in getting passed in 
     both the House and the Senate and signed by the President 
     into law. The Congressman also sent U.S. Department of 
     Commerce officials to help local leaders make plans for 
     getting the fair underway. At the same time we were helping 
     the Congressman look out for the interests of our military 
     bases in San Antonio, protect San Antonio's primary source of 
     water, write housing and other legislation, and make it 
     possible for constituents to have fair consumer banking 
     practices, as well as many other equitable benefits under 
     federal law.
       While we were active in legislative participation, 
     Congressman Gonzalez made sure that his offices in both 
     Washington and San Antonio looked out for the interests of 
     the poor and went to bat for constituents needing help with 
     either the Veterans Administration, Social Security, 
     immigration and naturalization, workmen's compensation, civil 
     service (active or retired), the Armed Services, and other 
     matters relative to federal agencies and departments.
       Among other efforts, we also promoted interest among inter-
     city youth in getting a free college education and becoming 
     military officers through nomination to one of the U.S. 
     military service academies.
       I recall with great pleasure the breakfast or luncheon 
     meetings at the House Restaurant at the U.S. Capitol with 
     newspaper reporters, members of the Administration in power, 
     heads of various federal and Texas agencies, an airline 
     safety consultant (who was also a good friend), and countless 
     other friends and constituents (most of whom had their 
     picture taken on the steps of the Capitol with the 
     Congressman!).
       While the hours could be long and arduous, especially for 
     Kelsay Meek, who headed the Congressman's (the Chairman's!) 
     Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs, and me, we 
     were committed to the level of service that we knew Henry B. 
     wanted to achieve.
       The 150 or so former staff members, who served in varying 
     lengths of time with me over a period of more than 30 years 
     either on the personal staff in Washington or in San Antonio, 
     as well as those who served on the Subcommittee (Housing and 
     Community Development) and full Banking Committee, counted it 
     as an honor and a privilege to serve the people's interests 
     with Henry G. Gonzalez.
       He lives eternally in our minds and hearts. He now lives 
     with the angels, but we will see him again.

                          ____________________