[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17031]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 17031]]

                    TRIBUTE TO THE LATE CORA HOLLAND

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JOE BACA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2001

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, it is with regret and deep sadness that I rise 
to honor Cora Holland, a former constituent from San Bernardino, who 
passed away on September 11, 2001, when her plane was hijacked and 
collided with the north tower of the World Trade Center Building in New 
York, New York as part of an evil terrorist act.
  Throughout the years, Cora was a true humanitarian. She loved her 
family and followed the Christian teaching of loving our fellow man. I 
believe that the well-being of our Nation's peoples depends on all our 
dedication and efforts to invest in the present and the future.
  They say a person is measured by the lives he or she touches. Through 
the grace of God, Cora touched many lives.
  Cora was, and will continue to be eternally, the mother of three 
children and the grandmother of two. Her children Stephanie, Jessica, 
and Nathan received constant attention from what family and friends 
alike call ``an incredibly dedicated mother.'' Cora left two 
grandchildren behind, Drew and Amelia.
  Cora Holland grew up in San Bernardino around K and 14th Streets. She 
graduated from San Bernardino High and worked at the County Hospital 
when it was in San Bernardino. It was while working in the hospital 
that Cora Hidalgo met her future husband, Steve Holland.
  Cora was, according to her family, the center of the family. The 
family would often wait for her arrival so that she would coordinate 
what they were going to do. Her strong and religious spirit also 
extended to her involvement with feeding the homeless. Cora, a 
homemaker, spent countless hours using her knowledge of Spanish to help 
feed the homeless.
  May God protect the soul of this wonderful woman. Cora was something 
that is in short supply in the world, a decent human being. Kind and 
selfless as seen in her community activism. Caring as seen in her 
devotion to her family. Her soul is one of the many departed on that 
fateful day, but the impact of her death is a deep well of sorrow in 
itself. I wish to extend to her brothers Gonzalo and Ernie, her 
children, her husband, and the rest of her family my most heartfelt 
condolences.
  I cannot ever come to comprehend what her loss means to her family, 
but I am saddened and I mourn with them. Let us take comfort in the 
fact that she is now guarded by our Lord. Cora you are loved by many, 
you are a hero in every sense of the word, and will not be forgotten.
  Cora's family had nothing but praise for her, describing her as a 
dedicated mother, wife and humanitarian. So in giving this honor, we 
are honoring her this day.
  A devoted wife to Steve Holland, she lived in Sudbury, Massachusetts. 
Cora has three children: Stephanie, Jessica, and Nathan.
  In short, she was a model of excellence we can all follow, at home 
and in our community. Cora will be missed by family and friends alike. 
She touched us all with her kind deeds and dedication to her family.

                          ____________________