[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 414]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    PAYING TRIBUTE TO TOMASA BARGAS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 29, 2002

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
honor a woman whose passion for life and whose incredible human spirit 
is an inspiration to us all. Tomasa Bargas, a Pueblo, Colorado resident 
of over seventy years, recently passed an impressive milestone, 
celebrating her one-hundredth birthday with four generations of her 
friends and family.
  Tomasa was born December 29, 1901 in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico. 
She came to the United States at the age of sixteen, settling in 
Trinidad, Colorado with her husband Joaquin, and later moving to 
Pueblo, where she still resides today. Incredibly, Tomasa is the 
matriarch of a family that includes 11 children, 34 grandchildren, 74 
great-grandchildren and 37 great-great-grandchildren. It is an 
impressive lineage of which she is extremely proud, and which, more 
importantly, is extremely proud of her.
  Battling overwhelming odds, Tomasa managed to reach this impressive 
milestone while battling Alzheimer's disease, a condition that has 
conquered neither her mind, nor her spirit. Her memories are still very 
much alive, and her family and friends are all fortunate to be able to 
share in a life as rich and varied as hers. The remarkable longevity of 
Tomasa's life is a testament to both her will to survive and her 
unparalleled passion for life.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I bring to the attention 
of this body of Congress, the life and spirit of such an incredible 
woman. Through overwhelming odds, she has managed not only to endure, 
but to brighten and invigorate the lives of those around her. She is 
truly an inspiration to all of us, and I, along with the many people 
whose lives she has touched, am honored to recognize her tremendous 
accomplishment in reaching her one-hundredth birthday, and more 
importantly, her passion for life and indomitable human spirit.

                          ____________________