[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17363]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      RECOGNIZING MR. MARTIN ORTIZ

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. GRACE F. NAPOLITANO

                             of california

                          HON. HILDA L. SOLIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2002

  Mrs. NAPOLITANO and Ms. HILDA SOLIS. Mr. Speaker, we are extremely 
proud to rise today to honor a very special man--Mr. Martin Ortiz, 
founding Director of Whittier College's Center of Mexican American 
Affairs in Whittier, California.
  Mr. Ortiz served our community for more than 40 years and retired 
leaving a foundation upon which the next generation of Latino students 
will strive to embrace their diversity as leaders, professionals, and 
contributors to their community. In recognition of Mr. Ortiz's devotion 
to the college and the community at large, he was named Director 
Emeritus and was given the opportunity to serve as a consultant to 
Whittier College.
  Mr. Ortiz has a long litany of accomplishments, which speak to his 
sense of duty and responsibility to the community. As the founding 
director of Whittier College's Center of Mexican American Affairs, Mr. 
Ortiz served as a mentor to thousands of students, many of whom are the 
first in their families to attend college. His work contributed 
significantly to making Whittier College one of the most diverse 
liberal arts colleges in the country. Furthermore, Dr. Ortiz's 
leadership in diversity issues shaped the ethos of Whittier College in 
significant ways.
  Mr. Ortiz has received many honors for his work, including 
recognition from the California Legislature for his dedication to the 
students and the community served by Whittier College. He also received 
the Recognition Award from the Personnel Management Association of 
Aztlan, National Board, for his promotion of employment opportunities 
for minority youth, and a Distinguished Service Award from the U.S. 
Department of Education. The college's organization Alianza de Los 
Amigos elected him to its Hall of Fame, and a $1.5 million endowed 
scholarship has been established at Whittier in his honor.
  Throughout his career, Mr. Ortiz has served as a consultant and 
advisor to many organizations. He has been a consultant to the U.S. 
Department of Health and Human Services and has served on many 
community and professional associations including the Los Angeles 
County Human Relations Commission, the Task Force on Improving 
Community Relations, the California Council of Criminal Justice, and 
the National Hispanic Task Force, Social Security Administration.
  Mr. Speaker, we invite our colleagues to join us in saluting Mr. 
Martin Ortiz for his selfless and untiring efforts on behalf of Latino 
students. His devotion to his work and his commitment to others has 
earned him the love and praise of countless people who have received 
his comfort, advice and support. We congratulate him on a wonderfully 
successful career and wish him all the best as he enters retirement.

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