[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24419]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING DAVID B. CASTRO

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, October 8, 2003

  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to David B. 
Castro. He has worked tirelessly in behalf of the Hispanic community. 
David Bedoya Castro was born in Sonora, Arizona and spent his youth as 
a farm worker following the crops in California with his family. He 
made use of the schooling available to farm workers in the early 1930's 
with the knowledge even then that it was education that would improve 
the quality of life for himself and his family.
  In 1942, David volunteered to join the Marines and received two 
honorable discharges for service in World War II and Korea. Upon 
returning to his home in Hayward, California, David began working in 
the local cannery, became a shop steward and moved through the ranks to 
become a union official and labor organizer. He was the first union 
Hispanic Secretary Treasurer. His main focus was to improve the wages, 
and working conditions of workers in the eleven western states. David 
would go beyond the duties of his job, and would help those in need by 
providing clothing; necessities and jobs.
  In 1997, David became a Field Representative for Alameda County and 
was responsible for recruiting Hispanics for employment. At the 
beginning of his career with Alameda County, only 3 percent of 
Hispanics were employed in the County. When he retired in 1989, that 
number had risen to 23 percent.
  David continually looked for ways to improve conditions for 
Hispanics. He knew that education and community involvement was the key 
to success. His inspiration led to founding of the Hispanic Community 
Affairs Council (HCAC), an organization dedicated to the betterment of 
Hispanic communities. HCAC recently celebrated its 26th anniversary and 
continues its goal of fostering a better education for Latino youth. 
HCAC has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to Latino students.
  As a visionary and dedicated community activist, David recognized 
another need. Businesses in the East Bay needed a way to meet and hire 
qualified Hispanics. This spurred the idea for HEBAN, The Hispanic East 
Bay Area Network, which brings prospective employers and job seekers 
together.
  After retiring in 1989, David began researching his family history, 
which led him to a village in the Sierra Madre called Mezquital Del 
Oro, Mexico. In the church of this small town he discovered his family 
genealogy in ancient documents tracing his heritage back to 1660. He 
also discovered people in need and began providing support through 
donations of clothing, household, school and medical supplies.
  David, with the help of friend Librado Perez and cousin Isidro 
Magallanes provided an ambulance to the town of Mezuital Del Oro. The 
ambulance was a life saver for the town because previously the injured 
or seriously ill had to find available transportation, usually a truck, 
to drive them 100 miles to the nearest hospital.
  I am proud that David Castro is one of my constituents and a longtime 
friend. His caring, motivation and tenacity have provided numerous 
contributions to many. I applaud his good work and join his friends, 
colleagues and admirers in thanking him for all he does for others. 
David is a humanitarian and community leader in every respect.

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