[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[House]
[Pages 19968-19972]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  GARZA-VELA UNITED STATES COURTHOUSE

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1402) to designate a United States courthouse in 
Brownsville, Texas, as the ``Garza-Vela United States Courthouse,'' as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1402

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States courthouse located at the corner of 
     Seventh Street and East Jackson Street in Brownsville, Texas, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Reynaldo G. Garza and 
     Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the United States 
     courthouse referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela 
     United States Courthouse''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia 
(Ms. Norton) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1402 introduced by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Ortiz) designates the United States courthouse located in Brownsville, 
Texas, as the Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States 
Courthouse.
  This legislation honors two men who were pioneers, as well as 
judicial giants, yet at the same time two men who made time for family 
and community.
  Reynaldo Guerra Garza was born in Brownsville, Texas in 1915 and 
spent his lifetime working in and serving that community as an attorney 
in the Army Air Corps and as a Federal judge committed to protecting 
the rights of legal immigrants.
  President Kennedy appointed Judge Garza to the U.S. District Court 
for the Southern District of Texas in 1961. At that time, Judge Garza 
became the first Mexican American on any U.S. District Court. In 1979, 
when President Jimmy Carter appointed Judge Garza to the Fifth Circuit 
Court of Appeals, he became the first Mexican American to gain that 
honor as well.
  Filemon Bartolome Vela was born in Arlington, Texas in 1936 and 
attended the Harlingen public schools. Like Judge Garza, he dedicated 
his life to South Texas, first as a State judge, and then as a Federal 
judge, taking over the seat vacated by Judge Garza upon his appointment 
to the circuit court of appeals.
  Judge Vela is perhaps best known in the community for his work with 
the schools, speaking to children on career days and encouraging youth 
to get an education by supporting literacy programs.
  Each of these gentleman succumbed to their illnesses in the past 
year. This naming is a fitting tribute to their dedicated service. I 
urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
  I also want to recognize my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Ortiz), for his dedication in bringing this legislation to the floor. I 
thank him for ensuring that these men are recognized for their service.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I join with Mr. Ortiz of Brownsville, Texas, in 
supporting H.R. 1402, a bill to name the courthouse in Brownsville, 
Texas as the Reynaldo G. Garza--Filemon B. Vela United States 
Courthouse.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill honors the life and works of two extraordinary 
Mexican-Americans. Judge Reynaldo Garza was born in Brownsville in 
1915. He graduated from local elementary schools as well as Brownsville 
High School. After graduating from Brownsville Junior College he 
attended the University of Texas where he received a combined degree of 
Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Law.
  Judge Garza served his country during World War II in the Air Force. 
After the war he returned to Brownsville to practice law.
  In 1961 President Kennedy appointed Judge Garza to the District Court 
for the Southern District of Texas. In 1979 President Carter appointed 
him to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
  In addition to his judicial duties Judge Garza has long been 
interested in education issues. He served former Governors John 
Connally and Governor Mark White on commissions to improve the quality 
of education in Texas. Judge Garza recognized the importance of 
education in judicial proceedings and his concern for the uneducated 
man at the mercy of unscrupulous people.
  Judge Garza was very active in his church, and has served the Knights 
of Columbus in the Brownsville area for many years. Pope Pious XII 
twice decorated Judge Garza for his work in behalf of Catholic 
Charities. In 1989 Judge Garza was honored by the University of Texas 
with the Distinguished Alumnus award.
  His record of public service includes work with the Rotary Club, the 
Latin-American Relation Committee of Brownsville, trustee at his law 
school, advisory council for the Boy Scouts, and he was elected as City 
Commissioner of the City of Brownsville.
  It is fitting and proper to honor Judge Garza's outstanding, rich 
life, his commitment to excellence, and his numerous public 
contributions.
  Judge Filemon Vela was also a native Texas and a veteran of the 
United States Army. He attended Texas Southmost College, and the 
University of Texas. His law degree is from St. Mary's School of Law in 
San Antonio.
  Judge Vela served as a Commissioner of the City of Brownsville. He 
was an active member of the Judges Advisory Committee to the U.S. 
Sentencing Commission. Judge Vela is a former law instructor, and an 
attorney for the Cameron County Child Welfare Department.
  His civil activities include being the charter President for the 
Esperanza Home for Boys, and co-sponsor of the Spanish Radio Program 
``Enrich your Life, Complete your Studies,'' Judge Vela's other civic 
activities include membership on the Independent School District Task 
Force, and membership in the General Assembly of the Texas Catholic 
Conference. He is also an active member of the Lions Club.
  Judge Vela was nominated by President Carter for the Federal bench 
and was confirmed by the United States Senate in 1980.
  Judge Vela's career was filled with successes, commitment to his 
family, devotion to his religion and his church, love for his work and 
respect for his colleagues. It is most fitting to honor Judge Vela with 
this designation.
  I join Congressman Ortiz in supporting H.R. 1402.
  Mr. Speaker, in recognition of the hard work of the author of this 
bill who brought this bill forward, I yield such time as he may consume 
to my good friend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz).
  Mr. ORTIZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank very much the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. LaTourette) for bringing this bill to the floor, as well as the 
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), the gentleman 
from Tennessee (Chairman Duncan), the gentleman from Alaska (Chairman 
Young), the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) 
and members of the staff for quickly bringing this bill to the floor.
  I also want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) and the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez) for also speaking on this matter.
  Mr. Speaker, today we are passing long overdue legislation that names 
the United States Federal Courthouse in Brownsville, Texas, the 
Reynaldo G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse. Earlier 
this year, Judge Vela sadly passed away, and 2 weeks ago Judge Garza 
also passed away, leaving behind two distinct and honorable legacies in 
South Texas.
  These two men were judicial stalwarts. Individually, they were 
trailblazers, pioneers, and an inspiration for many Hispanics, 
particularly Mexican Americans from the Rio Grande Valley. Together 
they are an enormous wealth of riches we want to forever remember.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the House for their action on this bill, and ask 
that we pass it unanimously
  Mr. Speaker, I provide the following for the Record:

[[Page 19969]]



                             Quorum Report


      Brownsville native described as trailblazer, judicial legend

       Tributes have been pouring in for Judge Reynaldo Garza, the 
     nation's first Hispanic federal judge. The Brownsville native 
     and son of Mexican immigrants died Tuesday at the age of 89 
     after battling pneumonia.
       President Kennedy appointed Garza to the federal judgeship 
     in 1961. President Carter appointed him to the 5th U.S. 
     Circuit Court of Appeals. In between, he turned down an 
     opportunity to be Attorney General under President Johnson 
     because he liked being a federal judge and did not want to be 
     away from his family.
       ``Judge Garza was a trailblazer, a pioneer who set the 
     stage for all those that followed,'' said state Sen. Eddie 
     Lucio (D-Brownsville). ``He was a man of great stature. He 
     lived life as he preached it, as a devout Christian. He had a 
     tremendous work ethic and was an inspirational speaker. He 
     gave you a big grin that made you feel good. You just knew he 
     cared.''
       Lucio said he knew Garza all his life. Garza officiated 
     when Lucio took his oath of office as Cameron County 
     Treasurer in 1971.
       ``I remember seeing him around the county courthouse when I 
     was a young boy and he was still practicing law,'' Lucio 
     recalled. ``I am proud to say that he and my father were the 
     two most influential men in my life. He preached Americanism 
     and patriotism.''
       U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz (D-Corpus Christi) said South Texas 
     has lost a friend, pioneer, hero and judicial legend with his 
     passing.
       ``Judge Garza became a legend in the South Texas area by 
     virtue of his commitment to education, community and family . 
     . . and in the evenhandedness of how he dispensed justice,'' 
     Ortiz said.
       ``Judge Garza's wit, workhorse energy, pointed candor, and 
     razor sharp focus on questions of law won him an amazing 
     number of fans in Washington and elsewhere in the legal/
     judicial establishment.''
       Ortiz said Garza's granddaughter had worked as an intern in 
     his Capitol Hill office this summer. Ortiz said he was 
     working in Congress to name the new federal courthouse in 
     Brownsville partially in his honor.
       ``I have talked to members on the Committee where the bill 
     is being held, appealing for them to move quickly to pass 
     this bill. Its rapid passage would be a great tribute to 
     Judge Garza's life work,'' Ortiz said.
       Garza's funeral is scheduled for Saturday at the Fort Brown 
     Memorial Center in Brownsville.
                                  ____


             [From the Brownsville Herald, Sept. 15, 2004]

    Nation's First Mexican-American District Judge Dies of Pneumonia

                         (By Laura B. Martinez)

       U.S. Circuit Judge Reynaldo G. Garza, the nation's first 
     Mexican-American district judge, died Tuesday at a 
     Brownsville hospital. He was 89.
       Garza died at 9:40 a.m. at Valley Baptist Medical Center-
     Brownsville, formerly Brownsville Medical Center, surrounded 
     by his family, according to his son Reynaldo G. Garza Jr. The 
     judge died of pneumonia. He had been battling the illness 
     since July 11.
       ``He had gone home for 10 days and had a relapse,'' Garza 
     Jr. said.
       ``Pneumonia is a tough thing for an 89-year-old to beat and 
     his body finally gave up.''
       As recently as Sunday, Judge Garza was still mentally 
     alert, his son said.
       Up until last month, Judge Garza's law clerks were still 
     bringing work to his home and the hospital.
       ``He would read over the papers and sign whatever was 
     necessary,'' Garza Jr. said, ``He was sharp enough to still 
     be working.
       ``He was physically in bad shape, but mentally he was still 
     in very good shape.''
       Judge Garza is survived by his wife, Bertha Champion Garza; 
     five children, Reynaldo G. Garza Jr., David C. Garza, Ygnacio 
     P. Garza, Bertha Garza Elizondo and Monica Garza; 12 
     grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
       He was nominated to the bench by President John F. Kennedy 
     in March of 1961 and confirmed by the Senate in April 1961 
     for the Southern District of Texas. He was nominated to the 
     U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit by President 
     Carter in April 1979 and confirmed by the Senate in July 
     1979. He assumed senior status in July 1982.
       In 1977, the Brownsville school district honored Garza by 
     naming an elementary school after him. There's also a school 
     in McAllen named for him as well.
       In 2003, U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, renewed 
     his efforts to get the new federal courthouse partially named 
     after Garza and the late senior U.S. District Judge Filemon 
     B. Vela.
       Vela died in April of stomach cancer. He was 68.
       The bill is pending.
       Former Brownsville Mayor Blanca S. Vela said Tuesday that 
     Garza had been something of a father figure to her late 
     husband.
       When her husband Judge Vela died in April, Garza took the 
     loss very hard. The two had been close friends, she said. 
     ``They were close with each other for years. He was in 
     tears,'' Blanca Vela said. ``I went to his house to console 
     him.
       ``The judge was an inspiration to my husband. My husband 
     though very much of him as a father,'' after his own father 
     died more than 10 years ago, she said.
       The two families had been friends for more than 30 years. 
     The two met when Judge Vela was a practicing attorney and 
     Judge Garza was on the bench.
       ``It's a loss in the field of law, for justice, fairness 
     and equality and all those virtues that he had and was so 
     supportive of,'' Blanca Vela said. ``I'm saddened to hear 
     about his death.''
       Garza touched many in the legal community, both 
     professionally and personally.
       Undeterred by his illness, he officiated the swearing in of 
     U.S. District Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa in McAllen as 
     chairman of the federal sentencing commission. The ceremony 
     was performed in Garza's hospital room in Brownsville on Aug. 
     3, Hinojosa said.
       Hinojosa met Garza when he was on the bench at the federal 
     courthouse in Brownsville. The two courtrooms were located on 
     the same floor.
       ``Judge Garza was a great mentor and immediately made me 
     feel at home . . . he was always ready to provide advice in 
     counsel,'' Hinojosa said.
       Hinojosa said he has admired Garza since he was a boy. He 
     remembers attending naturalization ceremonies in Starr 
     County, which Garza presided over.
       ``I remember sitting there and not realizing that someday I 
     would be working on the same floor as he did,'' Hinjosa said. 
     ``He's an example of anything that is possible in this great 
     country.
       ``The rest of us have come along after him because he 
     opened doors for us. He opened doors that remain open for the 
     rest of us.''
       Students and staff at Reynaldo G. Garza Elementary School 
     were informed of the judge's death Tuesday afternoon.
       ``Judge Reynaldo G. Garza has been an incredibly positive 
     role model for the students at Garza Elementary since the 
     school's inception in 1977,'' Principal Cesar Martinez said.
       ``The entire administration, staff, student body and 
     community have his family in their thoughts.''
       Judge Garza and his family were actively involved at the 
     school, showing up on the campus to read to the students 
     during National Reading month, and helping out with fund-
     raisers, Martinez said.
       The school will have a remembrance ceremony for the judge 
     on Sept. 24. Details are pending.
       School officials had planned to have a TAKS or Texas 
     Assessment of Knowledge and Skills testing rally on that 
     date, but opted to change the rally to a service instead.
       News of Garza's death brought Brownsville resident Joe C. 
     Wolfe to tears Tuesday. Wolfe said Garza was a guest speaker 
     at a Veterans for Foreign Wars event in 1990. Wolfe was the 
     commander post captain in Brownsville at that time.
       After watching a television news broadcast, Wolfe, 78, went 
     outside and lowered the U.S. Flag posted in front of his home 
     to half-staff.
       ``He's my hero,'' an emotional Wolfe said. ``He'll go down 
     in history. I'm proud, because of him.''
       Funeral services are under the direction of Darling Mouser 
     Funeral Home. Preliminary plans include family visitations at 
     5 p.m. Friday at St. Mary's Catholic Church, 1914 Barnard 
     Road, followed by a rosary at 7 p.m.
       A funeral Mass is tentatively set for 10 a.m. Saturday at 
     Jacob Brown Auditorium with burial to follow at Buena Vista 
     Burial Park.
                                  ____


                  [From the Rio Grande Valley Bureau]

                         (By Mariano Castillo)

       McALLEN.--Reynaldo Garza, a senior judge on the U.S. Fifth 
     Circuit Court of Appeals and the first Mexican American 
     appointed to the federal bench, died Tuesday in a Brownsville 
     hospital at 89.
       A native of Brownsville, Garza was described as an 
     inspiration for generations of Hispanics, particularly 
     Mexican Americans from the Rio Grande Valley.
       He'd been battling pneumonia for more than a month.
       ``He was truly one of the greats of the area,'' said U.S. 
     District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa of McAllen, a longtime 
     friend. ``We followed his path after he was the first to walk 
     through that door.''
       Hinojosa recalled the awe he felt when as a boy he watched 
     Garza officiate at a naturalization ceremony. More than 20 
     years later, when he and Garza presided over similar 
     ceremonies together, ``it always took me back,'' he said.
       But the judge said Garza's influence transcended race and 
     region, adding: ``He was a role model for all federal judges 
     in this country.''
       President John F. Kennedy appointed Garza to the federal 
     bench in 1961. In 1979, President Carter named him to the New 
     Orleans-based appeals court, which has jurisdiction over 
     federal cases in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
       People from all backgrounds respected Garza for being 
     accessible yet sophisticated, U.S. District Judge George 
     Kazan of Laredo said.
       ``He's one of those guys that you talk about that can be 
     just at ease with a president as with an undocumented alien 
     because he just had a good touch with people,'' Kazen said.

[[Page 19970]]

       U.S. Rep. Solomon Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, said he'd try 
     once again to pass a bill to rename the federal courthouse in 
     Brownsville in Garza's honor.
       Garza recalled turning down an offer by Carter to be U.S. 
     attorney general so he could remain in the Valley.
       Garza's parents were from Matamoros, Mexico.
       The sixth of eight children, Garza was born July 7, 1915, 
     and attended junior college in Brownsville, graduating in 
     1935. He was a laborer for the Works Progress Administration 
     to pay for his studies at the University of Texas at Austin, 
     where he obtained a law degree. He started a law practice in 
     Brownsville.
       He ran for the school board and city commission. During 
     World War II he served in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was an 
     established lawyer by the time Vice President Lyndon B. 
     Johnson recommended him to Kennedy for the federal judgeship.
       ``I always said I hope I got the appointment because I was 
     qualified, not because I'm Mexican American, but I knew I had 
     to do a good job or else my actions would reflect not only on 
     my ability, but also that of other Mexican Americans,'' Garza 
     said in ``All Rise,'' a biography written by Brownsville 
     native Louise Ann Fisch.
       Fisch, who now lives in Maryland, said Garza ``never lost 
     his small town origins and he could bridge the gap between 
     the Anglo and Mexican cultures.''
       The cases he presided over as a federal judge in the 1960s 
     and 1970s included several that contributed to the civil 
     rights changes of the era, such as challenges to a racially 
     segregated union and the suspension of a public school 
     student for passing out anti-war leaflets during the Vietnam 
     War.
       Garza worked during his retirement years, and from his 
     hospital bed, he administered the oath of office for Hinojosa 
     to chair the U.S. Sentencing Commission as seven friends and 
     witnesses crowded into the room Aug. 3.
       ``It is unfortunate in some respects that so few people, 
     unless they were close to him, have a sense of what a pioneer 
     and what a leader he was--not only in the legal field but in 
     the community in terms of the charitable,'' said U.S. 
     Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza, who is not related to the 
     judge. ``He was there doing things when other folks were not 
     even imagining them. He has, and it should be recognized, a 
     huge legacy.''
       Visitation will be Friday at 5 p.m. at St. Mary's Catholic 
     Church in Brownsville, with a rosary at 7 p.m.
       The funeral is scheduled for Saturday at 10 a.m. at the 
     Fort Brown Memorial Center in Brownsville. He'll be buried in 
     Buena Vista Cemetery.
       Garza is survived by his wife, Bertha; five children; 12 
     grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.
                                  ____


             [From the Brownsville Herald, Sept. 19, 2004]

             Judicial Trailblazer: Judge Garza Laid to Rest

                          (By Ildefonso Ortiz)

       Hundreds gathered Saturday to bid farewell to a judicial 
     pioneer.
       U.S. Circuit Court Judge Reynaldo Garza, the nation's first 
     Mexican-American district judge, was laid to rest Saturday as 
     family, friends and colleagues wiped tears from their faces.
       But even in their sorrow, mourners could not help but smile 
     as they watched a video of Garza recalling some of his 
     memorable moments from a legendary career on the bench.
       ``I had a young man from a well-known family in Donna and I 
     sentenced him to five years. I was going to give him probate, 
     but the poor lad fainted before I had the chance,'' Garza 
     said, chuckling. ``After they revived him I suspended the 
     sentence and gave him probation.''
       Garza's chuckle lightened the mood--something he did 
     countless times in life, according to his son Ignacio. Even 
     in Garza's last days, he maintained his sense of humor.
       ``He began to plan,'' the son said. ``He said, `don't bury 
     me for three or four days. I want to give time for my law 
     clerks to be there.' If he ever figures out how to use a 
     phone in heaven he will call those who didn't come.''
       Judging by the overflowing crowd at the Mass and burial, 
     Garza won't have many phone calls to make.
       Senators, federal judges and other well-wishers crammed 
     inside Jacob Brown Auditorium for a morning Mass and paid 
     their final respects to Garza at Buena Vista Cemetery.
       President Bush also offered his condolences in a video 
     message played after the Mass.
       ``Those of us who are from Texas are proud to say we are 
     both Texans,'' Bush said. ``We will honor his memory today.''
       Judge Garza died of pneumonia on Tuesday after battling the 
     illness since July 11. He was 89.
       Garza was appointed to the bench in March 1961 by President 
     John F. Kennedy, who nominated him for the Southern District 
     of Texas. Garza was nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeal for 
     the Fifth Circuit by President Carter in March 1979 and the 
     Senate confirmed the nomination in July. Three years later he 
     assumed senior status.
       During Saturday's Mass, Monsignor Gustavo Barrera took to 
     the podium to talk about Garza's unbreakable faith, as Bishop 
     Raymundo Pena sprinkled ritual incense throughout the altar.
       ``When he was able, he was at daily Mass,'' Barrera said as 
     he looked at the sea of people holding back tears. ``He was 
     with his family, at the bench or at church.''
       Barrera said the judge had a gift to help those who needed 
     it most.
       ``He had the light of Christ in him,'' he said, ``and he 
     could see the light of Christ in other people.''
       After Mass, dozens of vehicles lined the streets of 
     Brownsville as they followed Garza to his final resting place 
     at Buena Vista Cemetery. More than 40 law enforcement 
     officers escorted the procession to the cemetery as a Border 
     Patrol helicopter hovered above.
       The mourners were greeted by dozens of flower arrangements, 
     creating a 5-foot wall that served as a background for the 
     burial ceremony.
       There, they bid farewell to the judge.
       ``Judge Garza, he was a wonderful mentor to me and to many 
     of my colleagues,'' said U.S. Circuit Court Judge Hilda 
     Tagle. ``He was devoted to his family and he was loved by 
     all.''
       Juliet V. Garcia, president of the University of Texas at 
     Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, said Garza was a 
     good friend.
       ``He was a simple, man, he was a friend to all and we will 
     miss him,'' she said.
       Even those who had not met the judge attended the burial to 
     pay respects.
       ``He was a good person, he did a lot of good for people,'' 
     said Cervando Cardenas. ``I lived a few blocks from the 
     school with his name (Garza Elementary), my kids went there 
     and I had to come say goodbye.''

              [From the Brownsville Herald, Apr. 14, 2004]

          Judge Filemon Vela Loses Battle With Stomach Cancer

       Senior U.S. District Judge Filemon B. Vela, one of 
     Brownsville's most notable figures, died Tuesday at a 
     Harlingen hospital. He was 68.
       Vela died at 12:33 p.m. in the emergency room at Valley 
     Baptist Medical Center, said hospital spokesman Mike Swartz. 
     The judge had been on an airplane Tuesday en route from 
     Houston, where he had been undergoing treatment for stomach 
     cancer at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said his son Filemon 
     Vela Jr.
       ``My father fought a very courageous battle with cancer, 
     and this morning, he was returning for further treatment, and 
     after landing in this place that he loved so dearly, he 
     passed away in peace,'' he said.
       ``On behalf of our father and our family, I would like to 
     thank all of our friends for their phone calls, their visits, 
     their thoughts and prayers.''
       Judge Vela was married to former Brownsville Mayor Blanca 
     Sanchez Vela. They had three children.
       Viewings will be held from 7 to 9 a.m. Thursday and Friday 
     at the Brownsville Events Center on Paredes Line Road. A 
     prayer service will follow Thursday's viewing; funeral 
     services will begin at 9 a.m. Friday under the direction of 
     Darling Mouser Funeral Home in Brownsville.
       Vela, a Harlingen native, served as a federal judge from 
     1980 to 2000 when he retired and received senior status.
       As a senior judge, Vela traveled through the Southern 
     District of Texas Region relieving the load of district 
     judges hearing cases in Brownsville, McAllen and Laredo.
       ``Judge Vela was a great man. That's something you hear 
     about a lot of people, but it's really true with him,'' said 
     U.S. Magistrate John William Black of Brownsville, who first 
     met Vela in 1965 when both were practicing attorneys.
       ``He had a lot of people appear before him but he never let 
     himself be jaded by the fact he had handled so many cases,'' 
     Black said.
       ``He looked at people as people, not as numbers or 
     statistics.
       ``He was truly a great man and will be missed.''
       Vela graduated from St. Mary's School of Law in San Antonio 
     in 1962. He practiced law in Harlingen and Brownsville from 
     1962 to 1974.
       He served on the Brownsville City Commission from 1971 to 
     1973. He was a state district judge in Cameron County from 
     1975 to 1980.
       In 1980, he was a candidate for the federal bench. U.S. 
     Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, D-Texas, and former President Jimmy 
     Carter nominated him. At the same time he was confirmed by 
     the Senate as U.S. district judge for the Southern District 
     of Texas.
       In 2000, Vela opted to take senior status instead of 
     retiring at age 65.
       News of Vela's death spread quickly through the Southern 
     District of Texas' U.S. District and Bankruptcy Courts.
       The region covers the area from Houston to Brownsville.
       ``It's a very big personal loss, because he was a very good 
     friend and a teacher and aide with regards to my taking on 
     the role as a judge 21 years ago,'' said U.S. District Judge 
     Ricardo Hinojosa of McAllen.
       Hinojosa worked with Vela for more than four years in 
     Brownsville federal courts before transferring to the McAllen 
     federal courthouse.
       ``He would often joke with people that he and I were 
     appointed by presidents from different parties but that when 
     it came to judging we were one, because our constitution

[[Page 19971]]

     and our laws don't have partisan flavor,'' Hinojosa said.
       Former President Ronald Reagan appointed Hinojosa.
       It was just two months ago Vela was handling cases in 
     federal court, Hinojosa said.
       ``He was still offering help as he always did.''
       Black said Vela was instrumental in getting a new federal 
     courthouse built in Brownsville.
       ``He was the one that carried all of the water and did all 
     the things that needed to be done to get it to happen,'' 
     Black said. The U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building at Sixth 
     and East Harrison streets was opened in 2001.
       In 2003, U.S. Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz, D-Corpus Christi, 
     renewed his efforts to get the new federal courthouse 
     partially named after Vela and U.S. District Judge Reynaldo 
     Garza.
       This bill is pending.
       About five years ago, the bill passed in the House but 
     stalled in the U.S. Senate.
       ``South Texas lost a legend today with the passing of Judge 
     Filemon Vela,``Oritz said in a prepared statement. ``He was 
     my friend, he was a hero and he was a judicial giant in the 
     Rio Grande Valley.''
       Federal public defender Roland Dahlin of Houston said 
     attorneys in Houston were sadden by the news of the judge's 
     death. Many had worked with him on federal cases.
       Beside attending court, Judge Vela routinely visited area 
     schools, encouraging children to continue their education and 
     to stay away from drugs.
       He often administered the oath of citizenship to new U.S. 
     citizens at citizenship ceremonies held across the Valley.
       ``He touched everybody in this city in his own way,'' said 
     Raul Besteiro, Port of Brownsville director and a former 
     colleague of Vela's at The University of Texas at Austin.
       ``He was always available to do things for people. He had a 
     heart that was bigger than anybody else,'' Besteiro said.
       ``He did a great job with his family and his kids. And he 
     was very proud that his wife (Blanca S. Vela) was mayor of 
     this community.
       ``All I can say, he's passed the baton to us, and we have 
     to make sure you put that baton ahead.''
       Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, described Vela as ``a 
     steadfast advocate for the rule of law.''
       ``His leadership will be missed along the border and across 
     the state,'' she said.
       In lieu of flowers the Vela family asks that donations be 
     made to the Vela Middle School Scholarship Fund 4905 Paredes 
     Line Road, Brownsville, Texas 78520.
                                  ____


                     [From the Brownsville Herald]

               Family, friends pay respect to Judge Vela

                         (By Laura B. Martinez)

       Carlos Vela stopped speaking in mid-sentence and listened 
     to a student mariachi group play a tune.
       Vela's eyes welled up. ``That was his favorite song,'' he 
     said. The song was ``Laureles,'' a favorite of his brother, 
     the late U.S. District Judge Filemon B. Vela.
       Judge Vela died Tuesday, soon after arriving home from 
     Houston where he was treated for stomach cancer. He was 68.
       The University of Texas at Brownville and Texas Southmost 
     College Mariachi Escorpion performed the melody Thursday at 
     the Brownsville Events Center, where a viewing was held for 
     Judge Vela's body. A funeral service and burial is set for 
     today.
       The music was overwhelming for Carlos Vela, who listened 
     briefly then walked to the main room at the Events Center.
       ``All the Velas like mariachi music,'' he said before 
     slowly walking away.
       Hundreds of mourners filed into the center to pay respect 
     to the judge who has been referred to as a South Texas 
     legend.
       Many of those who attended Thursday's service worked at the 
     U.S. District Courthouse in Brownsville, where Vela held 
     court.
       ``He was a wonderful man,'' said Belia Zepeda, who works 
     for the U.S. Marshals Service in Brownsville. ``He was so 
     respected, and everybody looked up to him.''
       While many attending Thursday's prayer service knew him as 
     Judge Vela, to his nieces and nephews he was ``Tio Filo.''
       ``He was my uncle, my godfather and most importantly, my 
     friend,'' said Manny Vela, one of the judge's numerous nieces 
     and nephews.
       Manny Vela said his uncle did not care whether someone was 
     rich or poor, the color of one's skin or if an individual had 
     a title with his or her name.
       ``He treated people with the respect and dignity that they 
     were due,'' he said.
       ``I was blessed to be raised among giants. All my life I've 
     been surrounded by family members living larger than life--
     people who do the right thing for the right reasons.''
       Also speaking at Thursday's service was Chief District 
     Judge Hayden W. Head Jr. of Corpus Christi.
       Head said he met Judge Vela in 1981 and formed a close 
     friendship with him.
       ``Judge Vela was a wise judge who knew the law and knew it 
     well,'' Head said. ``But there was more to the senior judge.
       ``He had that connection with people. . . . He was 
     compassionate when compassion was required and firm when it 
     was needed.''
                                  ____


    South Texas Lost a Good Man With the Death of Judge Filemon Vela

       U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela died at noon Tuesday as 
     his plane landed at Valley International Airport in 
     Harlingen. Judge Vela was stricken with stomach cancer two 
     months ago and had been in treatment at M.D. Anderson 
     Hospital in Houston since that time.
       Judge Vela was a fair but strict judge who enforced this 
     country's laws and sent thousands of criminal defendants to 
     prison during his 29 years on the bench.
       He was born in Harlingen in 1935 and lived with his parents 
     and brothers, Moises, Robert and Carlos and his sister, who 
     helped raise him after the death of his mother. His father 
     was a notary public and had his office in the same building 
     where the family ran a small grocery. The Vela family lived 
     in Fair Park on the west side of Harlingen.
       Moises and Carlos are also attorneys and Moises is a former 
     Cameron County Judge and Harlingen municipal judge. Moises' 
     son, Manny, is Cameron County Democratic Party Chairman.
       Judge Vela was no product of affirmative action. His 
     character was molded by his father who insisted that his 
     children get an education. When St. Anthony Catholic School 
     opened, in 1948, Filemon and Carlos were among the first 
     students signed up.
       Filemon Vela graduated from Harlingen High School in 1954 
     and became a student at Texas Southmost College, Brownsville, 
     where he was known for his quick wit and love of debate. He 
     served in the U.S. Army from 1957 until 1959. After his army 
     duty he enrolled in St. Mary's Law School, San Antonio, where 
     he graduated in 1962. Although he didn't have the money to 
     pay tuition he earned it by working in the cafeteria.
       Upon graduation he practiced law in Harlingen for two years 
     then moved to Brownsville where he practiced for 11 years, 
     entering politics in 1971. Vela was a Brownsville City 
     Commissioner from 1971-73 and was elected state district 
     judge of the 107th court in 1975. In this capacity he 
     presided over cases in Willacy County as well as in Cameron 
     County.
       In 1980 he was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to a 
     federal judge seat in Brownsville being vacated by Judge 
     Reynaldo Garza. He was confirmed by the Senate later that 
     year and served until May 1, 2000 when he assumed senior 
     status.
       My family has known the Vela family since 1948. Judge 
     Vela's brother, Moises, was my father's attorney and he was 
     my mother's attorney. Judge Vela honored my family by 
     swearing in my son, Dan, after he also graduated from St. 
     Mary's Law School and passed the state bar exam. And while he 
     was a student at St. Mary's, my son clerked for Judge Vela in 
     Brownsville.
       Some 50 years ago, my brothers and I camped with Filemon 
     and Carlos Vela at Camp Perry, while in the Boy Scouts.
       Recently Judge Vela hosted his 1949 St. Anthony School 
     graduating class and gave his fellow classmates a tour of the 
     new federal courthouse in Brownsville with dinner in 
     Matamoros.
       Filemon Vela was a good lawyer, a good judge, a Christian 
     and a longtime friend. Our condolences go to his family, 
     wife, Blanca, a daughter, and his son, Filemon, Jr., an 
     attorney who practices in Corpus Christi.
       The Editor

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa)
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
1402, the Garza-Vela United States Courthouse Designation Act offered 
by my good friend and colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ortiz).
  This bill pays tribute to two great men, Federal Judge Reynaldo G. 
Garza and Federal Judge Filemon B. Vela, who were judicial legends in 
South Texas.
  Judge Garza was the Nation's first Mexican American Federal district 
judge. Appointed to the Federal bench by President John F. Kennedy in 
1961, Judge Reynaldo Garza served this Nation through the turbulent 
years of the civil rights movement. His decisions contributed to the 
changes that opened up many opportunities for minorities.
  In 1976, President Carter asked him to serve as the Nation's Attorney 
General, but he declined because he did not want to leave his beloved 
South Texas and his service on the Federal bench.
  He was committed to education, particularly in encouraging literacy, 
and he was known to all for the even-handed way in which he dispensed 
justice.
  His last official act took place from his hospital bed when he 
officiated at the swearing-in of his protege, Judge Ricardo H. Hinojosa 
as the new chairman of the Federal Sentencing Commission. When he 
passed away a few

[[Page 19972]]

weeks ago at the age of 89, I was privileged to join the thousands of 
mourners in paying tribute to this outstanding and extraordinary 
pioneer.
  I offer his wife Bertha and all his children and grandchildren my 
heartfelt condolences.
  Judge Vela was nominated to the Federal bench by President Carter in 
1980 and worked tirelessly to design and have built the new courthouse 
in Brownsville. It is indeed fitting that his name will be on this new 
Federal Courthouse.
  Judge Vela, like his good friend Judge Garza, was known for his 
impeccable integrity and fairness on the bench. He also was passionate 
about teaching children about the law and the criminal justice system 
in order to encourage them to make the right choices in life. He would 
bring inmates to school to tell children about the mistakes they had 
made and the consequences they suffered as a result.
  Judge Vela was often heard on the radio giving advice and counsel to 
parents and students on the importance of education. Like Judge Garza, 
he was also a mentor to many others in his profession.
  We lost Judge Vela earlier this year. He is survived by his beautiful 
wife Blanca, and his three children, Filemon, Jr., Rafael, and Sylvia.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation in and 
honor these two great Americans for their service to this Nation.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield such time as he may 
consume to my friend the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez).
  Mr. GONZALEZ. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me 
time, and I thank my colleagues for their assistance in getting this 
piece of legislation to the floor, and I hope it will successfully pass 
with very little difficulty.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the legislation, of course, 
but I do want to remind individuals, and I will be quick, because I 
know it has been a long evening and people have a lot of business, but 
I think Judges Vela and Garza deserve 1 minute of praise and 
recognition.
  In 1961 when Judge Garza was first appointed, he was the first, as 
has already been pointed out, Mexican American Hispanic to be appointed 
to the Federal bench. It was the same year that my father was elected 
and he was the first Hispanic from Texas to have been elected to this 
House.
  At that time, it was such a great celebration for all of us, but the 
truth was, we knew that they were the first, but we did not know they 
were not going to be the last. Things have not turned out that way, 
thank God.
  But truly, to honor their legacies, I had the great benefit of being 
counseled and mentored and lectured to by both Judge Vela and Judge 
Garza when I was a State district judge in Texas, and I know the 
lessons that they imparted are still with me today, and they would 
reverberate today in this Chamber if they had an opportunity to meet 
with us, members of that other branch of government, the legislative 
branch, they would remind us of that incredible but very important 
balance and separation of powers. And their legacies will only be 
recognized and their contributions will only be recognized to the 
extent that the other two branches of government, the executive and the 
legislative, understand their service in the context of this wonderful, 
wonderful concept that we have here in the United States, in our 
democracy, three equal branches of government, checks and balances and 
separation of powers.
  So I know if they were here today, they would say, ``Charlie, let us 
do our job. Let us go ahead and review what needs to be reviewed.''
  It is the collective wisdom of that branch of government that really 
gives this Nation great guidance, as well as the leadership in this 
House and the leadership in the White House.
  So to judges Vela and Garza, to their families, proper recognition 
tonight, but hopefully that in the future we honor their memory and 
their hard work by respecting the work that they did within the context 
of this wonderful framework called the United States of America.
  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support passage of the bill. I 
again want to congratulate the gentlewoman from the District of 
Columbia (Ms. Norton), and look forward to sporting a new Washington 
Delegates baseball cap in the near future.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1402, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
designate the United States courthouse located at the corner of Seventh 
Street and East Jackson Street in Brownsville, Texas, as the 'Reynaldo 
G. Garza and Filemon B. Vela United States Courthouse'.''
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________