[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12498]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF CHRIS SEMOS

  (Mr. FROST asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of my good 
friend and neighbor, Chris Semos, who died Monday morning at age 68. He 
was an even-tempered gentleman who provided leadership to his community 
and to his church. A long-time resident of the Oak Cliffs section of 
Dallas, Chris served eight terms as a Democratic member of the Texas 
legislature from 1966 to 1982.
  Following that, he served 12 years as a member of the Dallas County 
Commissioner's Court. He was a thoughtful public servant who worked 
cordially with members of both parties to benefit his beloved Oak 
Cliff, his county, and his State.
  Additionally, he was a nationally recognized leader of the Greek 
Orthodox Church. In fact, he met his wife of 37 years, Tassie, at a 
church conference in North Carolina.
  For many years, Chris operated a popular restaurant in Oak Cliff, The 
Torch, where we shared baklava on many occasions. The victory party for 
my first successful race for Congress in 1978 was in the back room of 
The Torch.
  Chris quietly made his influence felt in many ways. He introduced the 
current mayor of Dallas, Laura Miller, to her husband, Steve Wolens, 
who succeeded Chris in the State legislature. He was recently 
recognized by the Oak Cliff Lions Club as its Humanitarian of the Year. 
We will all miss a great community leader, Chris Semos.

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