[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20478-20479]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the monthlong 
celebration honoring the heritage of Hispanic Americans. That monthlong 
celebration begins today.
  Nearly 40 years ago, Congress authorized President Lyndon Johnson to 
proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week. Two decades later, George 
Herbert Walker Bush expanded the celebration to 4 weeks. National 
Hispanic Heritage Month was born. Every year we set aside a month to 
pay special regard to the contributions of Hispanic Americans.
  Over the centuries, Hispanic Americans have profoundly affected the 
course of human history. Their influence predates the birth of our 
Nation, tracing back to the first footsteps of Spanish explorers now 
more than 400 years ago.
  DeSoto and his men were the first to discover the mighty Mississippi. 
Coronado's expedition unearthed the Grand Canyon. DeAnza blazed a trail 
from Mexico to California's Pacific coast.
  Since the dawn of early explorers, millions of men and women from 
Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, South America, and Spain 
have continued the tradition of settling in America. They have come in 
search of freedom, peace, and prosperity, and they have gotten far more 
than they sought.
  Through the ages, Hispanic Americans have left an indelible mark on 
the history, the culture, and the values of our Nation. It is those 
values and contributions that we celebrate.
  Some names stand out. David Barkley was the first Hispanic American 
to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. Barkley voluntarily swam 
the frosty Meuse River in France during World War I to gather 
information behind enemy lines. He gave his life to our country, 
drowning on his swim back to land.
  Luis Alvarez, a Nobel Prize recipient, revolutionized the safety of 
air travel by inventing the ground control radar system for aircraft 
landings.
  Ellen Ochoa was the world's first Hispanic-American astronaut.
  Sara Martinez Tucker, who I had the opportunity to meet at a dinner I 
recently hosted, her story intrigued me so much. A native of Laredo, 
Sara worked her way up from humble beginnings to be the first Hispanic 
female to hold an executive position at AT&T. Time Magazine recently 
named her one of the top 25 most influential Hispanic Americans. But 
most important is what she has done to help other Hispanic Americans 
realize their own dreams. As CEO of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund, she 
has grown the scholarship fund from $3 million tenfold to $30 million 
in scholarship money distributed every year, and she is not stopping 
there. Sara wants to nearly double the percentage of Hispanics with 
college degrees by 2010, and I believe with her determination, she will 
accomplish just that.
  David Barkley, Luis Alvarez, Ellen Ochoa, Sara Martinez Tucker, Alex 
Rodriguez, Nancy Lopez, Richard Serra, Rita Hayworth, Cesar Chavez, 
Alberto Gonzales, Jose Gonzalez--I mention Jose because he has a 
special place in my heart. Jose was the chief surgical resident at 
Massachusetts General Hospital when I was in my training in Boston. I 
was an intern at the time. Jose walked me through my very first hernia 
operation, an operation I have performed many times since that first 
occasion, an occasion which I remember vividly, an operation I continue 
to perform in Africa on medical mission work.
  The list goes on. There are doctors, entrepreneurs, public servants, 
athletes, artists, philanthropists, scientists, scholars. In all of 
these professions, in all of these fields, the huge contributions that 
have been made in the past, all have contributed to that rich fabric of 
American life. We are a more vibrant nation and we are a more vibrant 
people because of it.
  These names stand out, but there are many others, large and small, 
who move America forward every day. They are the countless heroes who 
have fought in our wars, who work in our hospitals, who teach in our 
schools, and who serve in our Government. Many have come to America 
with a simple hope of a better life and through hard work they have 
achieved that goal. We honor their character, their determination, and 
their enduring optimism.
  It is the spirit of the American character which gives flight to the 
American dream and has fueled the progress of our great Nation.

[[Page 20479]]

  Today as we begin a monthlong celebration of Hispanic heritage, I 
join with all Americans in recognizing the invaluable role of Hispanic 
Americans in shaping and enriching these United States.

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