[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[House]
[Pages 23627-23628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   ANNOUNCING PASSING OF FOR-MER CONGRESSMEN ED ROYBAL AND BOB BADHAM

  (Mr. DREIER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I inform our 
colleagues of the passing of two of our very distinguished former 
colleagues.
  Last Friday former Congressman Bob Badham who served with great 
distinction on the Committee on Armed Services passed away suddenly, 
and then we just received the news today of the passing of the father 
of our very distinguished colleague, Lucille Roybal-Allard. Her father, 
Ed Roybal, served for many, many years in this institution and was a 
great friend to many of us. I think it important that our colleagues 
know of this great loss that has come for the State of California, for 
this institution, and for the country.
  I yield to my very good friend from California (Mr. Stark).
  Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, last night Ed Roybal passed away. He is 
survived by his wife, Lucille, and his three children: our colleague of 
course, Lucille Roybal-Allard; her sister, Lillian Roybal-Rose; and Ed, 
Jr.
  Ed was born in 1916, served in the military, served in the House here 
for 30 years. He was the first Hispanic from California to serve in 
Congress since 1879. Among his distinct honors, he was the founder and 
the first chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

                              {time}  1900

  He was chairman of the Select Committee on Aging for a number of 
years and a great supporter of Meals on Wheels; and, of course, his 
great honor and joy was having his daughter succeed him in what was 
part of his district.
  On a personal note, I happened to talk with a lady who had been a 
page some years ago here in the House. She remembers Ed Roybal as a 
kind Member and as a very polite and distinguished Member. For all of 
us who pass the pages in the cloakroom, I think we all know when a page 
remembers that from a number of years ago, it goes a long way.
  We will miss him, and our heartfelt sympathy to Lucille, her family, 
and her mother.
  Last night, October 24, 2005, former Representative Edward Roybal 
died in Pasadena, California. He is survived by his wife, Lucille 
Beserra Roybal, and his three children, Representative Lucille Roybal-
Allard, Lillian Roybal-Rose and Edward Roybal, Jr.
  Edward Ross Roybal was born on February 10, 1916 in Albuquerque, New 
Mexico and then moved to the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles at an 
early age.
  After military service in World War II, he began his political career 
as many of us did--by losing his first run for office. In reaction to 
that defeat, he founded the Los Angeles Community Service Organization 
(CSO) with the goal of mobilizing Los Angeles's Mexican-Americans 
against discrimination in housing, employment and education.
  In 1949, following a groundswell of support from minority 
communities, Mr. Roybal was elected to the L.A. City Council, the first 
Hispanic to serve on the city council in more than a century.
  In 1962, he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives 
representing an LA District that changed several times during his 30-
year tenure in the House.
  At the time of his election, he became the first Hispanic from 
California to serve in Congress since 1879.
  He was one of the founding members--and became the first Chair--of 
the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, CHC.
  During his time in Congress, he ascended to the powerful 
Appropriations Committee, where he was an outspoken advocate for 
funding for education, civil rights, and health programs. He was one of 
the first Members of Congress to press for HIV/AIDS research funding.
  He was a true advocate for senior citizens as well. He served on the 
Select Committee on Aging--and was the chairman from 1985 to 1993. He 
worked tirelessly for the rights of senior citizens and was most proud 
of his efforts to protect and expand the Meals on Wheels program.
  Upon his retirement from Congress in 1992, Representative Roybal was 
honored to see his daughter--and our colleague--Lucille Roybal-Allard 
elected to Congress to represent the newly-created 33rd Distirct, which 
included a portion of the same district that Representative Ed Roybal 
represented in Congress for 30 years.
  After leaving Congress, Ed continued to advocate for those he cared 
most about and founded a non-profit research agency, now called the 
Edward R. Roybal Institute for Applied Gerontology, at the California 
State University--Los Angeles campus.
  In 1999, the Centers for Disease Control, CDC, honored Representative 
Roybal's support for public health programs by naming its main campus 
in Atlanta in his honor and awarding him its ``Champion of Prevention'' 
Award.
  Representative Roybal was a tireless advocate for the less fortunate. 
He served his country with honor both in uniform and in this Congress. 
His contributions will be remembered and celebrated; his death will be 
deeply mourned.
  On behalf of Congress, I extend my deepest sympathies to those he 
loved and those who loved him. He had a rich life and we can best honor 
him by striving to live up to his example of how best to serve.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, a dear friend, a great man and 
the father of one of our colleagues, former Congressman Ed Roybal, 
passed away.
  Ed was a man of tremendous passion and compassion. He saw no limits, 
only possibilities. He was a trailblazer for the Hispanic community who 
aimed high without fear of failure.
  Ed moved to Los Angeles when he was a child, and he became as much a 
part of the city as it became part of him. Upon returning from service 
in World War Two, Ed became director of health education for the Los 
Angeles County Tuberculosis and Health Association. Healthcare and the 
well-being of his fellow citizens would be a hallmark of Ed's long 
career of public service.
  When Ed was elected to the first of his nearly 30 years in Congress 
in 1962, he was only the second Hispanic-American to represent 
California. While Ed was at the center of issues facing Los Angeles, he 
was a strong advocate for the region and all of California.
  Ed's sincerity and heartfelt speeches on the floor of this body are 
legendary, and so was his decency. The attention and care he devoted to 
his constituents, he also paid to his colleagues.
  Through Ed's example, we learned patience, kindness and generosity. 
He was unfailingly gracious, determined and effective, all at once.
  His legacy is found in the successes of his constituents who were 
inspired by his example. His legacy is found in community programs in 
Los Angeles. And his legacy is found right here in the Capitol.
  Our thoughts and prayers are with Ed's daughter, Congresswoman 
Lucille Roybal-Allard, as she carries on his example of public service, 
and also with the entire Roybal family.

[[Page 23628]]

  Mr. BACA. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, our Nation lost a public servant 
who demonstrated conscience and commitment. The Honorable Edward Ross 
Roybal was a pioneer and a fighter for the disadvantaged. As a Mexican-
American man in 1930s and 40s in Los Angeles, he personally experienced 
brutality because of his color. He fought that racism with political 
activism. As a city council member, activist, and 30 year Congressman 
in this great House, he broke barrier after barrier.
  But it wasn't enough for him to break barriers simply by his presence 
in American political life, which was remarkable in its own right. He 
worked to actively pave the way for those behind him, never losing 
passion for giving voice to the voiceless.
  He co-founded the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, dedicated to voicing 
and advancing, issues affecting Hispanics in the United States.
  He founded the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, 
which empowers Latinos nationwide to participate in the democratic 
process.
  He remained active in California politics, mentoring the next 
generation of young leaders.
  Congressman Roybal was more than an asset to the Hispanic Community. 
He was an asset to the American community. In these chambers, he was a 
role model to us all. He voted his conscience and stuck to his 
principles. And America is better off because of him.
  I offer heartfelt condolences to my colleague and friend, the 
Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard, and I join the Nation in mourning this 
great man.
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute 
today to a friend and distinguished former colleague, Mr. Edward Roybal 
of California.
  I had the honor of working with Ed for 17 of the 30 years he served 
in the House of Representatives. I knew Ed to be a man of integrity, 
good conscience, courage and passion. He always stood for what he 
believed was best for the country. And he helped found many 
institutions of importance to America's Latino community.
  Ed's passion and dedication to public health and quality of life 
issues has benefited generations of people and helped saved lives. He 
and I both shared the belief that government has an obligation to 
invest in the public good. Ed's work to secure the first funding for 
AIDS research and programs at the Center's for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC) in 1982 stands out to me. Back then, we did not fully 
understand how serious and deadly the AIDS virus would become, but Ed 
Roybal did.
  Consequently, I though it was a fitting honor for the CDC central 
campus in Atlanta and the California State University at Los Angeles 
Institute for Applied Gerontology to dedicate their facilities in his 
name. These honors, and many others given him, are well deserved.
  I offer my sincerest condolences to Ed's surviving family, including 
his daughter, my friend and current colleague, Representative Lucille 
Roybal-Allard. With Ed's passing, America has lost a leader, role 
model, and to those of us who were fortunate enough to call him such: a 
friend.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 
memory of Representative Ed Roybal, a towering figure whose tireless 
work on behalf of civil rights and health care were the hallmarks of 
his distinguished career, For three, decades, Representative Roybal 
served with distinction and honor in the House, and it is with sadness 
that we now recognize his passing.
  Born in Albuquerque only 4 years after New Mexico gained statehood, 
Ed Roybal's childhood was spent in the Land of Enchantment. His family 
had resided in the Southwest for several generations, its family 
lineage stretching to the founding of Santa Fe, the oldest capital in 
the Nation. When he was 6, Ed Roybal's father became unemployed during 
a railroad strike, and in 1922 they moved to Los Angeles, California.
  Over the next two decades, Ed Roybal became passionate on issues of 
discrimination, minority rights, health care, and senior citizens. 
After forming an organization to combat against housing and education 
discrimination against minorities, and after serving on the Los Angeles 
City Council, Ed Roybal in 1963 became the first Mexican-American from 
California elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. 
During his three decades in this role, he became a national leader and 
outspoken advocate for health care and minority rights, while at the 
same time being revered by his constituents for his never-ending 
attention to their needs.
  Representative Roybal can also be credited with creating the National 
Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), one of the leading 
Hispanic political organizations in the Nation. Several locally elected 
officials throughout my district often visit me while in Washington for 
NALEO conferences, and each and every one of them extol the virtues of 
the organization and its successes in promoting Hispanic action and 
service in the political field. I have no doubt that it is because of 
Representative Roybal's ceaseless and caring service that so many 
Hispanics serve today. I know for certain that one member of our own 
body was front and center for Representative Roybal's wonderful lessons 
in civics and public service. Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard, who 
now represents the district her father once represented, has continued 
her father's advocacy for the poor, for the voiceless, and for the 
disenfranchised. She, like so many of us, was able to learn from his 
exemplary service, and he was extremely proud of her.
  Mr. Speaker, Representative Ed Roybal added immensely to this 
distinguished body during his three decades of service. He is to be 
remembered for his hard work and his dedication and leadership on so 
many noble causes. I extend my sympathies to my colleague and to the 
rest of her family on this loss. We share their sadness on this 
occasion.

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