[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6168-6169]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           ANTONIO COSTA WAS AN OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY LEADER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 12, 2005

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, people in Southeastern 
Massachusetts, and Portuguese-Americans in particular, received very 
sad news on Sunday of this week of the death of Antonio A. Costa. As 
the New Bedford Standard Times noted in its obituary of this 
outstanding man, ``Mr. Costa was an esteemed leader, establishing many 
firsts within the New Bedford, Mass., Portuguese community.'' Mr. Costa 
was a leader in establishing Portuguese language media, and he went on 
to be the Broadcasting Director for Voice of America in the Portuguese 
language section. He then returned to our area and again provided 
significant cultural, intellectual and economic leadership to the 
Portuguese-American community in particular, and the broader community 
in general. After retirement, he continued his leadership role and 
produced the only radio program in Portuguese in South Florida.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. Costa was exactly the kind of community leader that 
contributes to the strength of America and I ask that his extraordinary 
life and his contributions to others be noted here. Mr. Costa's life 
reminds us of the great benefit America derives from immigrants such as 
himself and the attached editorial

[[Page 6169]]

from the New Bedford Standard Times makes that clear.

            Antonio A. Costa, Leader in Portuguese Community

       Pompano Beach, Fla.--Antonio Alberto Costa, formerly of 
     Southeastern Massachusetts, died Sunday, April 10, 2005, 
     unexpectedly at Imperial Point Medical Center. He was the 
     husband of Guida (Goncalves) Costa.
       Born in Lisbon, Portugal, he was the son of the late Jose 
     M. and Maria A. (Correia) Costa. He immigrated to America as 
     a young man.
       Mr. Costa was an esteemed leader, establishing many firsts 
     within the New Bedford, Mass., Portuguese community. He was a 
     founder and past president of the Luso-American Soccer 
     Association as well as the Portuguese American Athletic Club 
     in New Bedford.
       An entrepreneur, he began by purchasing Phillips Press and 
     continued with the founding of Costa Imports. He founded the 
     first Portuguese-language radio station in the United States, 
     WGCY, now broadcasting as WJFD-FM in New Bedford, and 
     produced the first Portuguese variety television program, 
     ``Passport to Portugal'' on WTEV-TV. He initiated a daily TV 
     cable program ``Panorama of Portugal,'' currently known as 
     The Portuguese Channel, and purchased and published what is 
     known as ``The Portuguese Times'' newspaper, also in 
     Southeastern Massachusetts.
       Mr. Costa relocated to Washington, D.C., to represent 
     Portugal as the Portuguese language broadcasting director for 
     ``Voice of America.'' He returned to New England as co-owner 
     and director of Radio Club Portugal, ``WRCP.''
       In recognition of his services to the Portuguese community, 
     the government of Portugal conferred upon him the rank of 
     comendador da ordem do infante dom henrique. Various civic 
     organizations recognized his achievements as well. The Seven 
     Castles Club named him Man of the Year, as he received the 
     Merit Award from the United Way as well as the Portuguese-
     American Federation.
       He received official citations from the Massachusetts and 
     Rhode Island houses of representatives, the Medal of Prestige 
     from the Portuguese Continental Union and the Annual 
     Achievement Award from the Prince Henry Club.
       In retirement, he produced the only Portuguese-language 
     radio program in South Florida on WHSR-AM, where the 
     transmission continues via his Web site, radioportugal.net. 
     He also wrote periodic chronicles published in O Journal 
     entitled ``Desabafos.''
       Survivors include his widow; two sons, Carlos Alberto Costa 
     and his wife, Susan, of Westport, Mass., and Luis Manuel 
     Costa and his wife, Nancy, of New Bedford; a daughter, Ana 
     Maria Costa of New Bedford; five grandchildren; three great-
     grandchildren; and a nephew.
       His funeral will be at 9 a.m., Friday from the Dartmouth 
     Funeral Home, 230 Russells Mills Road, Dartmouth, Mass., 
     followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 in Immaculate 
     Conception Church, New Bedford. Interment will be private.
       Arrangements are by Porter Funeral Service, Westport.

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