[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 18368-18369]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                TRIBUTE TO MR. JOSE ``PEPE'' L. GONZALEZ

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HENRY CUELLAR

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2006

  Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Jose ``Pepe'' L. 
Gonzalez who recently passed away on September 8, 2006, at 82 years of 
age. He will be forever remembered for his passion for higher education 
for our youth and his commitment to public service.
  Mr. Gonzalez was born in the City of Laredo on June 16, 1924 and left 
the city to serve in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Force in the 
Aleutian Islands, and later served with the United States Naval Reserve 
as a Lieutenant in Laredo. He then attended the University of Notre 
Dame and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil 
Engineering in 1950, followed by a Master of Public Health degree from 
Johns Hopkins University in 1964.
  Thus began his legacy of providing health care services to the 
citizens of Laredo by developing the Laredo-Webb County Health 
Department, often cited for its achievements in disease control, health 
promotion and chronic disease prevention, and innovative programs in 
environmental health. He will be forever remembered for his work in 
promoting environmental health through his collaboration with 
organizations such as the Pan-American Health Organization, the Centers 
for Disease Control, the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Association, the 
Texas Health Advisory Committee,

[[Page 18369]]

and the Henry J. Kaiser Foundation. The last project he was involved in 
was the Rio Bravo Foundation, which aims to improve the health of 
residents along the border region along with the ``Nuestra Gente'' 
project which focused on improving living standards for the colonias 
along the border.
  In addition to his public service, he was dedicated to his Roman 
Catholic faith as a Papal Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy 
Sepulchre and as a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament Church in Laredo. 
Mr. Gonzalez was also a large part of community events such as the 
famous Washington Birthday Celebrations Associations and established 
the bridge ceremony that is one of the hallmarks of the Washington 
Birthday Celebration. Mr. Gonzalez was also a proud alumnus of the 
University of Notre Dame and dedicated his life to the University by 
being the Notre Dame recruiter of South Texas, passionately recruiting 
young scholars for the past 21 years to attend Notre Dame in addition 
to being on the Hispanic Board of Alumni for 15 years.
  Mr. Gonzalez was preceded in death by his wonderful wife, Margarita 
V. Gonzalez, and is survived by his daughters, Alejandra G. Brady, 
Gabriela G. Tawil and his grandchildren, Ryan Joseph Brady, Joseph 
Jakob, and Elliot James Tawil. He is also survived by his brother, 
Ignacio Gonzalez, brother and sister-in-law, Jorge and Olga Verduzco, 
and the rest of his family. He has left behind a remarkable legacy, and 
without that legacy, the City of Laredo has suffered a sad loss in one 
of its greatest members of the community.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the 
legacy of Mr. Jose ``Pepe'' L. Gonzalez.

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