[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 26503]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       REMEMBERING CHARLIE FRIAS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to honor Charlie Frias for his 
positive work in Nevada. For almost five decades Charlie and his wife 
Phyllis have worked to make Nevada a better place. Whether through 
their business endeavors or their philanthropy, the Friases have sought 
to improve their community and make life a little easier for their 
fellow Nevadans.
  Charlie Frias was born in San Antonio, TX, in 1922. As a young man, 
he worked with his father and grandmother as a delivery boy in the 
family business. He graduated from Breckenridge High School and then 
joined the Navy. After being honorably discharged, he returned to San 
Antonio, TX, and married his wife Phyllis. In 1958, the couple moved to 
Las Vegas, NV, with little if any resources.
  Upon arriving in Las Vegas, Charlie took a job as a taxicab driver 
with ABC Union Cab Company. He worked diligently for this company that 
he would come to own by 1962. Charlie quickly acquired three more cab 
companies and opened the first taxicab service in Mesquite, NV, the 
Virgin Valley Cab Company. He later went on to further expand into the 
limousine business by adding Airline Limousine and Las Vegas Limousine 
to his holdings. At the time of his passing in 2006, Charlie had 
enjoyed over 40 years of success in the transportation field as well as 
other business activities.
  Mr. Frias's wife, Phyllis, has not played the role of spectator over 
the years. A constant partner in her husband's entrepreneurial efforts, 
Phyllis has recently displayed her own business talents through the 
completion of A Cowboy's Dream Bed and Breakfast in Alamo, NV. I have 
no doubt that Phyllis' luxury resort will help stimulate Nevada's 
economy during our period of recovery.
  Over the years Charlie and Phyllis did not consign themselves to a 
profit-driven life. Rather, they have shown a humanitarian spirit and 
have displayed this by giving back to the people of Clark County and 
all Nevada. Mr. and Mrs. Frias have sent school bands to participate in 
events in Washington, DC, purchased buses for Virgin Valley High 
School, and provided apparel for local high school athletics. One of 
Charles and Phyllis Frias' greatest beliefs is for every child to have 
the opportunity to obtain a quality education. Over the years, the 
Friases established scholarships and funded other programs for students 
in the education system, subsequently making it possible for many 
children to attend college. They established the Phyllis Frias 
Environmental Studies Scholarship at the University of Nevada, Las 
Vegas. They have not limited their generosity to education, but have 
also donated to other cultural and community organizations such as the 
Mesquite Arts Council, Spring Valley Little League, American Lung 
Association, Las Vegas Rescue Mission, the Clark County Firefighters 
Christmas Fund, and many others.
  The valiant Mother Teresa once said, ``Let us not be satisfied with 
just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need 
your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.'' It 
is safe to say that Charlie and Phyllis Frias have displayed this ideal 
through their actions. They have devoted their time, energy, love and 
resources to helping Nevada's kids get a quality education and a better 
life. For me Charlie Frias stands for the independent spirit of Las 
Vegas and the west. He is in my Hall of Fame.
  I know that A Cowboy's Dream Bed and Breakfast will have a future as 
bright as the neon Vegas Vic cowboy sign. I salute the Friases for 
their service to the people of our great State and I wish Phyllis the 
very best now that Charlie is gone.

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