[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12943]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        HONORING FRANK C. FRANCO

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JIM COSTA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2012

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the service of 
Mr. Frank Franco or as we affectionately call him, ``Franco''. Frank 
Franco's many years of dedicated service to the community and our 
nation's veterans exemplifies his reverence for our country and truly 
demonstrates the best of what America has to offer.
  Frank Franco was born in El Centro, California. He joined the United 
States Army at age 17 and honorably served his country with two tours 
of service in Vietnam.
  A tireless advocate for helping people, Franco has been with Fresno 
County Economic Opportunities Commission, EOC, for over 30 years. He is 
a hard worker and has held many leadership positions in the community. 
Franco is a past director of the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control 
District, is on the Mayor's Advisory Committee and is a past recipient 
of the Key to the City of Fresno.
  Each year, Franco travels to our nation's capital with the Fresno 
Council of Governments One Voice-DC trip. Franco has over 50 
proclamations and awards he has received throughout the years. In 
addition to his civic leadership, Franco is also a proud member of 
Veterans of Foreign War, VFW, Post 8900 in Fresno. He serves on my 
Veteran Leaders Advisory Group and participates in numerous local 
veterans' events, such as the Veterans Stand Down. Franco is always 
helping, always working.
  I applaud Frank Franco for his many years of tireless work on behalf 
of the community, on behalf of veterans and their families and the 
Central Valley. We know Franco will enjoy more time with his wife, 
Maria, his children, Jack Arthur, Madelene, and Tina, and his 
grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, it should be noted that in addition to his countless 
gifts to the community, Franco is my good friend and he is a true 
champion of the people. He has always been available to discuss issues 
and work together to make our Central Valley a better place to live and 
work. I extend to him my very best wishes and ask my colleagues to join 
with me in recognizing the commitment, dedication, and success of Frank 
C. Franco.

                          ____________________