[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6115]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                HONORING THE LIFE OF DEMETRIO RODRIGUEZ

  (Mr. CASTRO of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. CASTRO of Texas. Today I'd like to take a moment to honor the 
life of Demetrio P. Rodriguez, a great American we lost earlier this 
week in my hometown of San Antonio. Demetrio passed away at the age of 
87 after a long and rewarding life, a life that literally transformed 
public education in Texas and across the Nation.
  Demetrio, like many of the folks who grew up on the west side of San 
Antonio, was a humble man. Born into a migrant farm-working family, he 
served in the Navy and later in the Air Force Reserve, and he worked 
for years at Kelly Air Force Base.
  In 1968, with 15 other parents, he led the charge to change the way 
we do school finance, not only in Texas, but in the United States of 
America. He objected to the fact that property-poor districts were so 
far outspent and given much more money than property-rich districts in 
Texas. He led that charge.
  In 1973, the Supreme Court said that education wasn't a fundamental 
right, but he didn't give up the fight. And in 1989, the Texas Supreme 
Court ruled that the children of Texas should have an equal education, 
no matter their income.
  He was a great man. He'll be sorely missed. He was a fighter and a 
champion of people.

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