[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14168]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  IN RECOGNITION OF LESTER D. M. CHUN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JACKIE SPEIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 8, 2014

  Ms. SPEIER.  Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor Lester Chun who is retiring 
after 33 years as Instrumental Music Specialist for the Hillsborough 
City School District. Mr. Chun has shared his love of music with 
hundreds of students and opened their ears and hearts to this universal 
art form.
  I witnessed his infectious style of teaching in my own son whom Mr. 
Chun taught for three years at Crocker Middle School. He describes him 
a musician through and through and a teacher who created a great 
environment for learning. My son remembers that he was jovial, yet 
didn't allow talking during class. ``Practice makes perfect,'' Mr. Chun 
would say--and of course he was right.
  You can honestly say that music is Mr. Chun's life. When not teaching 
with an inexhaustible enthusiasm, creativity and dedication, he plays 
trumpet and is a pit musician.
  My son wasn't the only one recognizing his talent and passion. Mr. 
Chun has received numerous awards including the Hillsborough Community 
Care Award, TONY Award--Teachers Outstanding Nurturing Youth, BRAVO 
Award--S.F. Bay Area awards for the Arts, the Kent Award for innovative 
instruction, and the Golden Bell Award for eight years of publishing 
the Viking Weekly for Crocker Middle School.
  Lester Chun was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1954. He attended Damien 
Memorial High School in Honolulu. When he moved to the mainland for his 
higher education, he didn't leave the Aloha spirit behind; it is part 
of his soul. He earned his BA in Music at the College of Notre Dame in 
Belmont and did his graduate work in Music History at the University of 
Southern California.
  He started his position as Instrumental Music Specialist in 1981 and 
is a member of the Hillsborough Teacher's Association, the California 
Teacher's Association and the California Music Educator's Association.
  In his well-deserved retirement, Mr. Chun is looking forward to 
spending more time with his wife of 34 years, Janet, and their daughter 
Clarissa.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask the House of Representatives to rise with me to 
honor Lester D. M. Chun, an exceptional music teacher who makes his 
students' hearts dance with joy.

                          ____________________