[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15862]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF AL PIANTANIDA

  (Mr. CARDENAS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. CARDENAS. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I announce 
that Al Piantanida passed away on August 31.
  He was a veteran but, more importantly, a good American. Al is what I 
would call the perfect constituent, the perfect friend, and the perfect 
neighbor.
  Al would come to his elected officials' offices all the time and let 
us know what was going on in the community and what was going wrong in 
the community, but never once--never once--did Al complain. He always 
said: How can I be part of the solution?
  To me, that is not only a good person, but that is what makes America 
great: human beings who have the time and the resources to give of 
themselves and are not there to complain but are there to make sure 
that their neighborhood, their community, and their country are a 
better place.
  We are going to miss Al. He was a selfless individual and someone who 
was always giving of himself, and he always was creative in making sure 
that he was part of the solution and was always there for his community 
in every way possible.
  Al was a personal friend. I met him through my responsibility as an 
elected official in the community, but I grew to love him as a person 
and to appreciate him very much.
  We are going to miss you, Al, but you will never be forgotten.

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