[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 10307-10308]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING DR. LUCIANO FRANCISCO RAMON BACA

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 23, 2015

  Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 
to honor the

[[Page 10308]]

life of Dr. Luciano Francisco Ramon Baca, otherwise known as ``Lu'' in 
his beloved community.
  Born and raised in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Dr. Lu dedicated his life 
in the service of others and to his fellow New Mexicans. For more than 
10 years, Lu worked as a Social Studies teacher at Leah Harvey Middle 
School teaching students the heartfelt principles, values, and beliefs 
that make our country great. Dr. Lu's work transcended the classroom; 
as Head of the Legislative Educational Committee Lu spearheaded efforts 
to better finance and improve educational outcomes in New Mexico.
  Dr. Lu also had a firm belief that our workforce--the individuals who 
gave their hard work, persistence and determination to build our 
country--deserved the support and protections they earned when they 
retired. After serving in state government, Lu dedicated his life to 
senior citizens, and carried out every task with the full weight of his 
energy. He served as the former chief of public school finance for the 
New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration, helped create the 
constitution of the State Board of Education as well as the equalized 
Public School Funding Formula in 1974, and served on the Board of 
Directors for La Familia Medical Center and with the AARP for 15 years.
  More than anything, Lu loved his family and wife of 55 years, Mindy 
Esquibel Baca. In fact, it was rare to find a time when they were not 
sharing an experience together, celebrating a family event, or helping 
out in the community. Dr. Lu cherished his time with his family and 
could be consistently found going above and beyond to help out an 
individual in need.
  While Dr. Lu is no longer with us, his lasting contributions are 
still a presence in the community to this day. His character is 
espoused in the individuals he inspired throughout his life, and his 
enduring principles live on in the hearts and minds of all those he 
met. May the memory of Dr. Lu continue to live on in all of us.

                          ____________________