Extensions of Remarks E1691 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS
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December 20, 2018 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1691 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS HONORING DARIUS ASSEMI cent of the proceeds from ticket sales given to champion, a boxing coach, and a referee. Fur- local non-profits. Over the last 12 years, the thermore, he grew up along Southwest Boule- HON. JEFF DENHAM Granville Home of Hope has raised more than vard and went on to train other young, aspir- OF CALIFORNIA $5.2 million dollars, providing food, clothing, ing boxers in the community. Moreover, they IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES scholarships, and resources to those in need. continue to assist local organizations and con- In addition to Home of Hope, the Granville tribute to the community through their longtime Wednesday, December 19, 2018 Foundation provides support to various organi- involvement with the Sheffield Neighborhood Mr. DENHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to zations—in 2017 alone the foundation spon- Association and as members at Our Lady of acknowledge and honor Darius Assemi, a sored more than 70 non-profits. Peace Church. home builder, businessman, philanthropist, I am proud to call Darius a friend and I am Mr. and Mrs. Morales share their worldliness and Central Valley resident of more than 40 grateful for hi s companionship throughout my with their friends, family, and community. They years. Darius has been a close friend and years in public service. Mr. Speaker, please have traveled the world in every way possible- confidant for many years, including my time in join me in honoring and commending Darius by plane, train, canoe, and automobile. The the State Senate and here in the United Assemi for his outstanding contributions to the couple have traveled from the Americas to Eu- States House of Representatives. Central Valley, our state, and nation. rope numerous times and have demonstrated Darius is currently President and CEO of f their love of family by purchasing a home in Granville Homes, a real estate development Mexico for their family to spend quality time company established in 1977. Over the last 40 HONORING JERRY AND VIRGINIA together. years, Granville Homes has built more than MORALES’ 65TH WEDDING ANNI- Mr. Speaker, Mr. and Mrs. Morales are a 6,000 single-family residences in the Fresno VERSARY shining example of what marriage is meant to metropolitan area, and has been involved in be, as well as the power of civic engagement the acquisition, financing, and development of HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER within a community. I urge all of my col- over 100 construction projects. Through these OF MISSOURI leagues to please join me and all of Missouri’s experiences, Darius’s knowledge of building IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Fifth Congressional District in honoring the codes and resilient construction has been an marriage between Mrs. Virginia Morales and Wednesday, December 19, 2018 important influence on me as I have pursued Mr. Jerry Morales. disaster mitigation policies. Mr. CLEAVER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to f Darius is actively engaged in public policy recognize and honor the marriage of two out- HONORING FRED FEHSENFELD, SR work at the local and state level. He is pas- standing individuals who have contributed to sionate about legislation that affects transpor- the growing diversification and development of tation, agriculture, health care, education, and Kansas City and Missouri’s Fifth Congres- HON. TODD ROKITA the environment. In 2009, Darius was ap- sional District. In mid-July of 1951, Kansas OF INDIANA pointed to the California Transportation Com- City and its citizens were one of several areas IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES mission by Governor Schwarzenegger, and re- that fell victim to major flooding in the Midwest Wednesday, December 19, 2018 appointed by Governor Brown in 2012. During United States. Following the ‘‘Great Flood of Mr. ROKITA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to his 6-year term, Darius was actively engaged 1951,’’ and during a trying time in which com- honor a veteran, business leader, pillar of the with legislators and key stake holders in se- munities were facing a variety of obstacles, in- community, and close friend, Fred Fehsenfeld, curing much-needed transportation funding for cluding family relocation, Mr. Jerry Morales Sr. Fred passed away on November 28 at the the Central Valley. In addition to public policy, and Ms. Virginia Gloria Alvarez first met. age of 94. Darius is driven to educate his fellow citizens Following the devastating events that un- Fred was the epitome of the Greatest Gen- about the complex issues that affect everyone folded from the flood, Mr. and Mrs. Morales eration. Fred was born in Indianapolis in 1924, in the community. would soon meet again as teenagers in their the third of four brothers. Fred enrolled at Pur- The lack of health care options available in shared place of employment to support and due University at the age of 17. He found a the Central Valley and across the world is an provide assistance to struggling families. Re- passion for flying, joining the Purdue Glider issue that Darius and I have focused much of ceiving the approval of both parents to marry, Club and learning from, among others, Amelia our time on. In 2009, he helped to establish in 1953, the couple began their lifelong com- Earhart. Ever the patriot, on his 18th birthday, the Alliance for Medical Outreach and Relief mitment to value, respect, and cherish one an- Fred left Purdue and enrolled in the Army Air (AMOR), a non-profit with a mission to build other. Corps. Just a few months later, he was as- healthier communities. AMOR constructed and To join their brothers and sisters, and to signed to the 354th Pioneer Mustang Fighter continues to operate a 100-bed hospital in start a family of their own, the Mr. and Mrs. Group in France, a famous fighter group of Kabul, Afghanistan that provides medical serv- Morales relocated from the Westside Commu- P5I Mustangs and P47 Thunderbolts. Fred ices and health education to over 80,000 peo- nity of Kansas City, Missouri to the thriving flew 89 missions in Europe and was awarded ple annually. High amongst Afshar Hospital’s Historic Northeast community. The opportuni- the Air Medal with three silver clusters and a key accomplishments is their success in re- ties provided by increased diversity and afford- silver star. ducing the maternal and infant mortality rates able housing contributed to their decision to After the war was over, Fred returned to in the Kabul metro area. In addition to their relocate and, ultimately, thrive in the growing Purdue and graduated with a bachelor’s de- work in Afghanistan, AMOR is in the process community. gree in mechanical engineering. Fred began of building a wellness clinic and community re- Since their move, Mr. and Mrs. Morales his career at Rock Island Refining as a Proc- source center to serve the impoverished Cen- have seen their family grow just as they ess Engineer. A few years later, he was asked tral Valley farming community of Mendota. wished when they first married. Their eleven by his dad, to join the original family business, Darius views his various business endeav- children all live in the greater Kansas City Crystal Flash Petroleum, a company that oper- ors as vehicles to further his true passion: area and have given Mr. and Mrs. Morales the ated gas stations and sold home heating oil. helping to improve the lives of those in the large family they always dreamed of with 22 He then took over the business from his fa- community and around the world through stra- grandchildren, 19 greatgrandchildren, and four ther and showed his true entrepreneurial spirit. tegic partnerships and philanthropic giving. great-great-grandchildren. He grew Crystal Flash Petroleum from 100 The Granville Foundation’s mission is to pro- Apart from being loving parents, grand- employees, operating gas stations and home vide food, shelter, healthcare, and education parents, and great-grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. heating oil sales in Indiana and Michigan into to the underserved. In 2006, Darius initiated Morales share a history of being both politi- what has evolved as The Heritage Group. The the Granville Home of Hope, a program in cally and civically involved in the community. Heritage Group currently employs 6,500 peo- which a new home is raffled off, with 100 per- Mr. Morales was a two-time Golden Gloves ple around the world, with operations across ∑ This ‘‘bullet’’ symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. VerDate Sep 11 2014 08:04 Dec 21, 2018 Jkt 089060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A19DE8.018 E20DEPT1 SSpencer on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with REMARKS E1692 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks December 20, 2018 North America, Europe and China. In 2017, in earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political to the United States District Court for the recognition for his work on behalf of the State Science. Blair started her career on Capitol Southern District of Ohio. After confirmation by of Indiana, I–895 was renamed the ‘‘Fred M. Hill in Representative DAVID VALADAO’s office, the United States Senate, Judge Rice was Fehsenfeld Highway.’’ who represented part of her home county of sworn in as a Federal District Court judge in I know his passion for improving our high- Fresno, California. Dayton on June 4, 1980. During his tenure, ways firsthand. He knew that America needed I am thankful that DAVID was kind enough to Judge Rice spent seven years as Chief Judge to change how we managed traffic and freight let Blair come to work for me, as she has for the Southern District of Ohio, leading that movement.