January 9, 2007 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS, Vol. 153, Pt. 1 633 MR. AMIGO 2006 I urge my colleagues to join me in com- came to the mainland to earn a master’s de- mending Lucero, the 2006 Mr. Amigo, as well gree at Columbia University and a nursing de- HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ as the cities of Brownsville and Matamoros, gree at Stanford. She met her future husband OF TEXAS for their dedication to international goodwill be- Calvin, an orthopedic surgeon, at Stanford, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES tween the United States and Mexico. and they married in 1939. They moved to f Marin in 1946. Calvin passed away in 1990. Tuesday, January 9, 2007 She is survived by their daughter Lynn Ellen, Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, I wish today to TRIBUTE TO ELIZABETH their son John, and grandsons Dana, Ryan, commend the 2006 ‘‘Mr. Amigo,’’ Lucero TERWILLIGER and Sean. Hoganza Leo´n, chosen recently by the Mr. Elizabeth Terwilliger earned numerous well- Amigo Association of Brownsville, TX, and HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY deserved accolades and awards, but her true Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in Mexico. Like Cher, OF CALIFORNIA legacy is the contagious passion she inspired Ms. Leo´n is popularly known only as ‘‘Lucero’’ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES in children and adults. Everywhere we see among her many fans in the U.S. and Mexico. Tuesday, January 9, 2007 people living her watchword, ‘‘This is my coun- Each year the Mr. Amigo Association honors try. Wherever I go, I will leave it more beautiful a Mexican citizen with the title of ‘‘Mr. Amigo,’’ Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise than I found it.’’ and that person acts as a goodwill ambas- today to honor Elizabeth Terwilliger, one of Madam Speaker, Mrs. T. truly left this coun- sador between our two countries. Marin County’s most beloved heroines, an en- try beautiful, and we thank and honor her for The Mr. Amigo Award began in 1964 as an vironmentalist who instilled a love of nature in her for it. annual tribute to an outstanding Mexican cit- children of all ages. ‘‘Mrs. T.,’’ as she was f izen who has made a lasting contribution dur- known to all, died on November 27, 2006, at ing the previous year to international solidarity the age of 97. ARMY SPECIALIST JOHN PAUL and goodwill. ‘‘Mr. Amigo’’ presides over the Her enthusiastic and interactive teaching BARTA: SOUTH TEXAN LOST IN annual Charro Days Festival. style made learning about nature especially IRAQ The Charro Days Festival is a pre-Lenten entertaining and instructive for children and event, much like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, adults alike. This included President Reagan HON. SOLOMON P. ORTIZ held in Brownsville and Matamoros. Charro who, along with an audience at a White House OF TEXAS Days festivities last for several days; this year Volunteer Action Award ceremony, flapped his IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES they will be February 25–28 and will include arms like ‘‘Mr. Vulture’’ under her guidance. Tuesday, January 9, 2007 parades and appearances by Lucero. Charro Her irresistible style ranged from mimicking Days is an opportunity to enjoy the unique animal behaviors to demonstrations with Mr. ORTIZ. Madam Speaker, since this border culture of the Rio Grande Valley area. taxidermied animals, some of which had come House last met before Christmas, another As Mr. Amigo 2005, Lucero will head the via her own freezer. In her trademark straw South Texan from my Congressional District international parade of Brownsville Charro hat, she led field trips until she was 85, where has fallen in battle in Iraq, and I ask my col- Days and Matamoros Fiestas Mexicanas fes- her call of ‘‘Something special!’’ alerted eager leagues to join me in honoring this life lost in tivities. participants to yet another marvel of the nat- the service of our Nation. During Charro Days, South Texans cele- ural world. Army SPC John Paul Barta, 25, was as- brate the food, music, dances, and traditions Mrs. T’s long-time passion for the environ- signed to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regi- of both the United States and Mexico. The ment had burgeoned when she started hiking ment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division out of United States-Mexican border has a unique, to avoid housework in the 1960s. From that, Ft. Hood, Texas. He never saw Christmas blended history of cowboys, bandits, lawmen, she became committed to inspire the people Eve; he was killed in Buhriz, Iraq, about 30 farmers, fishermen, oil riggers, soldiers, sci- of the Bay Area to care for the natural world miles north of Baghdad, during combat oper- entists, entrepreneurs, and teachers. as she did. ‘‘People take care of what they ations on Dec. 23. The border has its own language and cus- love,’’ she claimed. Madam Speaker, each time we lose a sol- toms. On both sides of the border, there is a This mission began with including other dier—a member of our American family—we deep sense of history, much of which the bor- housewives, and then their children, on her lose a little piece of ourselves. Each time, it is der has seen from the front row. We have hikes, as well as leading field trips for her chil- just unbearable. Let me tell you more about seen war and peace; we have known pros- dren’s schools and clubs. By the late 60s, she this noble patriot who gave the last full meas- perity and bad times. Charro Days is a time was leading volunteer trips 5 days a week for ure of devotion to the nation he loved. for all of us to reflect on our rich history, to re- teachers and wildlife organizations and, in An exceptional athlete, Specialist Barta was member our past and to celebrate our future. 1970, created Terwilliger Nature Guides with remembered as a well-mannered and respect- Lucero was chosen for this honor based on other volunteers. In 1975, the Elizabeth ful young man. He attended Flour Bluff High her accomplishments as an entertainer and Terwilliger Nature Education Foundation was School in Corpus Christi, excelling on both the her efforts for people with disabilities. Her phil- formed; it later merged with the California baseball and football fields. anthropic career started in December 1997 Center for Wildlife and became WildCare, an Throughout his 4-year teenage athletic ca- when she hosted 27 uninterrupted hours of a organization which today teaches 40,000 Bay reer, coaches and teammates in both sports telethon to raise money for a rehabilitation Area school children annually. knew him as a go-to player who came through center for the handicapped. ‘‘WildCare is honored to follow directly in even when the odds were long. This star While Lucero has won many awards as an Mrs. T’s adventurous footsteps,’’ said Execu- baseball player also gently mentored his team- entertainer, she has also been named the re- tive Director Karen J. Wilson.’’ We are all for- mates. From time to time he was known as a cipient of the 2002 Double Eagle Leadership tunate that her enthusiasm and energy will live perfectionist. Award. She has recorded 20 albums, including on in the generations of children she has in- And while he was a natural competitor de- ‘‘Ocho Quince,’’ and starred in 6 telenovelas in spired. To underscore her Bay Area legacy, pended upon by teammates for the big play, her career. Currently, she stars in the ac- WildCare recently named our San Rafael facil- he confided to a friend months ago about the claimed telenovela ‘‘Alborada.’’ She co-hosted ity in her honor—we have become the ever-present fear of serving in Iraq. He was the seventh annual Latin Grammy Awards in Terwilliger WildCare Center.’’ humble and he was competitive; precisely the early 2006. She was also a tireless advocate for the en- type of person you’d want to wear the sacred During difficult times in our world, the Mr. vironment and open space. Her mark is every- uniform of the United States. Amigo concept unites sister cities on both where in Marin County from the establishment Specialist Barta is survived by his wife, Eun sides of the border and sends a message that of the Butterfly Grove at Muir Beach to cre- Ji, of Killeen; his mother, Laurie Barta, broth- we are neighbors, and mends that trust, un- ation of countywide bike paths to preservation ers Josh and Billy Ray Barta, and grand- derstand, and respect each other. We share a of Angel Island and countless other conserva- parents Adolph Barta, of Corpus Christi, and language, customs and during Charro Days, tion efforts. Jackie and Larry Blake of Milton, FL. we take time to celebrate our distinctive cul- Born in Hawaii in 1909, Elizabeth Terwilliger Everyone in the greater South Texas com- ture. attended the University of Hawaii, and then munity will miss him, but nobody will miss him

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