June 20, 2003 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1315 among those honored with the ‘‘Ambassadors in this matter. That is why I am fighting for measure of community is not necessarily cof- for Peace Award—Excellence in Leadership’’ him. Junior’s employer has recruited a new fee bars, good restaurants and well lit streets, award. These committed citizens have been legal team with whom I have been working to although Marquette has all of those. Nor is it working to renew and strengthen our families keep Junior and his family together in the natural beauty and a close connection be- and marriages, restore our communities, and United States. tween people and their environment, although rebuild our nation and world. We are grateful We should pass this bill to prevent this in- Marquette has that in huge measure. to the founders of the Ambassadors for justice from breaking up Junior’s family. At the Rather, the best example of true community Peace, the Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon, very least, I hope introducing this private bill is shown by Marquette County’s programs that for promoting the vision of world peace and will help convince federal authorities to be le- help people live happy, productive and en- we commend them for their work. nient in this case because it is the right thing gaged lives, supported by and supporting their These Ambassadors for Peace have be- to do. neighbors. Marquette County’s richness in these efforts made it possible for this small, come increasingly effective and relevant in f their communities since the tragedy of 9/11. thinly populated piece of God’s Country to be They have been working together to promote TRIBUTE TO THE COUNTY OF named an All-America City in its very first at- understanding among all faiths, particularly MARQUETTE ON RECEIVING THE tempt. with Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders. ALL-AMERICAN CITY AWARD I have co-sponsored a House Concurrent Resolution congratulating Marquette County With the realization that many of the tensions and all ten of the All-America cities for their ef- currently facing the world cannot be ad- HON. BART STUPAK forts and successes. It is a small token of rec- dressed without consideration of the religious OF MICHIGAN ognition for a very large effort. All of Marquette implications involved, the Ambassadors for IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES County should be proud. Peace have formed an American Interreligious Thursday, June 19, 2003 I certainly am. I ask that my House col- Council. This council seeks to support and ad- Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, perhaps you leagues join me in extending congratulations vise our Nation’s leaders concerning the to Marquette County, a 2003 All-America City. issues and challenges of seeking lasting know of my fondness for spending as much f peace. The American Interreligious Council is time as possible in my First Congressional also a part of the effort to create an inter- District of Michigan, which I can, without any A TRIBUTE TO DR. AL BEST national council of religious leaders. The mem- bias whatsoever, say is the most beautiful in bers of this council will support the leaders of the nation. HON. BOB FILNER the United Nations as they work to resolve I rise today to give special recognition to OF CALIFORNIA conflicts throughout the world. This body will one community in my district, Marquette, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES which lies on the southern shore of Lake Su- provide a direct link between international Thursday, June 19, 2003 leaders and the various religious peoples in perior in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. their constituencies. This will help to ensure On June 14, 2003, Marquette County was Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise to salute Al Best as he is being honored that peace agreements are embraced by the selected as one of ten communities in the at the ‘‘Sixth Annual Community Tribute Ban- diverse communities these leaders represent. United States to receive an All-America City quet’’ on June 22, 2003. He is being recog- Today, though crisis is at our doorstep, we designation from the National Civic League at nized for his tireless activism and community must maintain an unwavering hope for peace. a ceremony in Washington, D.C. service on behalf of San Diego’s Gay and It has become clear that the establishment of The National Civic League has been recog- Lesbian community. a lasting peace throughout the world will only nizing civic excellence for 53 years and evalu- ates how well a community exemplifies grass Al was born and raised in Colorado, was come to full fruition through the ongoing dia- hired at the age of 18 by United Airlines, and logue and cooperation of religious and political roots citizen involvement and cross-sector problem solving requiring collaboration among in 1960 became United’s Regional Convention leaders. The Ambassadors for Peace are Representative. During this time, he received working tirelessly to bring about international citizens, government, business and nonprofit organizations. his BS degree at the University of Colorado. In cooperation and are to be commended for 1963, Al joined Frontier Air Lines as South- their leadership in this great effort. Marquette County was one of thirty can- didates who sent hundreds of delegates to west Regional Manager, based in f Alburquerque, and two years later, he was Washington to compete in hearings before ten named to the New Mexico State Aviation INTRODUCTION OF A PRIVATE All-America City judges. Forty of those dele- Board. He received his Masters’ Degree from BILL FOR THE RELIEF OF JUN- gates represented Marquette. the University of New Mexico and his Ph.D IOR ANTHONY FRANCIS While Marquette County is not technically a from New Mexico State University. city, its civic programs and civic efforts are not When Al first arrived in San Diego in 1975, HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN limited by city-county boundaries. The collabo- he immediately became active in the commu- OF MARYLAND ration that was so important to Marquette’s nity by volunteering and raising money for out- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES success in the All-America City competition is standing organizations such as The Center county wide. Thursday, June 19, 2003 and the Metropolitan Community Church. He In addition to a well organized substantive was one of the founders of Stepping Stone, a Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, today I am presentation, the Marquette delegation also in- non-profit alcohol and drug recovery agency. introducing a private bill to make Junior An- cluded the Lake Superior Theatre Association In 1979, he made history by being the first thony Francis a permanent resident of the which presented dramatic vignettes of cultural openly gay person to run for the San Diego United States to put an end to deportation pro- life in current day Marquette and Marquette City, Council. Even though he was largely out- ceedings that are pending against him by the history. The delegation also serenaded the spent and out raised by his opponents, he fin- Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforce- judges, impressing them with enthusiasm and ished 5th out of 11 in the campaign. ment (BICE). harmony, literally and as a demonstration of In 1985, Al became the first president of the Junior has lived in the United States for 40 the harmonious civic cooperation that was rec- Harvey Milk Democratic Club. In 1989, he was years and has six American-born children. He ognized in their selection. the first openly gay person appointed to San has been working and supporting his family The judges noted that Marquette County’s Diego’s Equal Employment Opportunity Com- and living as normal a life as anyone else. He presentation contained more substance than mission. He was also a member of Mayor is being considered for deportation not be- hype, according to Marquette Mining Journal Maureen O’Connor’s Violent Crime Task cause of any crime that may be part of his managing editor David Edwards. They cited Force. In 1990, he was the first openly gay past, but because after many years it was dis- programs such as the Marquette Medical Care person sworn into the San Diego Civil Service covered that his immigration papers are not in Access Coalition and juvenile restorative jus- Commission and became its first openly gay order. But Junior had taken steps, in good tice efforts in announcing their decision. president in 1992. In 1993, he was a co-chair faith, to make sure his papers were in order. Marquette’s efforts were spear-headed by for the Human Rights Campaign milestone He may have received bad legal advice that the Lake Superior Community Partnership, March on Washington. He currently serves as brought him to this point, but he certainly whose chairman, Monsignor Louis Cappo ac- Vice Chairman of Something Special Food should not be deported because of it. cepted the award in front of a cheering crowd. Pantry, a volunteer organization that distrib- It is absolutely wrong to deport Junior and Mr. Speaker, this award shows how strong utes food to men, women, children and fami- break up his family, who are the real victims Marquette County’s civic spirit is. The true lies who have HIV/AIDS. VerDate Jan 31 2003 01:41 Jun 21, 2003 Jkt 019060 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 9920 E:\CR\FM\A19JN8.037 E20PT1 E1316 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks June 20, 2003 Dr. Al Best has set an outstanding prece- us—we lost an inspirational leader. This up- He was a leader in the student movement, as dent for gay and lesbians in San Diego and coming Sunday, June 22, 2003, we will have a student commissioner and later student has paved the way for future generations to an opportunity to remember Lloyd and honor President, and as a MEChA leader and co- founder of MEChA class.