Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was not present during the rollcall vote No. 623, on December 12, 2012. I would have voted ``no.''

I thank the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, it's good to see you in the chair. We're all going to miss you a great, great deal.

I rise today in support of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act's reauthorization, legislation I first introduced in 2006 with Congressman Mike Rogers to better help our country prepare for a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attack.

Developing and stockpiling appropriate countermeasures is essential for public safety, and these programs encourage American companies to invest in areas of high critical need.

The bill before us today includes new provisions that highlight the important needs of our Nation's children. Children are not just little adults; they need special care and special medical attention. They're especially vulnerable to biological or chemical agents because of their size, their limited capacity to flush out toxins, their underdeveloped motor skills, and their total reliance on their parents or other caregivers.

While the hope is that we will never need to use these countermeasures to combat an attack on our country, I'm proud that we've strengthened these programs for everyone in our country, especially the children.

I'm pleased to see the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act voted on today. I thank everyone that's been involved in this on a bipartisan basis in the spirit in which it was first introduced when we introduced it in 2006, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law by the President of the United States.

I thank the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, I'm very proud to rise in support of the PREEMIE Act legislation that I introduced with Congressman Leonard Lance. He's been a terrific partner not only on this legislation but on other pieces of legislation that we've moved through the Energy and Commerce Committee, and I salute him.

This bill will expand research, education, and prevention of preterm birth. As the mother of two children, I know how precious the earliest part of life is, and it's our responsibility to do everything we can to make sure that our little ones begin their lives with more than a fighting chance.

Each year, as was stated, half a million babies are born prematurely in our country, and preterm birth is the leading cause of newborn mortality and the second-leading cause of infant mortality. Babies born even a few weeks too early can require weeks to months of hospitalization after birth, and premature birth can sometimes lead to developmental delays and disability later in life.

In addition to the emotional and physical toll of prematurity, there are significant health care costs to families, to our medical systems, and our economy. A 2006 report by the Institute of Medicine found the cost associated with preterm birth in the United States was $26.2 billion annually, or $51,600 per infant born preterm. These are staggering amounts of dollars. While employers, private insurers, and individuals bear about half of the cost of health care for these infants, 40 percent is paid for by Medicaid. So it's in the best interest of healthy babies, hopeful families, and the budget of our country to decrease preterm births.

The good news is our investment in preventing prematurity is paying off. In 2006, I introduced and Congress passed the first ever comprehensive PREEMIE Act, and prematurity rates have declined since then. This is very good news. The better news is that today we're reauthorizing this law, which will build upon the momentum of the original law and provide us with new tools and knowledge to improve the lives and health of America's mothers and children.

The PREEMIE Act has been packaged with other important pediatric health bills. I thank the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Pitts, the chairman of our full committee, Mr. Upton, the ranking member of the full committee, as well as Mr. Pallone, and all of our colleagues.

You know very well, Madam Speaker, that we come to this place to do good things for our country that will strengthen our Nation. How proud I am that we are living up to that in presenting this bill here today.

In closing, I would also like to thank Erin Katzelnick-Wise of my staff, who has worked on this bill as if it were the most important thing she could do in her life, understanding that it is one of the most important things she could do in her life for children in our country; to the American Academy of Pediatricians, who have been so magnificent in instructing all of us in our work on this legislation; and a particular shout-out to Dr. Phil Pizzo, the dean of the Stanford School of Medicine, a pediatrician himself who at one time worked with great distinction at the National Institutes of Health.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and good friend and classmate Mrs. Maloney from New York, and I thank our colleague from Texas for his very kind and generous remarks about the designation of the United States post office in Mountain View, California, in my district, as the Lieutenant Kenneth M. Ballard Memorial Post Office.

A Mountain View native, Ken Ballard joined the Army at the age of 18. He comes from a distinguished family that have given a long line of military service to our country. He attended basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He went on to bravely serve our Nation in Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Iraq.

On April 3, 2004, Lieutenant Ballard's battalion, the 2nd Battalion, 37th Regiment, 1st Armored Division turned in their weapons and began preparing to return home. The very next day, violence broke out in Baghdad, and shortly thereafter, Lieutenant Ballard's tour was unexpectedly extended for an additional 120 days.

Less than 2 months later, on May 20, 2004, after 9 years of service, Lieutenant Ballard was killed in Najaf, Iraq, by accidental discharge of the M-240 weapon on his vehicle. He was a recipient of the Purple Heart and three Bronze Stars, two with valor device.

Lieutenant Ballard was a true American hero, and his ultimate sacrifice deserves our formal recognition of gratitude, which is what we are doing here today. In paying tribute to him and his service, the House will not only honor his sacrifice, but also that of every brave American who dons a uniform in defense of our Nation each and every day. So many have given their lives so that we may live ours freely, and each deserves our gratitude, our respect, and our remembrance.

I want to thank the city council of Mountain View, California, for their support of this effort, and I want to pay tribute to Lieutenant Ballard's mother, Karen Meredith, for her unswerving advocacy on behalf of her son that the truth would be documented and put forward, and of course her support in the renaming of the post office of his hometown after him.

So I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. I thank everyone on a bipartisan basis that has been involved in this.

I thank my colleague, Congressman and Senator-elect from the State of Connecticut, Chris Murphy.

There have been many magnificent and heart-rending tributes being paid this evening, and how appropriate it is that they are. On behalf of my constituents in the 14th Congressional District in California, I hope that our words and our prayers and also our future actions will be a source of comfort to the parents of the victims and to the community of Newtown, Connecticut.

It is appropriate that we offer our prayers and our sympathy, but that's not enough. That is not enough. It is in this Chamber and in this Congress we're together. We can, indeed, make the changes that the American people, in their anguish, are looking for.

I can't help but think of the words of Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address when he said:

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say

here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for

us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to their great

unfinished work.

And so the massacre of these angels should really inspire us to take on the

job of what really needs to be done in our country. Will we be able to resolve every last problem that this violence has brought about in our country? I doubt that. Can we take great steps to avoid what we know has taken place in public places, in shopping malls, in theaters, on college campuses, and now for where the little angels go to school?

I pledge not only to my constituents but to the Connecticut delegation and to the people of our country that I will do everything possible to help resolve this. We know that they are living in the sight of Almighty God, but our work is truly our own, and it will be the hand of God that will guide us. I believe that.

I want to thank the gentleman from California, my dear friend Mr. Miller, for organizing this Special Order tonight so that we can take some time, which is the most precious thing, really, that God gives us, is time, and pay tribute to our colleagues who have spent their time being giants in terms of representation and fighting on behalf of their constituents, bringing honor to the House of Representatives and to our country--some of the best exports of the Bay Area and our State of California.

I want to start with the dean of our delegation, Congressman Pete Stark. We salute you, Pete, for all that you have given and done. It's an extraordinary record of 40 years in the House of Representatives. Your name has been synonymous with health care consistently for all of that period of time; for fighting for a place in that health care system for people that are unknown to so many in our society and rejected. You have made room for them in the emergency room and wrote a law that no one would be mistreated. In fact, they had to be treated before they were asked whether they had health insurance or not.

Your record is replete with great and good things. On behalf of your constituents, on behalf of those that so much of society has overlooked, I know that those blessings will come back to you in a very rich and meaningful way as you depart this place. We will miss you. I thank you for your personal kindnesses and for all the wonderful things that you have done. The Bay Area delegation will miss you enormously.

Next, I want to pay tribute to Congressman Howard Berman. This is really hard to do. Congressman Berman's name is synonymous with the following: with farm workers and their rights and with human rights around the world. Anyone that has met and worked with him respects him. It matters not what side of the aisle they have ever come from or what country they come from or what agency they have worked in. Howard Berman has been an indispensable Member of this Chamber. When he took over the leadership of the Foreign Relations Committee, we saw a new and inspired leadership there demanding a recognition of the Armenian genocide. He served as the original cosponsor of that legislation. His record is replete with distinction.

Howard, we will all miss you in a very, very deep and special way. This House will miss you because you brought honor to it in everything that you have done. So it is bittersweet. No, it's just bitter. There isn't any sweetness to it. When I speak of you, I really can't bring enough words to one of the most distinguished records over 30 years that any Member of Congress could ever put together, and that the American people thank you and freedom-lovers and human rights advocates around the world appreciate and bless your name. And I know that, together with Janis, Brinley, and Lindsey, you haven't seen the last of us. We're going to keep coming after you.

To Lynn Woolsey, my classmate, we came here and we couldn't even find our way to the credit union, we were so terrified. But together we came. Lynn has brought an exceptional voice to families and to women, so often women heading up those families. And she spoke through the prism of her own experience, which is the most powerful story that anyone can ever tell. No one could ever say to Lynn Woolsey, You don't know what you're talking about. Because they knew that she lived it, that she had experienced it. And she came here to change so many women's lives and the lives of families in terms of education for women and girls and for stronger family benefits.

I could go on and on. She brought great voice and vision to the unfortunate policy--the march to folly--when we invaded Iraq. She came to this floor over 100 times to speak against that invasion. We are all in her debt for her conscience, for her integrity, for her wonderful voice, for her friendship, and for her love of the environment of the coast of California, which if there is ever the magical touch of Almighty God, you see it there. She has called on the President and the Congress to make sure the protections will be there in perpetuity. We will remember you in perpetuity. I ask that every blessing you have brought to your constituents in this House will come back to you.

To Bob Filner, to Joe Baca, Laura Richardson, Dennis Cardoza, and to our Republican colleagues Jerry Lewis, Elton Gallegly, Wally Herger, Mary Bono Mack, Brian Bilbray, Dan Lungren, and David Dreier, we thank you. I thank you for your service to the people of this country in this, the House of the people, the magnificent House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary man, Edward Patrick McGovern, who was born in San Francisco on December 26, 1927, and died on November 6, 2012.

A proud American who was also proud of his Irish heritage, Ed served his country during World War II. He and his beloved wife of 56 ears, Maggie, founded Knight's Restaurant and Catering, a business which they loved and fostered for more than forty years. Ed was a devoted member of many organizations to which he gave generously of his time and resources, including San Francisco's Irish Cultural Center, the Pearse and Connelly Fife and Drum Band, the St. Vincent De Paul Society, Catholic Charities, and the Knights of the Holy Sepulcher.

Ed and Maggie loved to travel, and visited six continents, but their favorite trips were ``home'' to Ireland. In 2005 they moved from San Francisco to Sonoma, and became active members of their new community.

Ed and his beloved wife Maggie, who survives him, raised a large and loving family. He leaves eight children: Moira McGovern; Deirdre and Doug Muller; Eileen and Andrew Patania; Kevin and Lori McGovern; Brian and Theresa McGovern; Maureen Kelly; Margaret and Frank van Beuningen; and Ed and Tina McGovern. He was beloved Poppi to Katie, Claire, Meagan and Jack; Molly, Danny, and Grace; Brian, Christopher, Thomas, Stephen and Elizabeth; Rosie; and Devin and Ryan.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our deepest condolences to the immediate and extended family and many friends of Edward Patrick McGovern. He will be remembered and missed by all who had the honor and privilege to know him. I feel blessed to have had the honor to know him and call him my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of a great public servant and longtime friend, Michael D. ``Mike'' Nevin, a native of San Francisco. He died at the early age of 69 and leaves his wife Kathleen; his sons Mike Nevin Jr. and Tim Nevin; his daughter Michelle Nevin Levine; his father Edward J. Nevin and five grandchildren.

Mike Nevin was a proud American, and a man who loved his native city and his adopted county of San Mateo. He rejoiced in his Irish heritage, and this ancient culture, with its poetry of love and loss, which influenced him in his lifelong devotion to helping others less fortunate than he was, and to teaching others to live life as he did, in love, faith, friendship and service.

He had public service in his blood, and his constituents were the beneficiaries. He joined the San Francisco Police Department after graduation from City College and USF, and served with the Department for 27 years. Mike served as a Daly City Planning Commissioner, was elected to the Daly City Council, and was twice the City's Mayor. In 1992 he was elected to the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, serving 12 years, and twice as President of the Board. He served on several boards and commissions and received many awards and commendations, including the Citizen of the Year Award from Daly City and the Papal Medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.

Mike Nevin was an ardent and tireless advocate for universal health care, for better transportation, and for a ban on gun shows. He took on unpopular issues and had a vision of how things could be. He was able to lift others up and empower them to work with him in pursuit of important policies. After learning how marijuana helped relieve the pain of a cancer patient, Mike advocated for medicinal use of the drug. He fought hard to protect funding for mental health services, always fighting for those who are overlooked by society. At the time of his death, Mike was the Executive Director of the Service League, a nonprofit organization that provides services to inmates, helping to rebuild their lives and become productive citizens. It was a perfect fit for a man of compassion.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our deepest sympathy to Mike Nevin's family and his wide circle of friends. Former St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, San Francisco, President Anthony P. Sauer, S.J. said ``Mike truly was a great man of a marvelous, wonderful, happy, very intelligent, giving, gracious, generous, social justice-oriented Catholic family. We will miss him terribly.''

Mike Nevin loved his family, his faith, his community and his country, and he bettered us all by his life of meaning and purpose.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it's fitting that on the week in which the World Conference on International Telecommunications convenes in Dubai that the House will once again take up a resolution demonstrating the bipartisan commitment of Congress to preserve the open structure and multistakeholder approach that has guided the Internet over the past two decades.

I think we are all very, very proud that there is not only bipartisan but bicameral support underlying this resolution, and there is complete support across the executive branch of our government. In other words, the United States of America is totally unified on this issue of an open structure, a multistakeholder approach that has guided the Internet over the past two decades.

The Senate resolution before us today, Mr. Speaker, makes a minor technical change to a resolution that the House passed unanimously in August by a vote of 414-0. I have no objection to this change, and I ask my colleagues to support this bipartisan measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an extraordinary woman, Belva Davis, and her storied career. She has been an icon of Bay Area journalism, and the first African-American reporter on the West Coast of the United States.

Belva Davis was born in Monroe, Louisiana, on October 13, 1932, to John and Florence Davis. She moved with her parents and three younger siblings to West Oakland at the age of eight, and the family later moved to Berkeley. Belva graduated from Berkeley High School in 1951, the first in her family to graduate from high school, married at the age of 20, and had two children. Belva's first job was as a typist, and next as a freelancer for Jet. She began writing for the Sun Reporter and the Bay Area Independent, and in 1961 she became an on-air interviewer for KSAN. She made her television debut hosting an African- American beauty pageant. In 2010 she published her autobiography, Never in my Wildest Dreams: A Black Woman's Life in Journalism, which begins with her story of being chased from the 1964 Republican Convention at the Cow Palace in San Francisco by a threatening crowd screaming racist slurs.

During her news career, Belva Davis covered the birth of the Black Panthers, the assassination of Mayor George Moscone, and the Free Speech Movement at Berkeley. She has interviewed countless world leaders, anchored hundreds of news programs on several stations, and been part of many organizations, including the Museum of the African Diaspora, which she was instrumental in creating.

Belva Davis has earned countless accolades. She was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2007, and has been awarded two honorary doctorate degrees. She has earned six regional Emmy Awards, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in 1996. Leader Nancy Pelosi said of Belva, ``When she speaks, people listen.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask the entire House of Representatives to join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Belva Davis for her inspiring leadership of countless women who seek careers in broadcasting, and for the thousands of hours of quality television she has provided as host of ``This Week in Northern California'' on KQED, from which she retired in November, 2012. We wish Belva and her beloved husband Bill Moore every blessing as they enjoy the fruits of their well-deserved retirement. Because of her first rate professionalism, broad knowledge and intellect, she has informed Bay Area citizens for decades, strengthening our communities, our country and our democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of an extraordinary man, Dr. Richard F. Chapman, who passed away on October 12, 2012, in Menlo Park, California, after decades of living and adjusting to life with multiple sclerosis.

Dr. Chapman was the son of a pediatrician whose father was a Congregational Church minister with deep roots in Old Saybrook, Connecticut. His mother graduated from Vassar and taught mathematics. Dr. Chapman graduated from Yale University, as did his two brothers, Rob and Ned, and he received his M.D. from Northwestern University in 1959.

Following his internship at Highland Hospital in Alameda County, California, he took his residency training in psychiatry at the Menninger School of Psychiatry. Dr. Chapman served as a Captain in the U.S. Army at Fort Sill where he developed a program of group mental health consultation that was used as a model for the delivery of mental health services to U.S. forces in Vietnam.

He moved to the Bay Area in 1966 with his young family and established a private practice, helping to found one of the first approved psychiatry training programs within a community mental health center. The center was an early model for the national community mental health center movement. He later became a clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University.

He served as President of the San Francisco Psychoanalytic Institute, and later as Dean of Faculty of the Pacific Graduate School of Psychology, now known as Palo Alto University. He was known by many for his soft spoken manner, his enthusiastic laugh, and more than anything else his ability to inspire and encourage those around him to pursue their dreams, hopes and aspirations.

He leaves his loving daughter, Karen, who cared for him daily with great devotion for the last several years of his life, and his dear son Eric (Sarah) Chapman; his grandchildren, Ryan, Katie and Jack; his brother, Robert, and sister-in-law, Virginia; his nieces, Lucia and Sarah (Barry); his nephew, Robert (Laurie); as well as his devoted caregivers, Mercedes, Mildred, Marcia and Ricky.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in extending our condolences to Dr. Chapman's family, and honoring this great and good man who gave so much of himself in service to his country and his community. He will be missed by all who had the good fortune to know him, and I count myself privileged to be among that special group.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of my dear friend and colleague, Gary Fazzino. He was born on June 15, 1952, and died on October 30, 2012, at his Palo Alto home following a 2\1/2\-year battle with multiple myeloma.

Gary Fazzino was a genuinely kind man. He was learned, curious, inquisitive, fun loving and serious. In all my years of knowing him, I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He was multi-faceted and represented many good things to so many people. First and foremost, Gary was a loving husband and devoted father. He came late to the calling of parenthood, often joking that he did things backward, becoming a city councilmember at the age of 24 and a father at 56. Late or not, he adored his children and loved being a father. In the short time he had with his twins, Julia and Matthew, he imparted his deep love for them, his love for life, and his love of learning. He adored his beautiful wife Annette, and the glow of strength that she emits comes in part from knowing how well and fully she was loved by Gary.

In addition to his family, the list of Gary's passions is a long one, but the first of these is the city his parents brought him to when he was a freshman in high school. Sal and Dolores Fazzino packed three children into the family station wagon and drove from Connecticut to California, with no job waiting, in search of a better life for all of them. They found it, and Gary found a community that he was proud of and loved deeply all the days of his life.

Gary was a graduate of Palo Alto High School, and received his undergraduate degree with a major in Theology from Stanford University. He received a master's degree in public policy from Occidental College and earned an MBA degree from the University of Washington.

Gary Fazzino was Palo Alto's unofficial historian, knowing more about the city and its history than anyone else. In fact, he was working on a history of the city at the time of his death. He became one of the youngest elected leaders in Palo Alto history when he joined the City Council in 1977 at the age of 24, and served on the Council from 1977 to 1983, and from 1989 to 2001, and as Mayor in 1992 and 1999.

Gary was also an ardent sports fan. He knew statistics for soccer teams on many continents, often making friends through his

knowledge. He loved to run, ride bicycles, and travel, particularly to his beloved Italy. He loved people and maintained many friendships over many years and great distances.

Gary had many and diverse interests, enough to occupy an average man's every waking hour, but Gary was not an average man. He worked for almost three decades at Hewlett Packard, rising to the top position of Vice President of Government Affairs, and moved on to lead as Vice President of Applied Materials. The offices he held at these major companies paint a picture of his business success, and are very much a part of his Silicon Valley story. Gary was a leader in the Valley whose opinion was sought and whose ideas and creativity were always valued. He knew that technology and innovation were key to changing the world for the better, and founded TechNet to be the voice of the innovation economy in Washington, D.C. He was recognized by all as a voice for the Valley and two years ago was the inspiration for the Information Technology Industry (ITI) Council's Gary P. Fazzino Award for Innovation Excellence.

Dean Garfield, President and CEO of ITI, wrote recently of Gary that ``In truth, for the tech sector, there is no better definition of consistent leadership, no better demonstration of exemplary service than the work and the life of Gary Fazzino. A poet once called for men with ``strong minds, great hearts, true faith, and ready hands.'' Gary was one of those men, in a class by himself.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in expressing our deepest condolences to Annette, Julia and Matthew Fazzino, as well as the entire Fazzino family. It is fitting for the U.S. House of Representatives to honor the life of this extraordinarily brilliant, kind, honest and capable man who loved his community and his country so deeply. I count among the greatest blessings of my life my friendship with Gary Fazzino.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the life of a courageous and legendary community leader, Alex Esclamado, who passed away in the Philippines on November 4, 2012. He was held in the highest regard, and his name was synonymous with freedom and the fight for democracy.

Alex Esclamado arrived in the United States in 1959, living and working in California for decades. As founding publisher of The Philippine News and a devoted Filipino community advocate in the United States, he championed the key issues of immigration reform, farm workers' rights, professional recognition and licensing of foreign graduates, and naturalization of World War II Filipino Veterans. In the United States, Alex Esclamado's biggest battle was against the dictatorship of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos.

In 1997, Alex retired from the daily operations of the newspaper to devote his full-time attention to establishing the foundation of NaFFAA, whose goals are the national unification of some 3,000 Filipino-American associations in the United States, the empowerment of Filipino Americans, and assistance to the Philippines. Alex became the founding national chair of NaFFAA and was elected unanimously as the first National Chair during the First National Filipino-American Empowerment Conference held in Washington D.C. in August 1997, which was attended by over 1,500 Filipino-American leaders representing associations throughout the United States. He served as National Chair from 1997 to 2002. He also served as National President of the Filipino American Political Association (FAPA), a political advocacy group since 1965. In 1998-99, he served as the only Filipino-American member of the U.S. Census Advisory Committee on the Asian and Pacific Islander Populations.

Mr. Esclamado's life and work are a lasting example of a true profile in courage. His work inspired generations of leaders in the Philippines and in the United States. His many honors include a special award for his Filipino-American Welfare and Human Rights Advocacy during the celebration of the 432nd Araw Ng Maynila, the first Filipino-American awardee by the City of Manila. He was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, and was compared with the inspirational leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez from the Greenlining Institute. He was awarded the Philippine Legion of Honor Award and Medal, the highest honor accorded to a civilian in the Philippines, by Philippine President Corazon Aquino for ``his distinguished and outstanding service to the country during the past 20 years.'' He was the only Filipino-American recipient of this award. During the centennial celebration of the Statue of Liberty in New York in October 1986, outstanding immigrants were honored for their contributions to America. Alex Esclamado was the only Filipino-American recipient of the Congressionally-sponsored Ellis Island Medal of Honor along with 79 other outstanding Americans representing all other nationalities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ken Walsh, a member of the faculty of St. Joseph's School of the Sacred Heart in Atherton, California, who is being honored with the Henry Schimpf Award for his selfless service contributions, commitment and dedication within the St. Joseph's community. Like the man for whom the award is named, Ken Walsh has touched and improved the lives of so many while at St. Joseph's School of the Sacred Heart, and embodies the kind of patient, humble, selfless teaching methods we should all aspire to practice.

Ken was behind the founding of the entire Athletic program for St. Joseph's School. He expanded the sports program from beyond basketball and baseball, and included other sports programs such as, tennis, track and soccer. Because of Ken's dedication, SJS has a strong sports presence along the Peninsula. His actions have provided more opportunities to more students, enabling many of them to participate in a variety of sports of their choosing. With the help and support of the community, along with SJS faculty, Ken raised money for a new field, which was named after Henry Schimpf. Ken is not only an outstanding educator, but he is also a great collaborator. He has been known to offer other schools in the region, like Sacred Heart Preparatory to utilize SJS tennis courts, and has taken the opportunity to organizing various tournaments between the two schools for both boys and girls. He is well respected by the community, his peers, his family, and his students as a teacher, an athletic director and as a friend.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Ken Walsh, an educator who lives a life which embodies the goals and criteria of Sacred Heart Schools. He lives the five commitments of faith, respect, social awareness, community building and personal growth, and his contributions to his students have strengthened our community and our country immeasurably.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Denise Sheldon, a 1993 graduate of St. Joseph's School and a 1997 graduate of Sacred Heart Preparatory. The School is proud to offer the Athletic Hall of Fame to honor her for her athletic achievements. The award recognizes contributions of alumni athletes, teams, coaches, and administrators of Sacred Heart Preparatory. Individuals like Denise Sheldon who are inducted into the Hall of Fame have made significant achievements in her sport of volleyball and exemplified the principals of sportsmanship and Christianity as illustrated in the Goals and Criteria of Sacred Heart Schools.

Denise Sheldon was part of a two-time division five state championship team. Denise led Sacred Heart women's varsity volleyball team to back-to-back CIF State Championships during her junior and senior years and was honored as the `Most Valuable Player' in the League, CCS Section, and State of California in Division V.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Denise Sheldon, an athlete who lives a life which embodies the goals and criteria of Sacred Heart Schools. She lives the five commitments of faith, respect, social awareness, community building and personal growth, and her contributions to her sport have strengthened our community and our country immeasurably.