Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Democratic substitute. I was proud to put my name on that substitute because I believe that it does more for students than the underlying bill in front of us today, and because, quite frankly, I want our children and our grandchildren to be able to afford to go to college.

H.R. 609, coupled with the $12 billion Congress cut from student aid and the President's zero funding of key student loan programs, is setting us back, not forward. I remember when the Federal Government actually helped students go to college, when a Pell Grant covered almost all of tuition expenses in a public university. Today, a maximum Pell Grant barely covers a third.

I oppose 609 because it includes many provisions that hurt students in the long run and omits many others that would have helped them.

If the Rules Committee would have allowed the amendment to prevent the Department of Education from carrying out the $664 million recall of the Federal Perkins loan fund, a recall mandated by the President's 2007 budget, that is potentially 463,000 lower-class and middle-class students and their families who will lose out on a key part of financial aid. We did nothing about that.

Another example is the single definition of an institution of higher learning I think poses a dangerous threat. It opens the door to potential future abuse of Federal aid by for-profit institutions. We should be protecting our students from fraud, not welcoming it through the door.

H.R. 609 falls short again on funding Pell Grants. A $200 increase through the year 2013 barely covers the real costs, and the President has frozen the maximum grant at 4,050 for 4 consecutive years.

I think the substitute does provide for the real value of Federal aid in helping students realize their dream and helping their families realize the dreams of their kids going to college.

But I think what the substitute says, above all, is that we can and we must do better. In December, the House Republicans voted to cut $12 billion from the Federal student aid program. Democrats came out in force and not one of us voted in favor of that bill. I ask my colleagues to join me again in opposing H.R. 609 because it is not enough, and support the Democratic alternative and then vote ``no'' on the final passage of the Missed College Opportunity Act.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to acknowledge and lend support to the well over 1 million people who marched across American cities and towns in a peaceful, nonviolent way for fairness, dignity, and humane and respectful treatment of immigrant workers in our Nation. This ground swell of humanity wanted some very simple things. They wanted the principles of fairness and equal protection under the law to be applied in a fair and just way.

The people who marched are for comprehensive, reality-based immigration reform by this Congress, a reform that acknowledges the economic value, necessity and, yes, indeed, the codependency of our economy on the immigrant workforce; that also recognizes the inherent value of human beings and reaffirms the process of rigorous examination and process to attain permanent legal status and eventually citizenship. And it reaffirms a reality-based immigration reform, reaffirms the need for security in this country by assuring that the people that work here, that function here, are not hidden in the shadows but part of the workforce, integrated into that workforce and protected by the same laws and principles that all working people in this country enjoy.

I think what is happening in this country on the question of immigration is really about the future of our country. We have, as a Congress, a choice on immigration reform. We should not continue on the path set by this Congress in the Sensenbrenner bill, a bill that asks us to criminalize 11 million human beings in this country, that raises the specter of mass deportation and that ignites a flame of intolerance and division that this country is not about.

We don't need a path to create second-class citizens. We don't need a path that hides from our economic reality. We don't need a path that ignores the business interests. We don't need a path that forgets fairness and equity under the law. And we don't need a path that creates division and discrimination as a rule of law.

We cannot shun our values as an immigrant nation. This is a wrong path. And while possibly it is a short-term political victory based on division and based on creating a wedge issue that splits people in this country, it is a long-term defeat for this Nation.

I believe that we can do better. We can create a situation for the people of this country and for the immigrant workers in this country that is not blanket amnesty, that is not about open borders, that understands security is a priority issue, but also understands that comprehensive reform is the most important way to deal with this issue.

So let us not, as we debate this issue and as we continue to grapple with this very vexing and complex issue, let us not forget we are dealing with human beings, let us not ignore our economic reality, and let us put together a comprehensive package that accommodates both those realities and at the same time reaffirms the traditions, the values, the hopes and the aspirations of immigrants that have made this country what it is, that will strengthen it in the future, and that will continue the progress and the enlightenment this Nation needs.

Mr. Speaker, Grayce Bodgen Arnold was originally from Philadelphia, PA, and arrived in Arizona through her husband, John Patton Arnold, who had been commissioned by Popular Mechanics and the Triple A Automotive Association to publish the first motor tourist guide of Mexico in the mid 1950's. The family, then including their first two children, moved to Nogales, AZ. The family later moved to settle in Tucson, where their third child, Janie, was born.

Throughout this time Grayce had been developing her cooking and artistic talent. While she lived in Doylestown, PA, her neighbor Sara Lee was a constant presence in Grayce's kitchen, sampling her cooking. At the same time she was also working on her artistic talent, she worked with famed Tucson artist Ted DeGrazia at his studio. In addition to her artistic and cooking talents, she also developed her business skills.

Through the years, her business ventures brought her in contact with many people, including film stars Faye Dunaway and Joanna Cassidy, and then Governor George W. Bush. Also it was at this time that her designs for Patagonia's first three postcards came out, displaying her civic involvement to promote Patagonia as a tourist destination.

In 1976, Grayce's son, Dr. John David Arnold, bought the Miner's Old Home in Patagonia, which was built in 1905. At the time, the house was not in good condition, but was remodeled to be made fit for living, and is where Grayce lived until the end of her life. This is also where Grayce Gift and Candle Shop operated from for almost three decades. Grayce's artistic talents are displayed in her shop, which is more than a shop, instead it is more like part museum and art gallery. Grayce's artistic collections include her award winning sand cast candle dioramas, creative masks and one of her greatest sculptures, her rendition of the Tarahumara man squatting in contemplation in traditional dress.

Grayce was inspiring; she was so full of life, physically active and ran her own business until the age of 97. She would be the first to tell you that age is irrelevant, after all, while in her sixties she belly danced, remarried and launched her artistic career. She always told her children, ``be creative, never stop dreaming, and help others.'' She was an amazing woman who will be remembered to those who loved her and to the many whose lives she touched.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a delegation from my district visiting our Nation's Capital. This delegation represents the Blackwater Community School on the Gila River Indian Reservation, who belong to the Akimel O'Otham.

I would like to acknowledge Henry Pino, president of the Blackwater Community School Board; board member Francisco Osife; board secretary Peggy Winchester; and the superintendent and principal of the school, Jacquelyn Power. Through the talent and commitment of these individuals, the students of Blackwater are in great hands. Blackwater Community School has a motto--``Quality Education Begins Here.'' It was evident in our discussion today that these educators and administrators live up to such an inspiring motto every day.

Blackwater Community School was built in 1939, it was the first operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Arizona, and still educates children and families in its historic, refurbished buildings. The children are in grades kindergarten through second, and a charter expanded the student enrollment to third and fourth grades.

Blackwater has led the way as the highest performing school determined by federal and state officials. Most recently, the National Indian School Board Association honored the school with its coveted 4Cs Award.

The school also has one of the most successful family literacy programs in the nation that educates pre-school children and their parents together. The program is called Family and Child Education (FACE), the FACE program at Blackwater has earned an enviable reputation as a proud member of the National Adult Education Honor Society.

I would like to offer my congratulations to the distinguished delegation from Blackwater Community School for the tremendous job that they are doing on the Gila River Indian Reservation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on Arizona's 94th birthday to commend one of Arizona's most talented sons, Mr. Eduardo ``Lalo'' Guerrero, ``the Father of Chicano Music.''

From the beginning of his career when his first group, Los Carlistas, represented Arizona at the New York World's Fair of 1939 until his death last March, Lalo Guerrero symbolized the best of American and Latino culture. Born December 24, 1916 in Barrio Viejo, the oldest neighborhood of Tucson, Arizona, Mr. Guerrero sang songs that spoke directly to the Chicano people of the southwest throughout the course of his 60-year career.

The child of immigrants, Mr. Guerrero attributed his musical talent to his mother Concepcion, who taught him to play the guitar. He has been quoted modestly, ``I only wrote and sang about what I was.'' By doing so, Mr. Guerrero became a voice for people who rarely were shown in mainstream culture, a fact he sang about in his famous song ``No Chicanos on TV.''

No other Chicano artist has come close to writing and recording more great songs in virtually every genre of Latin music, including salsa, nortena, banda, rancheras, boleros, corridos, cumbias, mambos, cha chas, socially relevant songs, swing, rock & roll and blues. In addition to being a world-class singer, he also created children's music, comedy songs and parodies.

Mr. Guerrero stood beside other great leaders in the community, among them Cesar E. Chavez and Ruben Salazar, writing corridos about the struggles and importance of social protest. Celebrating his bicultural roots, the music pioneer and activist was the first to record bilingual songs, becoming a symbol of hope and strength to his people.

Mr. Guerrero is credited by such artists as Carlos Santana, Linda Ronstadt, and Los Lobos for opening the door for Latino musicians.

In 1996, Mr. Guerrero was awarded the National Medal of the Arts by President and Mrs. Clinton. In 1980, the Smithsonian Institution declared him a ``National Folk Treasure'' and he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1991.

Mr. Guerrero was inducted into the Tejano Hall of Fame and was honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Mexican Cultural Institute representing the Mexican Government, Luis Valdez's The Teatro Campesino and Ricardo Montalban's Nosotros Organization among other prestigious groups. Los Angeles and his adopted home of Palm Springs, California have declared ``Lalo Guerrero Day'' in those cities and proclamations have been awarded from numerous other cities and organizations.

Mr. Guerrero is an American original. He is a son of this Nation, a Nation of diverse people, cultures and music. Lalo Guerrero exemplifies the richness of our country and the hope of all people. His story is a gift to us all.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the misguided Border and Immigration Enforcement Act of 2005. H.R. 4437 is a misguided bill that will further complicate the immigration crisis.

We, as a country, have not seen a significant change in immigration policy in nearly two decades, even though all Americans agree that current immigration policy is outdated and malfunctioning. The majority of surveys throughout this Nation show that the American people are advocating for a comprehensive and realistic approach to immigration reform.

As Members of Congress we have the responsibility to modernize our laws, to ensure equity, and to learn from the successes and failures of our predecessors. H.R. 4437 fails to meet these standards on all levels.

The bill before us today is an insult to the American people who have requested action on the part of their lawmakers. The bill is neither a solution nor even an attempt to understand the immigration crisis. Rather, it is a collaboration of the most destructive proposals in Congress, put forth to promote a false impression that we are working to address the problem. What we are seeing here on the floor today is an unrealistic, unconstitutional bill based on fear.

As a Representative from Arizona, I have had first hand experience with the negative impacts created by ``security-only'' approaches to the border and immigration, such as is promoted by H.R. 4437. Arizona, my District especially, has been victim to this inadequate approach that ignores the real needs in our communities. For example, this year my District witnessed 262 deaths on its border, yet H.R. 4437 would do nothing to help alleviate this human tragedy.

Though Americans continue to ask that Congress create orderly, legal venues for new immigrants and for safe and legal ways in which immigrants already here can declare their presence, H.R. 4437 does not even come close to fulfilling these requests. In fact, it promotes a shadow culture in which immigrants need and want to hide, which then puts our country at a greater security risk.

With one hasty line, this bill makes all immigrants criminals. It turns an immigration-law violation into an aggravated felony. Thus, legal permanent residents, who initially may have had an unlawful entry but were able to pursue a legal venue thereafter, would be categorized as felons and prevented from becoming U.S. citizens as the current law allows.

H.R. 4437 also endangers checks and balances and progress that our Nation has made towards equality. With its expansion of expedited removal programs, H.R. 4437 removes important checks that currently protect against erroneous arrests and deportations. In the realm of civil rights, immigrants that are victim to domestic violence would be discouraged from seeking protection in fear of being charged with an aggravated felony. Furthermore, immigrants dealing with Federal agencies or the judicial system would no longer have the opportunity to appeal, thereby weakening even more checks and balances in our government.

I am ashamed of the Republican leadership for bringing this bill to the floor, for ignoring the American people, and for supporting a bill that will expand the immigration crisis. Worse than all the harm that this bill would cause is the fact that it fails to include any of the immigration reforms that Americans have asked for. It includes penalties for employers, but no provisions allowing them to attain needed employees. It criminalizes immigrants, but provides no solutions for a legal venue for entry.

As lawmakers, we can do better. We can bring to the floor a comprehensive and realistic approach to immigration that addresses

border security, changes to current immigration law--including earned legalization--and upholds labor rights for all U.S. employees, be they citizens or foreign born. H.R. 4437 is not this bill. It ignores the need to address societal, economic and national security shortfalls and I encourage my colleagues to denounce this insulting response to the American people and vote ``no'' on H.R. 4437.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 4437, the Border and Immigration Enforcement Act of 2005.

H.R. 4437 is an enforcement-only approach that fails to provide real family security, real national security, and real economic security for our country. It is neither comprehensive nor realistic.

If this Nation really wants to create an effective border security policy, we need to have a debate that includes a discussion about actual solutions to our problems, which means taking all of the political grandstanding and baiting out of the equation.

H.R. 4437 is unrealistic, it is based on fear, and it is financially irresponsible and even unconstitutional at times. It joins rank with the Chinese Exclusion Act and the Depression-era repatriation of U.S. Citizens to Mexico, two of our country's most embarrassing moments.

As a first-generation son, a native-born son of an immigrant that came to this country, I hope we do not close the door to that legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to recognize Lucy Popson, an outstanding teacher in our community. Mrs. Popson is the proud recipient of the Arizona Teacher of the Year Award for 2005.

The Teacher of the Year Award honors teachers that are not only exemplary in the classroom, but teachers that are involved in the community as well. Nominated teachers are identified as leaders by parents, students, and co-workers. They gain the admiration of everyone they work with, and their efforts on behalf of education are notable.

Lucy Popson exceeds these criteria. She is dedicated to her students and to her community, teaching at Walter Douglass Elementary school for 23 years, and third-grade for the past 11 years.

Mrs. Popson always makes sure her students are learning and she strives to make every student understand the material. She is a teacher that understands the different needs of students, teaching material in multiple styles to ensure that no student is left out in the learning process. Mrs. Popson strives to make her lessons fun and interesting. She is proud of her students and has a superior ability to help all her students achieve.

When Mrs. Popson was asked about her feelings upon receipt of the award, she stated, ``This is a team effort . . . Teaching is not one person. It's a bunch of people working together.'' She brought this statement to life when she dedicated her award to all those who help her in the Plowing Wells School District.

Teaching is a talent that few possess and even fewer choose to pursue as a career. All teachers in our community need to be recognized for their enormous efforts to enrich the lives of children. It is teachers such as Lucy Popson who deserve awards for their daily achievement of helping students.

I honor Lucy Popson for her generosity, kindness, and compassion and thank her for committing herself to the profession of teaching.

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

(Mr. GRIJALVA asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank my colleague from Arizona and the delegation from Arizona for their support of this bill, a very critical adjustment, as my friend from Arizona just said.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 327, and I urge its passage today. I am very pleased we are considering this bill in the House, and I would like to thank Chairman Pombo and Ranking Member Rahall for making this bill a priority. As I stated earlier, my appreciation goes to the entire Arizona delegation for their support. I greatly appreciate that the Resources Committee leadership recognizes the importance of encouraging the self-reliance of the Native people in their district so they can move closer to full economic development for their areas.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John B. Gabusi, an Arizona native known nationally and internationally, who retired September 30 as Vice Chancellor of Pima Community College.

Mr. Gabusi was an accomplished administrator who brought excitement, enthusiasm and excellence to his endeavors and his relationships. He possesses a superior intellect, is extremely well informed, and has an amazing ability to analyze information quickly and accurately. He is a compassionate human being with a particular affection for the less fortunate. He extends his help quietly, hoping only that others will overcome obstacles and achieve success.

Mr. Gabusi joined Pima College in 1991. He established the economic development office, then moved on to create a government relations program. From there, he undertook a myriad of successful activities for the College. Among his other remarkable achievements was a marketing campaign that increased the school's enrollment by 30 percent over a five-year period and a counseling-mentor program that increased the number of area high school graduates who enrolled at Pima by more than 60 percent over a three-year period.

Mr. Gabusi grew up in the mining town of Clifton. He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona in 1964, and was studying for a Ph.D. in political science when, in 1966, he and classmate Earl deBerge created a Tucson polling firm known as Survey Research Associates. He departed the partnership in 1968 to join the staff of U.S. Representative Morris K. Udall, whose congressional district then encompassed the entire State outside of Phoenix and Maricopa County. His friend deBerge continued the firm, which now is based in Phoenix and known as the Behavior Research Center Inc.

He spent 23 years away from Arizona, most of the time in Washington,

Mr. Speaker, I rise to day to honor Jessie, George, and Kyle Hetherington. Jessie and George Hetherington, two grandparents, have faced many obstacles in the process of adopting their grandson, Kyle. This family is to be commended for they have persisted through personal and legal struggles to ensure Kyle's adoption.

Kyle entered Jessie and George's home in October of 2000. This family joins the growing trend of 6 million children being raised by ``Grand Families'' keeping children in loving homes. The Hetherington family is exemplary proof that often the best chance a child has at leading a normal life filled with affection is with a family of their own.

It is Grand Families such as the Hetherington's that provide a safe and stable home for children who would otherwise fall into foster care systems. But the commitment to a happy family has many obstacles and requires perseverance. The determination of this family defines unconditional love.

When Jessie and George first brought Kyle home, they lived in an age- restricted community. To keep Kyle, the family moved. Finding a new home was the first obstacle. Then, 15 months later, Kyle's mother regained custody. Kyle later returned to the Hetherington home, but his health, physically and emotionally, was worse than before. Since then, the family has been through several legal battles to keep Kyle from being returned to his mother, an absent father fighting Jessie and George's adoption rights, and accessing services for Kyle's health needs.

The family has undergone an intense legal pursuit but has been guided with love, patience, and support from Kinship, Adoption, Resource, Education (K.A.R.E.) program. The K.A.R.E. program works with Grandparents raising Grandchildren, and helped the Hetherington family navigate a system that does not understand the strength and needs of Grand Families.

The Hetherington family will soon celebrate a legal victory and adopt Kyle on December 6 of this year. Their emotional and legal struggle represents the battle of will over circumstance. This day is an early birthday gift for Kyle and a life long family gift. Kyle is a second grader at Miller Elementary School in Tucson, AZ and turns 8 on November 23.

Jessie ad George Hetherington's love, hard work, and dedication, and that of all Grand Families, should be acknowledged today.

As Jessie states ``Love can work wonders done in the right way''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Dr. Herbert K. Abrams, a life-long Champion of health care for all.

Dr. Abrams has been a particular example to me. He arrived in Tucson in 1968, about the time I was marching in the streets with other Chicanos asking for better health-care and recreation facilities. Within a few years, he had shown those of us in the protest movement that a big heart, intelligence, patience and persistence could convince a government to respond to the needs of the people. I will forever be grateful to him for that quiet leadership.

Dr. Abrams was hired by Dr. Monte DuVal, founding dean of the University of Arizona's College of Medicine, to create what became the Department of Family and Community Medicine. He also acquired federal funding for the El Rio Santa Cruz Neighborhood Health Center.

In each case, he prepared a foundation for growth.

In the early 1970s, he organized family practice clinics in what were then the small towns of Marana, Benson and Casa Grande. Today, his philosophy of taking medical care to those outside metropolitan areas is vested in the department's Rural Health Program, which supports rural clinics and family practice by young doctors.

Back in Tucson, the clinic Dr. Abrams helped create has shortened its name to El Rio Health Clinic, but expanded its service to 11 locations. El Rio was designed to serve the poor; it continues with that emphasis today, but is open to all with a sliding fee schedule.

Through the years, he also has been a significant supporter during difficult times for E1 Pueblo Clinic and the Pima County-owned Kino Community Hospital, now known as University Physicians Healthcare (UPH) Hospital at Kino Campus.

His impact on medical care has been recognized with the naming of two buildings in his honor. One is the College of Medicine building that houses the department he founded. The other will be visible next fall when construction is completed on the $28 million Herbert K. Abrams Public Health Center on the Kino Campus.

Dr. Abrams came to Tucson already a recognized health-service pioneer. He had spent the preceding 16 years in Chicago, where he established the Martin Luther King Neighborhood Health Center and the 40,000-member Union Health Service, an early-day health maintenance organization that last year celebrated its 50th anniversary.

More than 60 of his scientific papers have been published. Many of them examined occupational medicine, and he has performed specific research on farm workers and pesticides and on the use of the short- handled hoe.

Dr. Abrams is known internationally, having worked, consulted or performed research in China, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Israel and Papua New Guinea. He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Public Health

Service from 1942 to 1946 and served two years of that time training medical officers and working on a cholera control team and as area medical rehabilitation officer in China. He returned to China on at least six other occasions, including earlier this year when he again met with medical colleagues he had first known 60 years ago. He has studied occupational and environmental health along the U.S.-Mexico border, and has consulted for the World Health Organization.

Dr. Abrams received degrees of Doctor of Medicine and Master of Science from the University of Illinois in 1940 and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins University in 1947. He received his bachelor's degree from Northwestern University in 1936.

Through the years, Dr. Abrams, 92, has pursued his goals with a soft voice and a smile. He knows that this nation still does not provide health care for all, and last year wrote an op-ed article reminding Tucson newspaper readers that 45 million Americans remain without health insurance.

A poster on a wall in his office asks: ``Whatever happened to health care for the poor?'' Dr. Abrams answered the question for Arizona Daily Star reporter Jane Erikson earlier this year, saying: ``Not much . . . we still have a long ways to go . . .''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice of homage and respect that we all have for Congressman Ed Roybal.

Our entire Nation, and Latinos in particular, owe Congressman Roybal a huge debt of gratitude. We can manifest our gratitude by holding true to the integrity, the values, the fairness that Congressman Roybal represented in this Chamber.

We can also repay Congressman Roybal by insisting that all Americans have an equal voice and demanding truth as a guiding principle in our government.

I would not be here to celebrate the life of Ed Roybal if he had not blazed a path to which all of us aspire to follow in our political lives. Indeed, Congressman Roybal's shoes cannot be filled, but we can all stay on the path.

My sincere respect and pesame to the Roybal family and my thanks to Congressman Roybal for sharing the possibilities and raising our expectations. Congressman Roybal established our Hispanic Caucus as a founder; NALEO, an organization that represents Latino elected officials; but more importantly he broke the stereotypes about Latinos' place in our Nation and in our political life, that we no longer are just observers in this process but empowered participants. And for that all Americans should be grateful. We should honor and celebrate a life well-served, a life well-dedicated and a life well-spent.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Republican budget reconciliation. I believe this process has nothing to do with reconciliation. Instead, we have an ideological devastation of the future of families, children, students, the poor, and the elderly in this country.

It would look at these cuts: education, $14 billion; nutrition, $844 million in food stamp cuts; Medicaid, $10 billion; veterans, not addressing the real needs of veterans in this country; foster care, $577 million; SSI and TANF, $8 billion; child support, $5 billion.

These cuts that are being asked for by the Republicans in the reconciliation are a direct result of their policies, policies that are giving tax breaks to corporations, tax cuts to the very wealthy, a $1- billion-a-day war, and a borrow-and-spend fiscal policy that the Republican Party has instituted.

The backbone of this Nation is its families. The door of opportunity has to remain open for all families. There is always room at the inn.

I urge a ``no'' vote on the reconciliation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Mr. John Gabusi, former Pima Community College Vice Chancellor.

Mr. John Gabusi retired from his position as Vice Chancellor for governmental and external relations at Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona. He dedicated 14 years of service to the college, where he tirelessly worked to create Pima Community College's first economic development office.

Mr. Gabusi has been credited with elevating the College's national prestige by developing strategies to convince the Governor and State elected officials that the citizens of Arizona are deserving of a strong community college system.

His work helped to limit district wide budget reductions and to revive the marketing and advertising of Pima Community College. His help also played a vital role in a thirty percent increase in student enrollment from 1996-2002.

John Gabusi consistently strived to improve educational opportunities for the people of Tucson. Thanks to Mr. Gabusi's ability to rally community support, Pima Community College was granted a $140 million dollar bond. He focused on providing students with an environment conducive to learning, and believed that the community is deserving of an excellent community college system.

Even before his work at Pima Community College, John Gabusi was committed to serving his community. Mr. Gabusi served as an assistant to former U.S. Congressman Morris K. Udall. He led four of Mr. Udall's congressional campaigns as well as Mr. Udall's 1976 presidential campaign. After serving under Congressman Udall, Mr. Gabusi went on to start his own marketing firm called DAC international and later presided over the Washington, DC based Procurement Assistant Corporation.

Mr. John Gabusi is an outstanding member of our community. His life- long commitment to serving his community is commendable. It is the drive of Mr. Gabusi that has kept him hard at work for others and although Mr. Gabusi has been battling cancer, he wishes he could continue his work at Pima Community College. Mr. Gabusi has served his community well, and his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

I would like to personally commend Mr. John Gabusi for his tireless commitment to our community. His life and work is an inspiration to us all.