E1430 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks August 3, 2012 

[From the Am-Pol Eagle] 

JACKIE SCHMID DIES

Am-Pol Eagle’s polka columnist, polka 

promoter, Polonian and political activist 

Jackie Schmid, 51, died at home on Monday. 

Schmid, an executive assistant to Congressman Brian Higgins, had just helped organize the Cheektowaga Polish American 

Arts Festival and General Pulaski Parade in 

Cheektowaga last weekend. 

Schmid was a Cheektowaga Chamber of 

Commerce Citizen of the Year in 2012. She 

was presented the Polish American of the 

Year award by the Buffalo Bisons in 2008. At 

that time Judge Michael Pietruszka said of 

Schmid, ‘‘She is definitely one of the unsung 

heroes of Polonia. She works on all of these 

projects behind the scenes and just does wonderful things for the community.’’ 

Despite feeling ill, Schmid attended the 

Pulaski Parade and Cheektowaga Polish 

Arts Festival on Sunday. Last year Schmid 

stated: ‘‘The Polish Festival is really important to keep the Polish heritage alive and 

pass down the traditions. The younger generations need to keep the traditions going.’’ 

Ron Urbanczyk of the band City Side had 

said of Schmid: ‘‘She promotes not only 

polka music but the Polish tradition.’’ 

Schmid planned the Pvt. Leonard Post PreDyngus Day and Dyngus Day celebrations. 

Schmid was vice chairwoman of the 

Cheektowaga Democratic Committee, general manager of the Cheektowaga Symphony 

Orchestra, a director of the General Pulaski 

Assn., Inc., an organizer of Squeezefest (an 

accordion festival and old-fashioned polka 

party), and a member of the Polish American 

Arts Festival Committee. She was also active as a polka promoter and member of St. 

John Gualbert Parish in Cheektowaga. 

Cheektowaga Supervisor Mary Holtz has 

referred to Schmid as an ‘‘event planner 

extraordinaire’’ for the Cheektowaga 

Crabapple Festival. Schmid was also an active volunteer with the Cheektowaga Patriotic Commission which organizes the Independence Day celebrations including the parade in the town. 

Schmid was born in Buffalo and raised in 

Cheektowaga, where she was active in local 

Democratic politics. She was a 1979 graduate 

of Villa Maria Academy. She also cooked for 

her family’s restaurant, which was located 

on Broadway and Shepard Street on Buffalo’s East Side, before it was moved to 

Cheektowaga. The restaurant was closed in 

1985. 

Brian Rusk, president of the General Pulaski Assn., lauded Schmid’s collaboration 

with other directors as she served as co-chair 

of the parade for 10 years. He called her, ‘‘A 

fine and dedicated woman.’’ 

Rusk added, ‘‘She was a foundation of our 

Pulaski Assn. and parade for the last 15 

years. We will miss her at the General Pulaski Assn. and I personally dedicate the parade yesterday in her memory.’’ 

Pulaski parade co-chair Mira Szramel said 

Schmid was always dependable. ‘‘I knew I 

could count on her,’’ Szramel said. She added 

that she knew she could always ‘‘Call Jackie’’ and the job would get done. 

Schmid is survived by her mother, Sandi 

(Alexandra), father William Sr., and brother 

William. 

A wake will be held at Barron Miller, 3025 

William St., Cheektowaga on Friday from 2– 

8 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be offered 10 a.m. Saturday at St. John Gualbert 

Church in Cheektowaga. 

RECOGNIZING STAFF SGT. 

JEFFREY KELLY 

HON. DANIEL WEBSTER 

OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. WEBSTER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased 

to express my sincere appreciation for Staff 

Sgt. Jeffrey Kelly’s service to his country. 

After joining the U.S. Army Reserves in 

2000 and transferring to the Regular Army in 

2006, Sgt. Kelly served three tours in Iraq. In 

2008, during his last tour, Sgt. Kelly was seriously injured when his convoy came under 

rocket-propelled grenade and mortar fire. Despite his injuries, Sgt. Kelly completed his assigned mission. 

Sgt. Kelly is a native of Central Florida and 

graduated from Westside Vo Tech in Winter 

Garden. Sgt. Kelly now lives in Clermont with 

his wife, Michelle, and two young children, 

Jade and Lindsey. 

On behalf of the people of Central Florida, 

I am pleased to express our gratitude and to 

praise Sgt. Kelly for his courage and dedication to his country. His commitment to his 

country and his selfless service is an inspiration to us all. 

f 

CONGRATULATING GRAMBLING 

STATE UNIVERSITY 

HON. RODNEY ALEXANDER 

OF LOUISIANA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. Speaker, it is with 

great pride that I rise today to congratulate 

Grambling State University (GSU) on its 111th 

anniversary. This milestone is a testament that 

GSU is a true leader in education. 

Opening on November 1, 1901, GSU was 

organized by a group of African American 

farmers who wanted to organize and operate 

a school for African Americans in north Louisiana. What began as an industrial school, 

Grambling State shifted its focus to rural 

teacher education in the late 1930s. GSU 

transformed in the early 1950s into an institution that offered students education in the 

areas of science, liberal arts, and business. 

The university now offers 68 degree programs 

to its students. 

In recent years, Grambling has incorporated 

new academic programs and has added new 

facilities including a business and computer 

science building and school of nursing. 

Throughout the university’s 111-year history, 

the value of each individual student has always been emphasized. GSU continues to be 

an institution ‘‘where everybody is somebody.’’ 

I commend Grambling State University on 

this significant milestone, and its dedication to 

positively influencing the lives of its students. 

I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring 

Grambling State University for this momentous 

occasion. 

SEEKING FREEDOM FOR AMERICAN TRAPPED IN BOLIVIAN 

PRISON 

HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH OF NEW JERSEY

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Thursday, August 2, 2012 

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, 

yesterday, the Subcommittee on Africa, Global 

Health, and Human Rights, which I chair, held 

a hearing to shine a spotlight on and to search 

for a resolution of the extreme injustice being 

perpetrated by Bolivian government officials 

against Jacob Ostreicher, an American 

trapped in the infamous Palmasola prison. 

Charged with crimes for which the Bolivian 

Government has produced no evidence, either 

of the crimes themselves or that Mr. 

Ostreicher committed either one, he is being 

denied the most fundamental due process and 

human rights both under Bolivian law and 

international human rights standards. 

On June 9, Sheri Rickert, my Staff Director 

on the subcommittee, and I went to Bolivia to 

meet with Mr. Ostreicher and to attend a court 

hearing for his release on bail which had been 

repeatedly delayed since September of last 

year. The testimony presented at the Subcommittee’s June 6 hearing about this case 

revealed the repeated due process violations 

being committed by Bolivian officials. 

On June 11, I had the opportunity to witness 

some of them myself. Two attorneys from the 

Bolivian Ministry of Government, who I understand should not be intervening in the case, 

aggressively threatened to take legal action 

against the judge if he refused to recuse himself. Although the judge rightly rejected the ludicrous reasons on which the Ministry of Government attorneys based their threat, they accomplished their goal of having the hearing 

postponed and Mr. Ostreicher returned to prison. 

To underline the absurdity of the Bolivian judicial system, Mr. Ostreicher’s case was then 

referred to a court where the judge is detained 

in the same prison as Mr. Ostreicher. It took 

fully six weeks for the hearing to be rescheduled in another court that has a judge. I’ve 

been told that, unfortunately, the same scenario as occurred at the June 11 hearing took 

place again on July 23. The Ministry of Government attorneys injected themselves into the 

hearing and aggressively threatened the judge 

if she failed to recuse herself. The judge rejected out of hand the basis asserted for the 

threat, but again postponed the hearing and 

returned Mr. Ostreicher to jail. 

While in Bolivia, I met with the Vice Minister 

of Foreign Affairs Juan Carlos Alurralde, the 

Minister of Government Carlos Romero 

Bonifaz, and the Minister of Justice Cecilia 

Ayllo ́n Quinteros to advocate for Mr. 

Ostreicher’s release. Each one of them have 

made commitments with respect to this case 

but have not followed through. 

And in the meantime, Mr. Ostreicher continues to face daily threats to his life in the violent, unsanitary, drug-infested Palmasola prison. He has been on a hunger-strike since April 

15, and he was already extremely frail and 

weak when I saw him over a month ago. Both 

a private and a Bolivian government doctor 

have examined Mr. Ostreicher and recommended that he be referred to a medical 

clinic for evaluation. Given everything else that 


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