September 21, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1623 

Texas courts. He started his legal career in 

the Harris County District Attorney’s office as 

an Assistant District Attorney, and then he became the Chief Prosecutor of the 209th District Court. 

In 1982, Judge McSpadden was elected as 

a judge for the same court and, for the last 30 

years, he has continued to preside over the 

209th. His extensive knowledge of the justice 

system and his incredible work ethic have 

gained the respect of many in the law profession. Over his career, he has earned the respect and admiration among lawyers and 

judges within the legal community: he is always among the highest rated judges by 

members of the Houston Bar Association and 

was the highest rated judge in Harris County 

in the 2011 Houston Bar Association Judicial 

Qualification Poll. Our community has benefited greatly from the many, many years of 

service that he has dedicated. In addition, 

Judge McSpadden has been recognized by 

the Houston Police Officer’s Association and 

Harris County Deputy Sheriff’s Association. He 

has also been honored and named Champion 

of Crime Stoppers by the Bay Area Crime 

Stoppers. These organizations recognized that 

he has not only dedicated his professional 

time to helping others, but he has dedicated 

his personal time to helping the next generation as well. In 1994, Child Advocates honored 

him for his efforts to help children. He has 

been also honored by the Samaritan Center 

and the Assistance League of Houston for his 

work with inner city youth. Judge McSpadden 

is a positive mentor to young males at risk. In 

2002, he was the first recipient of the Chuck 

Norris Team Spirit Award for his work with 

Kick Drugs Out of America. He continues to 

serve on the advisory boards of many nonprofit organizations. By giving his time and 

lending his hands, Judge McSpadden has 

changed many lives, and I want you to know 

that our Nation is a better place because of 

his commitment to helping our communities 

become safer. 

Prior to his three decades of public service 

in the courtroom, Judge McSpadden also 

served his country as a United States Marine. 

While enlisted, he even found time to win the 

Marine Corps Tennis Champion title. He is a 

3-time Big 8 Conference Tennis Singles 

Champion and still enjoys playing at River 

Oaks Country Club. 

The impact of Judge McSpadden’s work is 

far reaching. He truly is an unsung hero 

whose efforts are felt in communities, neighborhoods and homes across Texas each and 

every day. 

Judge McSpadden’s achievements at the 

209th and in the community far surpass these 

recognitions. His innovation, determination and 

compassion for serving others make him one 

of the best judges in the Nation. Judge 

McSpadden is a close personal friend, excellent lawyer, tremendous judge, and amazing 

public servant for Texas. 

And that’s just the way it is. 

f 

TRIBUTE TO ANGI CORROTHERS 

HON. SUE WILKINS MYRICK OF NORTH CAROLINA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mrs. MYRICK. Mr. Speaker, Angi Corrothers 

is retiring from public service after 32 years of 

dedication to the constituents of the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina. 

She has been a valuable asset to my staff, 

and to the staffs of both Congressman Alex 

McMillan and Congressman Jim Martin before 

me. She truly exemplifies what it means to be 

a public servant. 

She has spent many years patiently guiding 

constituents through the process of getting the 

benefits that they deserve. But it’s through 

Angi’s compassion and kindness that she 

helps anyone who needs it and gives of herself without a second thought. 

Angi has truly been a delight to work with 

for these past several years. She has a great 

sense of humor, and we will miss hearing her 

stories and her wonderful, heartfelt laugh. 

She will be greatly missed by myself, her 

colleagues, and the countless constituents that 

she helps, but we wish her well as she enjoys 

a well-deserved retirement. 

f 

HONORING OPERATION HELPING 

HAND 

HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS OF FLORIDA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 

commend Operation Helping Hand. Operation 

Helping Hand was started in May 2004 as a 

project of the Tampa Chapter of the Military 

Officers Association of America, MOAA, with 

the primary mission to support and assist military patients being treated at the James A. 

Haley VA Hospital and their visiting families. It 

was noted that some of the families visiting 

their wounded, sick, and injured active duty 

military patients were unable to pay for motels, 

and were sleeping in their cars. That proved to 

be enough justification to offer necessary services. 

Over the course of eight years, Operation 

Helping Hand has helped over 750 of our active duty military wounded and injured, and 

countless family members, assisting with their 

personal needs while in Tampa, helping with 

the family’s mortgage and bills back home, or 

whatever the service member or family needed to allow their primary focus to remain on 

healing, whether it be in Tampa or back home 

where the family resides. 

Aside from responding from their daily 

needs, Operation Helping Hand sponsors 

Bronze Star, Purple Heart and other medal or 

retirement ceremony receptions and hosts a 

monthly dinner for the patients that is attended 

by an average of 250–300 people. These 

monthly dinners honor our wounded and injured active duty military patients who are 

given proper recognition, and flowers and gifts 

at each monthly dinner. 

In October 2012, the 100th consecutive 

monthly dinner will be held. By its stated mission, Operation Helping Hand will continue to 

do all possible to aid the Tampa patients and 

their families as long as their services are required. 

Operation Helping Hand’s efforts to improve 

the quality of life for severely injured services 

members is truly inspiring. It is with great 

honor that I rise today to recognize their tireless commitment to those who have served 

our country. I look forward to watching this organization grow and further its mission of assisting and supporting the families of injured 

service members. 

f 

PERSONAL EXPLANATION 

HON. NIKI TSONGAS OF MASSACHUSETTS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Ms. TSONGAS. Mr. Speaker, I missed 

votes on the day of September 19, 2012 because I was unavoidably detained back in my 

District. Had I been present, I would have 

voted for H.R. 5044, the Andrew P. Carpenter 

Tax Act. As a member of the Armed Services 

Committee, I recognize the sacrifices made by 

our nation’s servicemembers. It is appropriate 

and fair that when the student loan debt of a 

fallen servicemember is forgiven, his or her 

family members should not be hit with an income tax bill on that debt forgiveness. H.R. 

5044 is a small step toward honoring their 

service and ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our 

nation, and I support it. 

f 

THE DOCUMENT 

HON. TED POE OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on a spring 

day, 55 men walked from a cobblestone street 

into the Pennsylvania state house. They had 

important business to discuss, and guards 

kept watch to keep any curious people at bay. 

The men, all respected, half university-educated, had an average age of 42 years old. 

The youngest was a mere 27. In their first 

order of business, they formally nominated 

one man to be their leader: General George 

Washington. 

This was the scene 225 years ago when our 

Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia. The 13 

colonies had declared and won independence 

from King George, and were operating under 

a ‘‘league of friendship’’ or the Articles of Confederation. They knew that the fledgling nation 

was tinkering on failure: it could not regulate 

commerce between the states, raise revenue, 

or support a national defense. A few months 

before, a man named Daniel Shays had led a 

group of farmers, who wore hats adorned with 

twigs, to rebel in Massachusetts. The new nation had some trouble spots of anarchy. 

Something had to be done. 

Over the next few days, the men debated in 

secret. There was no transparency, no reporters and no visitors. Men from large states, like 

Edmund Randolph of Virginia, argued for a 

strong national government, while men from 

smaller states, like William Patterson of New 

Jersey, balked at this. Alexander Hamilton of 

New York tried to convince his colleagues to 

follow the British government—‘‘the best in the 

world’’—a mistake to a group of proud patriots 

who had just defeated King George III. Their 

differing ideas led to compromises and a new 

government. Largely influenced by James 

Madison, credited as the Father of the Constitution, a Constitution was written that established three separate branches of government 

on the federal level, a decentralized national 

government with enumerated powers and individual state governments empowered with 


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