E1610 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks September 21, 2012 

January 2012. President Fos is a proud graduate of the University of New Orleans with experience as an administrator and faculty member. President Fos boasts a proven record of 

conducting research, fundraising, developing 

collaborative relationships with other academic 

institutions, and implementing institutional effectiveness and student success programs. 

President Fos previously spent three years 

as the Provost and the Executive Vice President of the University of Texas at Tyler where 

he oversaw five academic colleges, the graduate school, the Robert R. Muntz Library, as 

well as the Palestine and Longview campuses. 

President Fos held the Sam A. Lindsey Endowed Chair, which is awarded to a recognized scholar in an academic discipline that is 

of strategic importance to the university. Prior 

to that, President Fos served as dean of the 

College of Health at The University of Southern Mississippi for four years. Before his tenure at Southern Miss, President Fos also held 

the position of chief science officer at the Mississippi State Department of Health. 

President Fos has received numerous honors and awards since beginning his academic 

career. In addition, President Fos has published more than 50 peer-reviewed papers, 

technical reports, white papers and book 

chapters in the areas of healthcare decision 

analysis, environmental health, data mining, 

neural networks, health services research, and 

managerial epidemiology. He is an author and 

has presented more than 50 papers and abstracts at international, national, regional and 

local conferences. 

President Fos received his undergraduate 

degree in biological sciences at the University 

of New Orleans, a doctor of dental surgery at 

the Louisiana State University Health Sciences 

Center, and a master of public health and doctor of philosophy in health care decision analysis at Tulane University. I hold President Fos 

in the highest regard for his dedication to family, friends, colleagues, and his community. 

President Fos represents the best of what 

New Orleans has to offer and is an example 

of the very best in our educational community. 

His commitment to the city and its future 

brings hope and promise to ensuring that New 

Orleans remains one of the most empowered 

and unique places in the world. 

I wish to congratulate President Peter J. Fos 

and his wife Lori on his recent Investiture as 

the sixth leader and first President of University of New Orleans. 

f 

RECOGNIZING CHILDHOOD 

OBESITY AWARENESS MONTH 

HON. PATRICK J. TIBERI OF OHIO

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. TIBERI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize September as Childhood Obesity 

Awareness Month. Childhood obesity is a 

growing epidemic and is a serious problem 

facing this country. According to the Centers 

for Disease Control, the rate of childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past 30 

years. In 2011, 15 percent of high school students in my home state of Ohio were obese. 

Children and adolescents who are obese are 

more likely to continue this trend as adults, 

and obese adults are much more at risk for 

health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and cancer. 

Childhood obesity is an issue that affects 

the whole nation and needs to be addressed 

for the future of our children. Hundreds of billions of dollars are spent annually to treat obesity-related medical conditions, and as a growing number of adolescents are not able to 

pass a physical fitness test to serve in our nation’s military, it has become a national security threat as well. 

As a co-chair of the Congressional Task 

Force on Childhood Obesity, we are working 

to identify, discuss, and promote policy ideas 

to address this epidemic. Everyone has a role 

to play in finding a solution—parents, families, 

communities, schools, and local governments. 

In Central Ohio, valiant efforts have been 

made to not only promote healthy eating and 

physical activity, which have been proven to 

lower the risk of becoming obese, but also to 

find other innovative ways to address this 

issue. The Ohio State University (OSU) is 

spearheading a number of research initiatives 

to explore how biological processes appear to 

play a large role in influencing the risk for obesity. This research is helping us to better understand the causes for obesity so that we 

can work towards a meaningful solution. 

There are many programs at Nationwide 

Children’s Hospital in my district to tackle the 

problem of obesity. I share their belief that an 

important approach to addressing adult obesity is beginning with children. One program, 

the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, 

focuses on programs for the home, school, 

and community to ensure the development 

and promotion of healthy lifestyles. The hospital has also played a role in establishing the 

Ohio Healthy Weight Outcomes (OHWO) coalition, which is a public-private partnership that 

is currently implementing an obesity prevention and treatment project in a low-income 

neighborhood in Columbus. Their goal is to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity in 

5th graders by 10 percent in five years. 

Across the country families, schools, communities, and organizations like OSU and Nationwide Children’s Hospital have all made 

strides in addressing the obesity epidemic. 

However, much remains to be done, and I 

look forward to working with my colleagues in 

Congress as well as with my constituents in 

Central Ohio to find solutions to lower the rate 

of childhood obesity. 

f 

CRANE HERITAGE DAY HONOREE— 

EVELYN STRODER 

HON. K. MICHAEL CONAWAY OF TEXAS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

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

celebrate a stalwart of our community, Evelyn 

Stroder, who is being recognized as this 

year’s Crane Heritage Day honoree. 

When I think of what it takes to make a 

strong community, I think of someone like 

Evelyn. Communities can be united in many 

aspects, but one central component found in 

strong communities is service. And service to 

our community has been at the core of 

Evelyn’s life. 

Evelyn’s journey began in Corpus Christi 

where she graduated from high school and attended Del Mar Junior College before she 

went on to earn a B.A. in English and Journalism from Baylor University. Later she 

earned an M.A. in American Literature and 

Mass Communications from UTPB. 

In 1955, Evelyn and her husband, Charles, 

moved from Corpus Christi to Crane. Once in 

Crane, Evelyn would use her education to give 

back. She served others as an educator for 28 

years and continues to serve on the Crane 

School Board. While Evelyn no longer teaches, she still remains active in the Permian Historical Society and the Crane County Historical 

Commission. Her journalistic accomplishments 

include her presented papers and published 

work in a variety of publications throughout 

Texas, and currently she serves as the assistant editor of the Permian Historical Society 

Annual. 

One would think that with such a busy 

schedule, Evelyn would not have time for 

much else in life. However, in between all 

these accomplishments, she has managed to 

raise three children, seven grandchildren, and 

six great-grandchildren—a notable accomplishment in itself! 

On behalf of the 11th District, it is an honor 

to recognize Evelyn because she is an example of those who have made our nation strong. 

Our nation did not become great from the top 

down, but from the bottom up—from the people in our neighborhoods willing to serve and 

make their community a better place for others 

and their children. Evelyn is one of these individuals. Through this award, she is rightly recognized for the time and sacrifice she has 

dedicated to others and it is an honor to represent her in the Halls of Congress. 

f 

HONORING IRENE SAUCEDA FOR 

HER TIRELESS EFFORTS ADVOCATING FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN IN AMERICA 

HON. DONALD A. MANZULLO OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Friday, September 21, 2012 

Mr. MANZULLO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today 

to recognize an exceptional young lady named 

Irene Sauceda. From a very young age, Irene 

and her family struggled to stay in one place. 

Irene went to seven different elementary 

schools. A variety of difficult circumstances 

made it impossible for Irene to stay in one 

school for more than a year, until high school. 

Irene graduated from Thomas Jefferson High 

School in San Antonio, Texas in 2011 with a 

4.0 GPA. She was the President of Gamma 

Sigma Girls, a leadership organization within 

the Girl Scouts, and was also President of the 

National Technical Honor Society. Irene is 

now a sophomore at Texas State University, 

where she is studying Anthropology and Social Work. 

The economic downturn has impacted children in very unique and troubling ways—none 

more so than the idea of a family losing their 

home and depriving a child of a much-needed 

and deserved stable home. I commend Irene 

for having the fortitude and determination to 

succeed so phenomenally amid such tumultuous circumstances. I am also including, for 

the record, Irene’s very moving personal testimony from the briefing: 

‘‘My mother had dropped out of high school 

in tenth grade which I feel contributed greatly 


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