November 19, 2008 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E2275 

HONORING THE MEMORY OF 

JASON ANTHONY VAZQUEZ 

HON. RAHM EMANUEL OF ILLINOIS

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today in honor of a constituent who gave his 

life in service to our country. Staff Sergeant 

Jason Anthony Vazquez, a member of the 2nd 

Battalion 122nd Field Artillery, died in support 

of Operation Enduring Freedom in Gerdia 

Seria, Afghanistan on September 17, 2008. 

Jason was taken from us too soon, but although he was only 24 years old, he had a 

profound effect on members of his family, 

community, and workplace. 

Jason was engaged to Genevieve Gonzalez, who remembers with joy the time they 

shared and the future they planned together. 

While her future will not be as she thought, 

she gains strength from the relationship they 

built and the values he imparted. To honor 

Jason, Genevieve has helped raise money to 

provide care packages and cards to the troops 

serving in Jason’s unit. 

As an officer with Cook County’s Department of Corrections, Jason always left an impression with his optimism, energy and cheerfulness. To honor his memory, the Department 

has created the Jason A. Vazquez Leadership 

Award to be given to the most deserving 

Training Academy graduate each year. 

Jason’s many aunts, uncles and cousins 

gained strength from the joy he shared with 

each of them. His grandparents, Francisco 

and Leonor Vazquez, cherish the time Jason 

spent playing catch in the front yard as a 

young boy, helping with errands as he grew 

stronger, and sharing stories and wisdom as 

he grew into a man. His brother and sister, 

Jose Jr. and Janice, take comfort in the memory of his love of music, his passion for basketball, and his place in the center of any 

party or gathering. His parents, Jose and Lisa, 

take pride in the son who grew from a popular 

and fun-loving Schurz High School ’02 classmate to the dedicated young man who wore 

the uniform of this country, and made the ultimate sacrifice for us. 

Madam Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to this young man, and I am humbled by 

his service and his sacrifice. I ask that we remember Jason and his family and friends in 

our thoughts and prayers, and that we honor 

him and the rest of the men and women who 

have given their lives in service to our country. 

f 

HONORING DEACON HENRY 

WILFORD ELLIOTT, SR. 

HON. BARBARA LEE OF CALIFORNIA

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 

honor the extraordinary life of Deacon Henry 

Wilford Elliott, Sr. A dedicated educator and 

family man, Henry tirelessly devoted his life to 

his community and used his many talents in 

the service of others. He passed away on November 3, 2008. Although we have said goodbye to our dear friend, his spirit will live on in 

our hearts through the love he shared with us. 

Born on May 20, 1917, in Vian, Oklahoma, 

Henry was the child of Frank Van Elliott and 

Beatrice Johnson Elliott. A small and loving 

family, the Elliots had only one other child, 

Henry’s brother Othello, who preceded him in 

death. 

After graduating from Manual Training High 

School, Henry went on to college attending 

the Tuskegee Institute and Langston University, respectively. While in college, Henry 

joined the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in 1935 

and was a founding member of the Kappa 

Omicron Lambda chapter. He graduated from 

Langston in 1938 and went on to teach high 

school for several years in Wagoner and Tallahassee, Oklahoma. 

Henry, known as Hank to his family and 

loved ones, served in the military for 21 years. 

By the time he retired he had earned the rank 

of captain. On January 11, 1943, Henry married the love of his life, Lydia Marie Pitts, in 

Porter, Oklahoma. This inspiring union would 

last almost 66 years, until Henry’s passing. 

During the first years of their marriage, 

Henry and Lydia traveled extensively, living 

overseas in Japan and Germany as well as 

several States throughout the United States 

while Henry completed his service in the military. Their first child, Henry, Jr., was born in 

1952 in Alaska. Their second child, Terence 

Todd, was born in Okinawa, Japan, in 1957. 

The family eventually settled in Richmond, 

California, in 1963. In love with their new 

home State, Henry and Lydia remained in 

California from that point forward. They become true Californians and contributed to their 

local communities with an uncompromising 

level of compassion and selflessness. 

Henry was a devoted educator and taught 

for many years in the Vallejo school district. 

He retired as a junior high school principal in 

1978, served on the school board for 8 years, 

and was elected board president. Throughout 

this time and after his retirement, Henry was 

relentlessly devoted to his community of 

Vallejo, his church, and services and organizations committed to assisting those most in 

need and improving opportunities for people of 

color. 

He served in numerous capacities and 

board positions, including the Vallejo Neighborhood Housing Association and the Adkins 

Project, of which he was a founding member. 

He served on the boards of Vallejo’s Fighting 

Back Partnership and Meals on Wheels, and 

was a member of the Masonic Lodge Firma 

Chapter, the Omega Boys and Girls Club, the 

Pan Hellenic Council and the Solano County 

Juvenile Justice Board. Henry was also a past 

Patron of the Eastern Star, Princess Zorah 

Chapter #70 and a lifetime member of Veterans of Foreign Wars and the NAACP. 

Henry’s life spanned across the most influential, politically dynamic, and hard-fought social justice moments in our Nation’s history. 

Henry Wilford Elliott, Sr., worked hard for everything in his life and did so with a calm and 

elegance often unmatched. The values that 

Henry developed early in his life—those of 

education, faith in God, and community service—would remain with him throughout the 

nine decades he witnessed. He was known as 

a hardworking and respected man who was 

cherished by all who knew him. 

On a personal note, I have had the privilege 

to have known Henry since I was 2 years old. 

He is the godfather of my sister, Beverly, and 

has been a loving part of my extended family. 

As a young girl, I fondly remember babysitting 

for Henry and Lydia. They were skilled and 

adoring parents and I often marveled at their 

unmistakable love for one another and their 

children. He was a very close friend of my 

family, and we will all miss him tremendously. 

On behalf of California’s Ninth Congressional District, I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of 

Deacon Henry Elliott, Sr., especially to his 

wife, Lydia, his loving children, Henry, Jr. and 

Terence, his daughters-in-law Sabrina and 

Amanda, his granddaughters Hasana, 

Karinda, Nyeri and Imani, his sisters-in-law 

Vonia Johnson, Velma McCann and Laura 

McCann, and his brother in-law, Floyd Pitts, 

as well as a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, 

and others whom Henry dearly loved. Thank 

you for sharing this kind spirit with us. May his 

soul rest in peace. 

f 

HONORING TOM GOODWIN 

HON. JIM COSTA OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. COSTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

along with Congressman RADANOVICH, to congratulate Tom Goodwin upon his induction into 

the Fresno Athletic Hall of Fame. Mr. Goodwin 

will be honored at the 50th anniversary 

enshrinement dinner of the Fresno Athletic 

Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 6, 2008. 

Tom Goodwin excelled at every level of 

baseball which was highlighted by 14 years in 

the major leagues. He was so fast that he 

turned groundballs hit to the left side into infield singles, which excited both teammates 

and fans, and frustrated opponents. After starring at Central High School in Fresno, California, he energized Bob Bennett’s California 

State University, Fresno, teams for 3 seasons, 

topped by the 1989 campaign when he was 

named an All-American, the Big West Conference Player of the Year and the Bulldog’s 

Male Athlete of the Year. A year earlier, Mr. 

Goodwin played in the College World Series 

and experienced Olympic glory as a center 

fielder on the gold-medal-winning U.S. team in 

Seoul. He left California State University, Fresno, as a two-time NCAA stolen-base champion. He was the Bulldog’s career stolen-base 

leader with 164 and is among the school’s 

Top 10 in many season, and career, offensive 

categories. 

Drafted in the first round by the Los Angeles 

Dodgers, Mr. Goodwin reached the major 

leagues in just his second season and became a regular in 1995 with the Kansas City 

Royals; hitting .288, with 50 stolen bases. He 

would go on to steal 50 or more bases during 

4 seasons, with a high of 66 during one season. He finished his career with a total of 360 

stolen bases. His career batting average is 

.268, with 636 runs and 284 runs batted in. 

Mr. Goodwin’s handling of the bat and commitment to winning is illustrated by twice leading the American League in sacrifice bunts. 

He played in 7 postseasons with the Texas 

Rangers, Chicago Cubs and reached the 

World Series in 2002 with the Giants. 

Madam Speaker, we rise today to commend 

and congratulate Tom Goodwin upon his 

achievements and induction into the Fresno 

Athletic Hall of Fame. I invite my colleagues to 

join me in wishing Mr. Goodwin congratulations on his many accomplishments. 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with REMARKS