E2304 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks November 20, 2008 

Street in 1948, with strong support from his 

family—especially his mother’s famous spaghetti. It was not long until Nick met his wife 

Maryann, who was with him every step of the 

way, until he passed away in 2007. 

Throughout his entire life, Nick’s generous 

and friendly presence personified Saint Paul 

hospitality. Nick’s greatest pleasure was greeting his customers and making them feel at 

home. Nick also delighted in serenading diners with his beautiful accordian music. Nick’s 

sons Pat and John now own the restaurant, 

continuing the tradition of hospitality with the 

help of the whole family, including their mother, children and Nick’s sister Bertha. Their 

many loyal employees feel like they are part of 

the family. 

Hospitality was the cornerstone of Nick’s 

business success, growing through the years 

from a tiny bar to a 600-seat steakhouse. 

Mancini’s has been a crossroads of who’s who 

in sports, Hollywood and politics. Nick’s son 

John estimates that 300 photographs of notable patrons line the walls of the lounge. 

Mancini’s 1986 major expansion even attracted the attention of singer Tony Bennett, 

who lent his voice and star power to the celebration. 

Despite Mancini’s great success, the family 

restaurant has remained focused on its neighborhood roots. Among their most loyal customers are the families who grew up with Nick 

and his family. Mancini’s Sports Hall of Fame 

pays tribute to nearly 150 Saint Paul athletes 

who are leaders in teaching, coaching or supporting amateur or professional athletics in 

Saint Paul. 

Hospitality continues to be the biggest draw 

at Mancini’s—but their fantastic steaks don’t 

hurt either. In recent years, their famous 12- 

ounce Mancini’s sirloins have been enjoyed 

worldwide. Through an ambitious effort called 

‘‘Serving Our Troops,’’ Mancini’s has 

partnered with several other family-owned 

Saint Paul restaurants, other local businesses 

and hundreds of volunteers to stage several 

major picnics for Minnesota National Guard 

troops and their families. Since 2004, they 

have donated their time and thousands of 

steaks to bring Saint Paul hospitality to troops 

and their families in Mississippi, Oklahoma, 

Kosovo and Iraq. ‘‘Serving Our Troops’’ truly 

speaks to the community spirit and hospitality 

epitomized by the Mancini family. Many people talk about supporting our military families, 

but the Mancini family has gone above and 

beyond the call of duty in sharing Saint Paul 

hospitality. 

Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring 

the Mancini family and all employees of 

Mancini’s Char House and Lounge on the first 

60 years of a remarkable Saint Paul institution. We look forward to many more. 

f 

CONGRESSIONAL RECOGNITION 

FOR MEMBERS OF THE VETERANS ADVISORY COUNCIL 

HON. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS OF ARIZONA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Ms. GIFFORDS. Madam Speaker, I rise 

today to pay tribute today to the men and 

women of Southeastern Arizona who for the 

past two years have served as members of 

my Veterans Advisory Council. 

These former members of our Armed 

Forces live throughout my 8th Congressional 

District, they come from all walks of life and 

they represent every branch of military service 

and every military conflict from World War II to 

the present time. 

They are a very diverse and multi-talented 

group and yet they all have one important 

thing in common. They all willingly contributed 

their time, experience and knowledge as advisors to me on issues concerning veterans. 

Their wise counsel and insights have been 

invaluable to me. By serving on my Veterans 

Advisory Council, they have continued to 

serve their country and the men in women 

who have put on the uniform. We owe them 

a tremendous debt of gratitude. 

The Members of my Veterans Advisory 

Council are: Stan Abrams, Sergio Arellano, 

Bob Berry, John Cronin, Jim Ellars, Johnny 

Fajardo, Mary Figura, Terrie Gent, Dale 

Halstead, Frank Hartline, Amy Hartline, Thomas Heaney, Mike Klier, Mel Kloor, Col. Joey 

Strickland, Pepe Mendoza, Tommy Mendoza, 

Able Moreno, Pam Murphy, Norma Navarre, 

Chuck Larry Ohara, Bob Parson, Dan Ross, 

DuWayne Smith, John Soltero Sr., Mary Pat 

Sullivan, Christian Vasquez, Bob Walton, Barbara Williams, Don Williams, and Bob Winchester. 

I am grateful to them for their advice and 

their advocacy on behalf of our veterans and 

I look forward to their continued assistance in 

the next two years. 

f 

EARMARK DECLARATION 

HON. JERRY LEWIS OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. LEWIS of California. Madam Speaker, 

pursuant to Republican earmark guidance, I 

am submitting the following project that was 

included in H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009: 

Requesting Member: Congressman JERRY

LEWIS. 

Department of Defense Appropriations Act 

for Fiscal Year 2009. 

Project Name: Lafayette Escadrille Memorial. 

Account: American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC). 

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: U.S. Air 

Force. 

Address of Requesting Entity: HQ USAF/ 

CC, 1670 Air Force Pentagon, Washington, 

DC 20330. 

Description of Request: Provide 

$500,000.00 to conduct an updated engineering study of the Lafayette Escadrille Memorial 

to determine the long term recurring costs to 

preserve and maintain the memorial at ABMC 

standards. 

f 

HONORING CESILIA LOMELIPEREZ, FNP, MPH 

HON. GEORGE RADANOVICH OF CALIFORNIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. RADANOVICH. Madan Speaker, I rise 

today to congratulate Cesilia ‘‘CeCe’’ LomeliPerez upon being awarded with the ‘‘Community Health Champions Award’’ at the 2008 

West Fresno Health Care Coalition’s 4th annual ‘‘This is Your Life of Service’’ dinner and 

award ceremony. This year the ceremony will 

be held at the Radisson Hotel Conference 

Center in Fresno, Calitbrnia on Friday, October 24th. 

CeCe Lomeli-Perez grew up in Patterson, 

California. She attended Patterson High 

School and Modesto Junior College where she 

received her Associate’s of Science and Registered Nurse degrees. She moved to Fresno, 

California to further her education and earned 

her Bachelors of Science degree in nursing 

(BSN) from California State University, Fresno. 

After completing her Bachelors degree she 

started working at Valley Children’s Hospital in 

the neo-natal intensive care unit. She worked 

there for five years and decided to continue 

her education. She returned to California State 

University, Fresno to earn her Masters in nursing with a specialty in family practice, a Masters in public health and is currently working 

on her Ph.D. in public health. 

Mrs. Lomeli-Perez is a nurse practitioner for 

the Holy Cross Clinic in Fresno, a community 

outreach clinic of Saint Agnes Medical Center 

located within the Poverello House. The clinic 

provides free medical and dental services to 

the poor and homeless; the only eligibility requirement is that patients cannot have medical 

insurance. Throughout her career she has run 

health fairs, health screenings for schools, 

eyeglass programs and taught classes on diabetes and prenatal care. She has also served 

as Chair of the Adult Task Force to help secure funding for mental health services for 

Fresno County. She is very involved in her 

church, the Poverello House, the Rescue Mission, the Salvation Army and the Youth Orchestra of Fresno. She has organized the 

‘‘Mujeres de Valor,’’ a group of women of color 

who walk annually in the Komen Foundation’s 

Walk for the Cure. In 2005 she received a 

‘‘Top 10 Business and Professional Women of 

the Year’’ award from the Marjaree Mason 

Center, and the University of California, San 

Francisco Fresno Latino Center Award for 

medical education and research. She has also 

received the annual Leadership Award in 

honor of Hispanic Heritage Month. In 2008 

she was a presenter at the annual Veritas 

Forum at California State University. Fresno. 

Mrs. Lomeli-Perez has been a champion in 

reaching out to those who are poor, homeless 

and uninsured. She has served the community 

for over fifteen years. 

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend 

and congratulate Cesilia ‘‘CeCe’’ Lomeli-Perez 

upon being awarded with ‘‘Community Health 

Champions Award’’. I invite my colleagues to 

join me in wishing Mrs. Lomeli-Perez many 

years of continued success. 

f 

HONORING LIEUTENANT COLONEL 

MICHAEL PAULK FOR 25 YEARS 

OF SERVICE IN THE U.S. MARINE 

CORPS 

HON. PHIL GINGREY OF GEORGIA

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, November 19, 2008 

Mr. GINGREY. Madam Speaker, I rise today 

to honor a fellow Georgian, LTC Michael 


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