Webb County, Texas TXGenWeb | Biographies from the 110th Congressional Record

Webb County, Texas, Biographies

Last modified: 28 JUN 2007

These biographical entries were read into the Congressional Record of the 110th Congress of the United States.

All Years
103rd-108th US Congress | 109th US Congress | 110th US Congress

Table of Contents
Barrera, Mrs. Placida Peña 7 FEB 2007
Cuellar, Lt. Martin, Jr. 24 MAY 2007
Gutierrez, Mr. Hugo A., Sr. 10 MAY 2007
Treviño, Mr. J.C. "Pepe" 10 MAY 2007
Valdez, Danny 18 JAN 2007

Tribute To Mr. J.C. "Pepe" Treviño
SPEECH OF HON. HENRY CUELLAR OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2007

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. J.C. "Pepe" Treviño for his induction as the 2007 Laredoan of the Year by the Laredo Morning Times newspaper. The award demonstrates his incredible dedication to the City of Laredo, Texas.
Mr. Treviño was born on May 31st, 1930, as one of the three children of Jose C. Treviño and Victoria Salinas Treviño. He graduated from Martin High School and then attended Laredo Junior College. At just 17 years of age, he married his sweetheart, the late Rose Ella Tarvar, and had six children: J.C. III, Diana, Roberto, Anna Laura, Guillermo, and Carlos. Mr. Treviño worked hard to build a financial empire from scratch that encompasses drayage and long-haul trucking; beer and soda distribution; maquila, warehouse and residential development; and commercial waste disposal.
Mr. Treviño is truly the self-made man. He rose far above his humble beginnings yet never forgot where he came from. Those groups that benefited from his charity include the Sacred Heart Children's Home, the Laredo Boys and Girls Club, and the Laredo Community College. He served for nearly 31 years on the Laredo Community College Board. For his dedication and hard work in making the Laredo business community stronger as well as his passion for philanthropy, he will be honored by the Laredo Morning Times Newspaper as the 2007 Laredoan of the Year.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the hard work and dedication of Mr. J.C. "Pepe" Treviño.

Tribute Honoring Lieutenant Martin Cuellar, Jr., On His Retirement
SPEECH OF HON. CHARLES A. GONZALEZ OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, MAY 24, 2007

Mr. GONZALEZ. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Lieutenant Martin Cuellar, Jr., on his retirement from the Texas State Department of Public Safety, where he served in law enforcement for the past 25 years.
Lieutenant Cuellar has an extensive background in criminal justice and has trained with the Webb County Basic Peace Officer Training Academy, and the Department of Public Safety Trooper Academy. He is a graduate of the Northwestern University School of Police Staff and Command and earned an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice from Laredo Community College. His criminal justice background helped him serve as a lieutenant with the Department of Public Safety in the narcotics service as a part of the Directed Intelligence Group, and as deputy sheriff with the Webb County Sheriff's Department. Lieutenant Cuellar has worked in open and covert investigations resulting in seizures of thousands of pounds of narcotics throughout the State of Texas. He also has worked in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies in cases involving murder, kidnappings, and extortion, and in international investigations regarding shipment of narcotics with Federal and State law enforcement agencies in the United States and Mexico. He has also been recognized by the Department of Defense and the United States Army for his assistance in the return of a wounded U.S. soldier to the United States. While working in law enforcement, he met his wife, Veronica Cuellar, who is employed with the United States Probation Office. They have two beautiful children, Zachary and Casey, both of whom currently attend St. Augustine School in Laredo, Texas. I wish him and his family the best in his well-deserved retirement from an accomplished and highly regarded law enforcement career. Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the dedication and commitment of Lieutenant Martin Cuellar, Jr., to the law enforcement community in south Texas.

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Placida Peña Barrera
SPEECH OF HON. HENRY CUELLAR OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2007

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mrs. Placida Peña Barrera on her reaching the milestone of her 80th birthday. She is one of the most inspiring members of the community in the City of Laredo and in the State of Texas .
Mrs. Placida Peña Barrera was born on July 13, 1926, in the City of Guerra in the great State of Texas. She moved to Roma, Texas, and commuted to Rio Grande City to attend high school, where she graduated in 1945. Five years later, she met Raymundo Barrera and together they raised six children. She was committed to being the best mother for her children.
With her husband's retirement, she decided to work as a clerk for the Laredo Independent School District, while also taking classes at Texas A&M International University. Placida graduated from Texas A&M International University in 1978, at the age of 52 with a degree in teaching.
Mrs. Barrera has worked consistently to uplift the lives of children in Laredo, Texas, through her 22 years of teaching at United Independent School District. While there, she established the Laredo chapter of the NASA's Young Astronauts program. For her work, she was awarded certificates of appreciation. She and her husband were also recognized by the Department of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin for their publication of "U.S. Latinos and Latinas and World War Two Oral History."
After serving her community as an educator for nearly two decades, Mrs. Barrera retired in 2000, and is enjoying her time with her husband and their grandchildren. It is because of her work that the youth in the community were able to realize their potential to create a new and better future for themselves.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had the opportunity to recognize the dedication of Mrs. Placida Peña Barrera to her community, and ask you to join me in honoring her on her birthday. I thank you for your time.

Tribute To Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr. SPEECH OF HON. HENRY CUELLAR OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THURSDAY, MAY 10, 2007

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr., an American hero--a soldier, a father, a husband, and a great leader in the city of Laredo, who recently passed away on March 27, 2007, after a courageous battle with cancer. Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr., was born on August 1, 1925, as the seventh of his parents' twelve children in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. His family moved to Laredo, Texas, when he was a small child, and thus began his great love for the city and its people. His father passed away when he was only 14 and Hugo started working to provide for his family. Two years later, when his eldest brother, Adolfo, passed away from complications from appendicitis, Hugo began work as an electrician with the Koenig Electric Company so that he could earn more money to feed and clothe his family.
At 18, Hugo served for 2 1/2 years in World War II. He helped detect land mines to protect his fellow soldiers. After the war, he returned to Laredo and soon met his late wife, Ofelia Alvarado. Together they started a family. In 1959, he started his own electrical company, Hugo's Electric Company, in 1959.
Mr. Gutierrez's four sons, Hugo A. Gutierrez, Jr., Ricardo, Aldolfo, and Roberto learned the value of entrepreneurship by working with their father. In 1995, Mr. Gutierrez and his sons purchased a majority interest in what was then Falcon National Bank. At this point he became chairman of the board, and his son, Adolfo, took on the role of president and CEO of Falcon International Bank. Under their leadership, the bank became one of the premier financial institutions in south Texas .
Mr. Gutierrez was loved and respected by hundreds in the city of Laredo. He is survived by his four sons, sisters Mela Serna, Esperanza Pena, Rosa Smith, brothers Arnoldo, Hector and Feliciano and his 15 grandchildren.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize Mr. Hugo A. Gutierrez, Sr.

Tribute To Danny Valdez
SPEECH OF HON. HENRY CUELLAR OF TEXAS IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2007

Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Danny Valdez on his inauguration as Webb County Judge on January 1, 2007.
Judge Valdez was first elected into office as justice of the peace in May 1982 and has served for nearly 25 years. This inauguration marks the start of his sixth 4-year term with the court in Webb County. Judge Valdez has received numerous awards such as the Community Service Award by LULAC Council No. 12, and the Nuestro Orgullo Award by S.C.A.N. due to his passion in working with at-risk youth in the community, and addressing issues such as truancy, gang violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, and juvenile delinquency. He also was recognized for his commitment to the rule of law by the Laredo Bar Association with the Liberty Bell Award and the 2005 Hispanic of the Year Award by LULAC Council No. 7.
Aside from presiding over one of the busiest courts, Judge Valdez is actively involved in community activities such as working with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Education Program in bringing male and female inmates to local middle and high schools to educate students about the dangers involved in making the wrong choices. He worked with the Lamar Bruni Vergara Trust in the development of the Lamar Bruni Vergara Boys' Scout Camp Huisache and was also instrumental in the development of the Lamar Bruni Inner City Recreation Center. Judge Valdez also reached out to low-income families by chairing the Annual Toys for Tejanitos Drive, the Angel Wish Program, and the Annual Fishing Derby for physically challenged students.
Judge Valdez has given out over $60,000 in scholarships to promising young students from the Laredo Independent School District. He also started the Supply Our Students Campaign that has raised funds for nearly 70 tons of school supplies for low-income students in Webb County. He is truly one of the great Laredoans and it is because of him that the youth in the community have realized their immense potential in creating a new and better future for themselves by learning from the values of Judge Valdez.
Madam Speaker, I am honored to have had this time to recognize the dedication of Judge Danny Valdez to his community.