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“TRIBUTE TO MR. ROBERT L. OZUNA” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E446 on March 16, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO MR. ROBERT L. OZUNA
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HON. XAVIER BECERRA
of california
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, March 16, 1999
Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with profound sadness in my heart to pay tribute to Mr. Robert L. Ozuna, a dear friend who passed away this past Saturday, March 6, 1999 at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina, California.
After 69 fulfilling years of life, Robert Ozuna joins Rosemary Ozuna, his beloved wife of 35 years who lamentably left us just months ago on November 27, 1998. He is survived by his mother, Amelia Ozuna; his sons, Steven Ozuna and Jeff Dominelli; his daughters, Nancy DeSilva and Lisa Jarrett; his sisters, Lillian Gomez and Vera Venegas; and his brother Tony Ozuna. Bob was also the proud grandfather of 8 children.
Bob was the oldest of four children born on December 29, 1929 in Miami, Arizona. Ten years later, after his father's early death, the family moved to Los Angeles where he grew up with his mother and three siblings. Like my father, as the oldest child, Bob assumed the responsibility of finding steady work at an early age to assist his mother in meeting the family's financial burdens.
In 1966, with the help of a second mortgage on his residence and a few electrician's hand tools, Bob founded his company, New Bedford Panoramex Corporation (NBP) in Upland, California. Combining hard work with entrepreneurial instincts, he built NBP into the thriving electronics manufacturing business it is today.
Bob Ozuna emerged as one of the Latino community's leading entrepreneurs in Southern California. He gained his business experience on the job while attending night school at Rio Hondo Community College.
In 1987, the U.S. Department of Transportation recognized Bob's hard work and dedication with its Minority Business Enterprise Award. The Department saw fit to honor him again with this prestigious tribute in 1991. The Air Traffic Control Association awarded Bob the Chairman's Citation of Merit Award in 1994.
As industrious as Bob was in business, he was equally involved in sharing his prosperity with many groups in the community. He was an active member of the California Chamber of Commerce. Bob founded the Casa De Rosa Annual Golf Tournament to raise funds for the Rancho de Los Ninos Orphanage in Baja Mar, Mexico. He was a founding director of the East Los Angeles Sheriff's Youth Athletic Association, which has promoted educational, athletic and drug awareness programs for more than 60,000 young Americans in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area.
Those of us who are fortunate to call Bob Ozuna friend remember him as a man who had a passion for life. He worked to succeed, but he succeeded in living--enjoying to their fallest the fruits of family and his tremendous labor. At New Bedford Panaramex Corporation, he is remembered for his generosity and genuine concern for his employees and their families.
Mr. Speaker, Robert Ozuna epitomized the American dream--if you work hard and play by the rules, you can achieve whatever you aspire to. Robert Ozuna realized that dream. And, as Steve his son knows, Bob did so much to help others come a little closer to reaching the stars as well.
Mr. Speaker, it is with heartfelt emotion that I ask my colleagues to join me today in saluting, one last time, a cherished friend and outstanding American, Mr. Robert L. Ozuna. Bob, you will be missed.
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