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“TRIBUTE TO VIRGINIA MEDINA” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1647 on July 26, 1999.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBUTE TO VIRGINIA MEDINA
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HON. ROBERT T. MATSUI
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, July 26, 1999
Mr. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to rise today in tribute to Virginia Medina of Clarksburg, California. I ask all of my colleagues to join me in remembering this remarkable wife, mother, and public servant.
Mrs. Medina passed away on June 27, 1999 following a three-year battle with ovarian cancer. She worked as a law librarian at the California State Department of Water Resources. I salute her professional as well as personal dedication to inspiring others and working hard to make a better life for her family.
State Senator Deborah Ortiz, Mrs. Medina's daughter, described her mother as ``my greatest inspiration.'' Mrs. Medina was a working mother who put herself through secretarial school after surviving an early bout with thyroid cancer.
She had a wonderful reputation throughout her community as a warm, loving woman who never hesitated to help others in need. Mrs. Medina inspired significant legislation in the California State Legislature, authored by her daughter, which provides for annual research funding into gender-based cancers.
At the Department of Water Resources, Mrs. Medina was known as an exceptionally hard worker with a sunny personality. She served the people of California in that agency for over fifteen years.
One of her coworkers told the Sacramento Bee, ``Despite all her suffering, she always had time to listen and to encourage others. She didn't complain. She wasn't cynical. She brought a lot of love and light to other peoples' lives.''
A native of Lafayette, Colorado, Virginia Medina was born to a family of migrant workers. She moved to the Sacramento area at the age of seven. Although she was a high school dropout who married at 16, she always stressed the importance of education to her own children.
Mrs. Medina not only served as a worthy role model for her daughter, but for her four sons as well. We can all respect the way in which she raised her family, promoted strong values, and contributed to her community.
Mr. Speaker, I ask all of my colleagues to join with me in remembering this strong and vibrant wife, mother, and citizen. As her family and friends endure this great loss, our thoughts are with them during this most difficult of times. Yet the legacy which Mrs. Medina leaves behind will endure for years to come.
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