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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E53-E54]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING MRS. PURA DELGADO ANDINO
_____
HON. ALAN GRAYSON
of florida
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Mr. GRAYSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mrs. Pura Delgado
Andino, a shining example of leadership and inspiration to us all. Mrs.
Delgado's distinguished career in community advocacy deserves our
acknowledgement.
Mrs. Delgado was born in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico on February 2, 1931. At
age sixteen, she moved from Puerto Rico to New York. There Mrs. Delgado
met her late husband, Jose Caraballo, and became a mother to two
wonderful children.
In 1967, Mrs. Delgado moved to Connecticut, where her lasting
commitment to civic
[[Page E54]]
engagement and community participation began. Mrs. Delgado was
instrumental in the creation of the Hill Health Center for Children and
Youth at Yale University. Recognizing the need for a youth-oriented and
minority-focused health care center, Mrs. Delgado obtained a grant to
better serve these children and her community. Because of her
leadership on this issue, Mrs. Delgado served as Health Education
Assistant to the Center's Director.
Working alongside the Dean of the Yale School of Medicine, Mrs.
Delgado helped guide the school's implementation of its affirmative
action program. At the time, affirmative action policies were often
limited to African American students, but Mrs. Delgado encouraged the
school to extend their efforts to other minority communities, such as
Puerto Ricans and Mexicans. Thanks to Mrs. Delgado's involvement, the
school graduated twenty-five minority students. One of these students
who went on to serve his community is the Honorable Judge Wilfredo
Martinez of Orlando, Florida.
Drawing again on her intimate knowledge of the community and innate
ability to express its needs, Mrs. Delgado obtained another grant to
begin operation of the Fair Haven Health Clinic. This clinic recently
celebrated its forty-third anniversary.
Though Mrs. Delgado retired at age seventy-two, her record of
accomplishments in the physical and mental health areas remains
impressive. She has served on a variety of public service and community
advisory boards, including on the Board for Progressive Action, which
aimed to empower low-income communities through education, counseling,
and occupational training.
In 1991 Mrs. Delgado relocated to Irma Shores Lake in Orlando,
Florida, where she began several small businesses and became an active
member of the community. Mrs. Delgado served as a Regional Field
Operator for President Bill Clinton in 1996 and helped coin the term
``I-4 Corridor''.
Mrs. Delgado is a proud member of the Asociacion Borinquena de la
Florida Central and currently serves as Vice Chair for the Black-Latino
and Puerto Rican Alliance for Justice of Florida.
Please join me in recognizing Mrs. Delgado's lifetime of civic
achievement and community involvement.
____________________
