August 22, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 149 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session

[Page H4255]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HONORING SALVATORE ``SAL'' ROTELLA

  (Mr. TAKANO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a visionary who 
believed in education for the masses, Salvatore ``Sal'' Rotella. He 
dedicated his life to a uniquely American form of education--America's 
community colleges.
  He led the Riverside Community College District from 1991 to 2007 
while I was a trustee.
  Sal oversaw the expansion of RCCD into a system of three separately 
accredited colleges while facing severe fiscal constraints.
  He healed a divided faculty and continually challenged the board of 
trustees to do the right thing.
  One of Sal's signature achievements was Passport to College which 
helped students believe that college was an attainable dream for them.
  But Sal was more than just a leader. He was an exceptional family man 
and a mentor to me and so many others. He had a way of getting people 
to take their lives seriously, as if they really mattered.
  Now that he is gone, I take comfort in knowing that his life's 
example will live on through others who have learned from him.

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