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UH, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I DEFINITELY WANT TO THANK, UH, SOME OF OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT HELPED WITH OUTREACH AND SUPPORT.
SENATOR CAR ALVARADO, UM, WAS ABLE TO, UH, GATHER OTHER ELECTED OFFICIALS LIKE MARIANNE PEREZ, UM, ANNA HERNANDEZ, ARMANDO WALLY.
WE HAD A FEW JUDGES JUMP IN AS WELL, FOLKS THAT REPRESENT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS MAGNOLIA PARK.
AND SO I WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO THEM FOR THEIR, THEIR LEADERSHIP, THEIR ENGAGEMENT AS WELL, BECAUSE THIS WAS NOT AN EASY PROCESS.
UH, SO I WANNA SAY, UH, THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR JOINING US TODAY AS WE GATHER TO CELEBRATE THE LIFE SERVICE AND LEGACY OF MASTER SERGEANT JOE CHACO, ELIAS RAMIREZ.
I WOULD LIKE TO THANK AND RECOGNIZE THE RAMIREZ FAMILY AS WELL.
THE VETERANS THAT ARE HERE FROM THE AMERICAN LEGION HALL, THE BAR OF BOYS, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, THOSE FROM THE JOHNNY, THE JOHNNY CERVANTES VETERANS GROUP THAT'S HERE AS WELL, AND THE REST OF THE ELECTED OFFICIALS.
I ALSO WANNA, UH, LIFT UP, UH, CONSTABLE, UH, C TINO, WHO'S ALSO HELPED WITH SOME OF THE TRAFFIC THAT'S TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AROUND.
UM, AND OF COURSE, UH, LAST BUT NOT LEAST, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER ON THIS SPECIAL OCCASION, JOE E. RAMIREZ SR.
WAS BORN AUGUST THE EIGHTH, 1931 AND RAISED RIGHT HERE IN MAGNOLIA PARK.
UM, HAVING CONVERSATIONS, WE KNOW THAT OVER TIME, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME THAT WE'VE LEARNED THAT THIS IS THE GREATER EAST END.
BUT WHAT WE CANNOT FORGET, AND I THINK TODAY'S GONNA BE A SYMBOL OF THAT AS WELL, IS THAT THIS IS MAGNOLIA PARK.
AS I LOOK OVER TO RICHARD CORTEZ, UH, ONE OF OUR LONG STANDING PRECINCT CHAIRS FOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, UM, AFTER GRADUATING FROM SAM HOUSTON HIGH SCHOOL, HE ANSWERED THE CALL TO SERVE AND ENLISTED THE UNITED STATES ARMY.
AT JUST 18 YEARS OLD, HE WENT ON TO SERVE OUR NATION FOR 22 YEARS, INCLUDING SERVICE.
DURING KOREAN WAR WITH THE FIRST CALVARY DIVISION, HIS COURAGE AND SACRIFICE REFLECTED THE VERY BEST OF WHO WE ARE, A HOUSTONIAN WHO ANSWERED THE CALL TO SERVE AND WHOSE LEGACY CONTINUES TO INSPIRE OUR COMMUNITY.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, A STREET IS SIMPLY A NAME ON THE MAP.
BUT WHEN COMMUNITY CHOOSE TO HONOR ONE OF ITS OWN, IT BECOMES SOMETHING MUCH GREATER.
IT BECOMES A REMINDER OF VALUES, SACRIFICES, AND CONTRIBUTIONS THAT PERSON REPRESENTS.
TODAY, JOE RAMIREZ BOULEVARD ENSURES THAT HIS STORY WILL REMAIN A PERMANENT PART OF HOUSTON'S HISTORY.
IT IS AN HONOR, AS A PROUD IT, IT HONORS A PROUD HOUSTONIAN AND DECORATED VETERAN, A DEVOTED FAMILY MAN, UM, A COMMUNITY LEADER WHOSE LEGACY CONTINUES TO INSPIRE GENERATIONS.
BEFORE I INVITE THE MAYOR TO THE PODIUM, I WANT TO THANK AND EXTEND AN APPRECIATION TO, UH, TO THE MAYOR, MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER, HOUSTON PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR RANDY MACKAY, WHO'S HERE AS WELL, AND THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT FOR PRIORITIZING THIS STREET RENAMING PROCESS.
BECAUSE OF YOUR PARTNERSHIP, MAYOR AND LEADERSHIP, THE COMMUNITY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE AS WELL, ENSURE THAT THIS STREET COULD BE NAMED AFTER ONE OF ITS OWN.
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN GOVERNMENT, FAMILIES, VETERANS, AND COMMUNITY WORK TOGETHER.
WITH THAT, IT'S MY HONOR TO INVITE MAYOR JOHN WHITMEYER TO SHARE A FEW WORDS.
I WISH Y'ALL COULD STAND IN MY SHOES RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT AND SEE THIS GREAT COMING OUT OF THE COMMUNITY, A COMMUNITY THAT FOR SO LONG WANTS TO HONOR ITS COMMUNITY LEADERS.
AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WAIT ANY LONGER BECAUSE WE COULD NOT PICK A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE THAT HAS BEEN KNOWN IN THE COMMUNITY FOR YEARS AND YEARS.
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OF HOUSTON KNOWS OF THE SACRIFICE OF JOE RAMIREZ.YOU KNOW, ON A PERSONAL NOTE, LET ME THANK MARIO GALLEGOS.
MARIO BECAME MY FIRST HISPANIC STATE SENATOR AFTER THE DISTRICTS WERE REDRAWN.
I WAS THERE, MARIO AND I BECAME BROTHERS.
I WAS AT THE DIEGOS ELEMENTARY RIBBON CUTTING, AND I WISH MARIO COULD BE HERE TODAY BECAUSE HE INTRODUCED ME TO THE RAMEZ FAMILY, BOTH FATHER, SON, AND BRITTANY.
SO WE HAVE SO MUCH TO BE PROUD OF TODAY.
I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT DISTRICT I'S CITY COUNCIL MEMBER.
LOOK AT THE IMPROVEMENTS ACROSS OUR CITY.
AND THIS IS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING BACK TO THE OLD WAY OF CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN THE CITY OF ONLY A FEW GET RECOGNIZED.
NO MORE NEGLECT OF THE GREATER EAST END, AND CERTAINLY NOT MAGNOLIA.
THANK YOU TO BRIGADIER GENERAL.
JOE MES, WHO WAS ON THE SENATE FLOOR SHORTLY AFTER BEING APPOINTED AS THE LEAD, THE A AND M CADETS.
MARIO AND THE THREE OF US WENT TO LUNCH.
RICK NORIEGA, MAJOR GENERAL NORIEGA.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO SO MANY.
IT'S SO REWARDING FOR ME WHO REPRESENTED THE GREATER EAST END AND MAGNOLIA IN THE SENATE BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO REDRAW THE DISTRICTS AND CREATE A TRULY HISPANIC DISTRICT.
SO THERE'S A LOT TO CELEBRATE TODAY.
IT'S WARM, BUT IT'S SOMETHING WORTH BEING WARM AND HOT ABOUT.
THIS WAS NOT AN EASY PROCESS BECAUSE WE WANTED TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE COMMUNITY WAS INCLUDED.
AND THERE ARE OTHERS THAT WERE RECOMMENDED.
WE WILL NOT FORGET THEIR PUBLIC SERVICE.
YOU KNOW, I THINK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US IS A PUBLIC SERVANT.
WHETHER YOU'RE EVER ELECTED OR ON THE BALLOT OR NOT, EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU THAT CAN HEAR MY VOICE, YOU'RE A PUBLIC SERVANT.
AND SOMEDAY, I BELIEVE WE'RE GONNA BE JUDGED.
WHAT DID YOU DO WITH YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE? AND I KNOW MAGNOLIA RESIDENTS ARE GONNA HAVE A GREAT REPORT CARD.
IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO REDEDICATE OURSELF TO OUR COMMUNITY, MAGNOLIA, GREATER HOUSTON, TO OUR COUNTRY, AND THANK YOU TO OUR MILITARY VETERANS.
THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE.
LET'S ENJOY THIS DAY AND LET'S PAY ATTENTION TO THIS NEW REPAVED STREET.
I ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE THAT RAMIREZ'S FAMILY FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO SHARING JOE'S STORY AND HELPING SHINE A GREATER LIGHT OF HIS LIFE AND SERVICE.
THIS MOMENT DID NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT.
AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, IT TOOK DEDICATION FROM THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS WHO UNDERSTOOD THE IMPORTANCE OF PRESERVING LEGACY.
I WANNA ESPECIALLY THANK THE JOHNNY ADVANTIS VETERANS GROUP WHERE THIS RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDATION ORIGINATED FROM.
I WANNA, UH, ALSO THANK DIANA DAVILA, WHO'S HERE WITH US AND OUR VERY OWN GENERAL RICK NORIEGA FOR HELPING SHEPHERD THIS EFFORT AND BRING IT ACROSS THE FINISH LINE.
AND THERE'S SO MANY OTHER FOLKS THAT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE LIFT UP THE AMERICAN LEGION HALL, THE LADIES AUXILIARY, WHO'S MY MAMA PART IS A PART OF, AS WELL AS THE MAYOR MENTIONED, THIS WAS ULTIMATELY A COMMUNITY DRIVEN EFFORT.
THERE WERE SEVERAL THAT COULD HAVE BEEN HONORED TODAY, AND ALL OF THEM DEFINITELY WORTH THE HONOR.
BUT BECAUSE OF YOUR VOICE, YOUR ACTION SHOWING UP AT CITY COUNCIL, SPEAKING UP, EMAILS, LETTERS, THIS BECAME A, A UNANIMOUS VOTE, A UNANIMOUS VOTE TO RENAME THIS STREET TO JOE E CHACO RAMIREZ BOULEVARD.
SO AT THIS TIME, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE THE RAMIREZ FAMILY TO SHARE A FEW WORDS AND REFLECT ON JOE'S LIFE, SERVICE AND LEGACY.
IF I CAN, YOU CAN PLEASE HAVE, UH, JOE RAMIREZ JR.
AND BRITTANY SALAZAR, COME UP, PLEASE.
MORNING OR AS WE SAY IN AGGIE LAND.
I KNOW IT'S HOT AND I'M GONNA TRY TO KEEP IT SHORT, BUT I GOTTA TELL YOU WHAT A PROUD DAY FOR THE RAMIREZ FAMILY TO HAVE THIS FINDING COME TO FRUITION FOR, FOR OUR FAMILY.
A LOT OF HARD WORK, A LOT OF DEDICATED EFFORT BY
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A LOT OF PEOPLE, A LOT OF ELECTED OFFICIALS, MAYOR WHITMEYER, THE CITY COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEMBER, JOAQUIN MARTINEZ, UH, THE AMERICAN LEGION, UH, EVERYBODY THAT WAS A PART OF THIS.I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH HOW MUCH WE AS A FAMILY, THANK YOU, UH, FOR, FOR MAKING THIS DAY POSSIBLE.
AND WHEN I SAY FAMILY, I HAVE TO SAY THAT THIS IS A BIG EXTENDED FAMILY.
SO THIS EXTENDS FAR BEYOND JUST THE RAMIREZ FAMILY.
THIS INCLUDES THE PARTITA FAMILY, THE RODRIGUEZ FAMILY, THE SANCHEZ FAMILY, THE GALLEGOS FAMILY, THE RAMON FAMILY, THE HERNANDEZ FAMILY, THE MEJIA FAMILY, AND THE FUENTES FAMILY, AND MANY, MANY OTHERS THAT ARE PART OF THIS FAMILY THAT TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN KNOWING THAT ONE OF OUR OWN IS BEING RECOGNIZED TODAY WITH THIS SIGN ACROSS THE STREET.
AND I WILL TELL YOU, AS, AS ONE WHO GREW UP HERE IN MAGNOLIA PARK, MY FATHER BROUGHT US HERE AND RAISED US HERE JUST LIKE HE WAS.
WE TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THE FACT THAT ONE OF OUR OWN, SOMEBODY WHO GREW UP RIGHT HERE IN THE EAST END OF MAGNOLIA PARK, IS BEING RECOGNIZED WITH THE STREET SIGN THAT ALL OF US WILL BE ABLE TO SEE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.
THIS IS A MAGNIFICENT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS PRODUCED MANY, MANY GREAT PEOPLE THAT HAVE THAT SPAN.
MANY, MANY CAREERS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF TEXAS AND THROUGHOUT OUR GREAT NATION TO INCLUDE OUR MANY VETERANS.
ONE OF THE THINGS I'VE ALWAYS TAKEN GREAT PRIDE OF AS A VETERAN IS THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE FROM THIS NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAVE GONE ON TO SERVE OUR NATION IN UNIFORM, UH, IN WAR, IN PEACE.
THEY STOOD UP AND SERVED OUR NATION CALLED A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ALL OF OUR VETERANS THAT ARE HERE TODAY.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY FOR RECOGNIZING MY FATHER AND OUR FAMILY ON THIS GREAT DAY.
AND THE FACT THAT ONE OF OUR OWN HAS GOT A SIGN HERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE MANY OF US GREW UP, THAT MANY OF US REMEMBER.
UM, AND THAT WE WILL ALWAYS BE ABLE TO SHOW THAT TO OUR, OUR CHILDREN, OUR GRANDCHILDREN, OUR GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN FOR YEARS TO COME.
SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY, FOR RECOGNIZING MY FATHER AND RECOGNIZING OUR FAMILY.
GOD BLESS MR. SERGEANT JO RAMIREZ.
GOD BLESS THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
GOD BLESS THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
I JUST WANT, I, THAT WAS A GREAT SPEECH, SO I'M JUST GONNA WRAP IT UP.
UM, AND JUST SAY, I WANTED TO SAY THANK YOU TO, THIS WAS A JOINT EFFORT FROM EVERYBODY.
NOT ONLY, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY AND THEIR MARRIAGE FAMILY AND MR. NORIEGA, AND I'M SURE WE TALK DAILY ON A BASIS.
SO I'M SURE HE'S TIRED OF HEARING FROM ME.
BUT I JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE TODAY TO HONOR SUCH A GREAT MAN.
I'VE ALWAYS KNOWN HE'S SUCH A GREAT MAN, AND I'M SO GLAD THAT EVERYBODY'S GOING TO GET TO KNOW HIS STORY, LEARN MORE ABOUT HIM, AND JUST KNOW WHAT A GREAT MAN HE WAS FOR HIS FAMILY AND FOR HIS COMMUNITY.
AND I ALSO WANTED TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO INVITE EVERYBODY.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE A BIG, ANOTHER BIG, HUGE CELEBRATION ON AUGUST 8TH AT THE AMERICAN LEGION HALL ON AVENUE C AND TIMES TO BE DETERMINED.
I, I REALLY FEEL LIKE MY GRANDFATHER'S HERE WITH US TODAY JUST SMILING DOWN.
AND I HAVE, I CANNOT BE HAPPIER TO SHARE HIM WITH EVERYBODY.
THANK YOU GENERAL, AND THANK YOU, BRITTANY.
BEFORE I MOVE ON, I ALSO, UM, THERE'S A FEW OTHER FOLKS THAT I WANNA RECOGNIZE.
UH, AS I MENTIONED, THE COMMUNITY SHOWED UP.
AND I WANNA THANK LULAC COUNCIL 49 67, SERGE OLI.
UH, I WANNA THANK BLANCA BLANCO AS WELL, VIVA MAGAZINE FOR LIFTING UP THE STORY AS WELL.
SO WE'RE GONNA PROCEED TO THE UNVEILING 'CAUSE IT IS HOT, RIGHT, UH, FOR THE JOE RAMIREZ BOULEVARD.
AND I'D LIKE TO INVITE THE FAMILY AND MARY TO JOIN ME ACROSS THE STREET, EVERYONE, AS IF YOU COULD STAY WHERE YOU'RE AT SO THAT WAY, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL CAN COZY UP UNDERNEATH THE SHADE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, BEFORE I DO THAT, I DO WANT TO LET Y'ALL KNOW WHAT'S NEXT.
UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE THE CELEBRATION NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE WITH SOME FOOD AND REFRESHMENTS AT FIVE 20.
JOE E RAMIA STREET AT CHICANA BOULEVARD.
JUST, JUST A LITTLE BIT, UH, UH, SOUTH OF WHERE I'M AT.
AND I WANT TO GIVE A SPECIAL THANKS TO ISAAC, UH, WHO IS ONE OF THE, UH, THE, THE GENTLEMAN THAT HELPED RUN THAT, THAT, UH, THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, FACILITY ESSENTIALLY, UH, FOR HOSTING US TODAY.
I WANT TO THANK ALEX AND RAMON SALAZAR WITH LA CASITA.
LET'S GIVE IT UP FOR LA CASITA WHO JUST OPENED UP.
SO SOME OF Y'ALL MIGHT NOT KNOW THIS, BUT THEY ALSO, IT'S A FAMILY OWNED BUSINESS AND THEY OWN, UH, MARIA RITAS ON THE GULF FREEWAY.
SO I'VE BEEN ABLE TO REALLY BUILD A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH ALEX, AND THEY'RE GENEROUSLY CONTRIBUTING THE FOOD.
UH, FOR TODAY'S EVENT, I ALSO WANNA THANK LEO FLORES WITH LA BRIA ICE CREAM.
Y'ALL KNOW WHERE THAT'S AT ON CANAL.
THIS IS ALL ABOUT MAGNOLIA PARK TODAY.
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SO I WANNA LIFT THEM UP FOR, FOR, UH, BRINGING, UM, AND AGAIN, THEY DID THIS ON THEIR OWN, ON THEIR OWN, UH, IN KIND, RIGHT? UM, WE ASKED, WE WANTED TO PAY THEM.THEY'RE LIKE, NO, THIS IS FOR THE COMMUNITY.
SO WE WANT TO GIVE THIS TO YOU ALL.
AND SO FOR THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO WALK OVER.
UH, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO STRUGGLE WITH PARKING DESPITE THE HEAT.
UH, IT'S A QUICK, UH, QUICK WALK.
MAYBE ABOUT A MINUTE AND A HALF.
WE HAVE SOME, UH, UH, FANS OVER THERE AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE CONTINUE TO CELEBRATE, UH, TODAY'S DAY THE LIFT THAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO TOGETHER.
AND SO WITH THAT, IF I CAN HAVE THE MAYOR AND RAM'S FAMILY TO WALK ME ACROSS THE STREET, JUST.