Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor and in memory of Chauncey Lee Veatch III. Chauncey was a natural leader with an incredible passion for life, education, and helping others. He was a tremendous educator, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, National Teacher of the Year, and a mentor to so many in the Coachella Valley. It was a high privilege to call him my friend. Chauncey personally inspired me, encouraged me, and guided me as well as my friend and current assembly member, Eduardo Garcia, and Riverside County Supervisor Manny Perez and many students and teachers from the Coachella Valley. Chauncey was exceptionally brilliant. His brother, Gregory, said, even in middle school, his teachers knew he was smarter than they were. He paired his unique intelligence and gifts with an extraordinary work ethic. He studied history at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, where he was inspired by the civil rights work of Cesar Chavez, and helped register voters as a United Farm Workers volunteer. After college, he went on to the University of Notre Dame, where he obtained his juris doctor degree. Chauncey then served in the U.S. Army Infantry and the Medical Service Corps for over 20 years, retiring in 1995 as a lieutenant colonel. After retiring from the Army, Chauncey began his service as an educator at John Kelley Elementary School in Thermal, California, later becoming a teacher at my alma mater, Coachella Valley High School.…”