On the recordFebruary 14, 2011
As I was traveling, Mr. Speaker, to Washington, I had the opportunity to read the local newspaper. It's a good time for us to reconnect with our community, those that we have not been able to see, to hear their stories. And I was impacted by a story of two students at the University of Texas from different walks of life who had had a passion for football in one instance and a passion for basketball in another instance. Unfortunately, as they were aspiring to their dreams, both of them found that they had a congenital or a serious heart defect. Young men. One who had come out of the heart of Acres Home, a historically African American community, raised by his grandmother whom he loved; and he chose to stay close to home by going to UT Austin to play basketball. What a devastating blow to find out he could not play when he first got there. What about the young man, huge in size, that almost lost his life on the football field? But the story is, in this month when we commemorate African American History Month, one was a Caucasian, and one was an African American. It just shows in this Nation how we can work together and come together. These young men have, in a sense, overcome their challenges, and they represent America's heroes. I pay tribute to these two athletes at the University of Texas and thank them for their leadership.
