Congressman Henry Cuellar (D-TX-28) today presented Congressional Recognitions to the family of the late John McKeown, a U.S. Navy and Korean War veteran, and professional photographer Fidel C. Butch Ramirez, Jr., during a ceremony at Laredo City Hall Council Chambers.

“Mr. McKeown was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and served in the Korean War, for which he received the National Defense Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal and the China Service Medal,” said Congressman Cuellar. “After serving, Mr. McKeown moved to Laredo where he met his wife Jeannette, with whom he had two children: Carolyn J. McKeown and William Moser McKeown, and started a successful business called McKeown Customs Brokers Inc., which saw over forty years of success. Mr. McKeown was very involved in our local community and often volunteered his time to help fellow veterans and was the past president of the Laredo Animal Protective Society. Mr. McKeown passed away in November 2016 and is survived by his wife, Jeannette Moser McKeown, daughter Carolyn, and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For his accomplishments and sacrifice, I have chosen to honor him and his family with a Congressional Recognition that will forever be recorded in the official Congressional Record.”
 

Congressman Cuellar honors the family of the late John McKeown, a U.S. Navy and Korean War veteran, and professional photographer Fidel “Butch” Ramirez during a ceremony at Laredo City Hall on Thursday.

“Mr. Fidel C. ‘Butch’ Ramirez, Jr., was born and raised in Webb County where hunting and fishing were a regular past time for him,” Congressman Cuellar said. “Mr. Ramirez expanded his passion for the outdoors by turning to photography and has since captured some of the most beautiful and rare wildlife in South Texas. His photography has been featured on the cover of magazines on at least 25 separate occasions. Most recently, Mr. Ramirez’ photography of white-tailed deer in South Texas has been chosen through an extensive selection process to represent the crest of the U.S. Navy’s newest Virginia Class Attack Submarine, the U.S.S. Illinois, commissioned in Groton, Connecticut, on October 28, 2016 and was sponsored by former First Lady Michelle Obama. Today, I honor Mr. Ramirez’s accomplishments by presenting him with a Congressional Recognition and official entry into the Congressional Record.