MEMORANDUM

City Council Meeting - November 16, 2004

The award of "El Pipila de Plata", was recently bestowed upon Senora Chela Kocks for her role as the founder of the academic and cultural exchange between the cities of Guanajuato, our sister city, and Ashland.

Senora Chela traveled to Guanajuato to receive her award which is given every year to a Guanajuato citizen who the city deems has performed "friendship and service" to and for the City of Guanajuato. The executive committee of the Lions of Marfil (a district of the City of Guanajuato), with the approval of the Mayor, the City Council and the Governor, elect a person who has for many years has proven him or herself a faithful friend of Guanajuato through their service.

The sculpture is new every year, but it is always of Pipila, Guanajuato's greatest hero, and one of Mexico's five top heroes. Pipila lived during the Independence, in 1810. He put a huge slab of stone on his back so that the Spanish soldiers' bullets could not harm him, and through his perseverance and fortitude, he finally succeeded with a torch in his hand in setting fire to the door of the Alhondiga, where the Spanish took refuge. An enormous statue of Pipila looms over the City of Guanajuato.

We would like to offer our congratulations to Senora Chela Kocks for this extremely prestigious award.

Attached:   •  Excerpts of translations from speeches and newspaper while Senora Chela was in Guanajuato receiving her award.