[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 84 (Tuesday, June 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H3814-H3817]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JOHN T. MYERS POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1058) to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service
under construction at 150 West Margaret Drive in Terre Haute, IN, as
the ``John T. Myers Post Office Building.''
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 1058
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.
The facility of the United States Postal Service under
construction at 150 West Margaret Drive in Terre Haute,
Indiana, shall be known and designated as the ``John T. Myers
Post Office Building''.
SEC. 2. REFERENCES.
Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper,
or other record of the United States to the facility referred
to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to the
``John T. Myers Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York [Mr. McHugh] and the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York [Mr. McHugh].
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, as in the previous bill, H.R. 1058 was also introduced
by the gentleman from Indiana, Dan Burton, and it too is supported by
the entire Indiana delegation pursuant to committee policy. As we have
heard, Mr. Speaker, this legislation designates that the facility of
the U.S. Postal
[[Page H3815]]
Service under construction at 150 West Margaret Drive in Terre Haute,
IN, be named as the ``John T. Myers Post Office Building.''
Mr. Speaker, I think it is fair to say that this afternoon is at
least in part a Hoosier celebration. It is because John Myers, too, is
a true son of that great State. He was born in Covington, IN, in 1927
and received his B.S. degree from Indiana State University in 1951. He
joined the Army in 1945 and served in the European Theater during World
War II. He remained in the Army Reserve from 1946 through 1967.
John is today a banker and, as I heard him relate personally to his
friends just moments ago off the floor, the thing apparently he loves
to do most, a farmer. He owns and operates a grain and livestock farm
in Fountain County, IN, where he is a member of the Masons, the Elks,
and Lions Club.
John Myers was first elected by the Seventh District in Indiana to
serve in the 90th Congress and decided to retire after the 104th
Congress. During his long congressional career, he served on the
Committee on Appropriations and was chairman of the Subcommittee on
Energy and Water Development for 2 years. He was ranking member of the
Committee on House Ethics in the 1980's. John also served as ranking
member of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service in 1993 and
1994, which makes this designation even more fitting.
Mr. Speaker, as with our previous designee, John Myers is a man who
really exemplifies what is good about public service and what is good
about this House of Representatives. He is a gentleman to whom we can
all look for friendship and all look for kind and guiding words when it
was most needed. We, like with Andy Jacobs, miss John Myers' presence
dearly.
But certainly I want to join with all of our colleagues in not just
helping to bestow this honor but in wishing him the very best for a
long, healthy, and productive retirement.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1058 seeks to recognize the contributions of
another long-serving Member, John Myers, who retired last year after 30
years in the Congress. As a former ranking member of the old Committee
on Post Office and Civil Service, this legislation naming a postal
facility after him is especially fitting. I am pleased to support it
and urge its favorable consideration by this House.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana [Mr. Burton], the full committee chairman and, as I said, the
chief sponsor of both of these very meritorious pieces of legislation.
Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for
yielding.
Mr. Speaker, John Myers is here with us today, and we are very glad
to see him again. John was a leader in Indiana politics for over 30
years. He was active in civic affairs as well as political affairs and
contributed mightily to Indiana, as well as the entire country.
John worked very hard on the Committee on Appropriations over the
years, not only on energy and water issues, but also on infrastructure
issues that dealt with the entire country. People across this Nation
that do not know who John Myers is owe him a debt of gratitude for the
hard work he put forth on their behalf throughout this country.
Colleagues on both sides of the aisle know that when they had a problem
that needed to be solved dealing with the Committee on Appropriations
or the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, John was always
there and willing to listen and help out.
In addition to that, he is highly regarded by his friends and
neighbors, people who have known him all these years. He used to fly
home in the wee hours of the morning or late at night to meet with
farmers to talk to them about agricultural problems in his district,
when a lot of other Congressmen would not take the time and effort to
do that. So John went out of his way to do the job that he was assigned
to do and he did it extremely well.
He was a fiscal conservative, a person who believed in cutting taxes
instead of raising them. He is one of the guys that we really miss
around here. John was one of the greats. I wish John and his wife Carol
the very best. I hope you have a great retirement, John. Come back and
visit us often. It is fitting and appropriate that we name a post
office after him since the people in Terre Haute in years to come will
know who John Myers was and what he did for his State and community.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I spent a lot of time today with people from the State
of Indiana, and I have an appointment with the gentleman from Indiana
[Mr. Burton], who just preceded me, at 5 p.m. But John Myers and his
service, particularly on the committee that oversaw the work of the
Postal Service in our country, through his work and in the work of
others, we have the best Postal Service of any nation in the world. And
it is actually quite fitting that we name a postal facility after him.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the delegate from American
Samoa.
(Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA asked and was given permission to revise and extend
his remarks.)
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York
[Mr. McHugh], the chairman of the subcommittee, and the gentleman from
Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah], my good friend, the ranking Democratic
member, for their management of these two pieces of legislation.
Specifically, I rise to fully support the proposed bill to honor my
good friend from Indiana, Congressman John Myers. Mr. Speaker, just for
a moment, I do want to digress and to also honor my good friend Andy
Jacobs, as has been spoken before in the previous legislation. If there
is one thing I remember about Andy, I can describe this gentleman truly
as the majority of one because he speaks with a conscience, he speaks
against the grain about everything that is popular, he speaks his mind,
he speaks his heart. That is Andy Jacobs, and I honor and respect that
gentleman.
To my good friend John Myers, a real friend, always recognizes the
rights of the minority. And I can always remember the National Prayer
breakfast of his members. I recall a story about an island boy was
invited to attend a church; and for several Sundays he was attending
these church meetings. It got to the point it was so unbearable he got
up and said, ``Ladies and gentleman, if you shake my hand, I promise
you the color is not going to rub off on you.''
My good friends and colleagues, John Myers, in every instance when I
meet him, he comes to me and shakes my hand and I can feel his sense of
friendship in the times when this Chamber becomes so raucous, nasty,
brutal, partisan. I honor Mr. John Myers for truly being a gentleman
and to recognize the rights of the minority, and I thank my good friend
from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] for saying this.
John, you will always be remembered by the island people.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New
York [Mr. Gilman], chairman of the Committee on International
Relations.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, designating the facility of the U.S. Postal
Service which is under construction in Terre Haute, IN, as the ``John
T. Myers Post Office Building'' is a fitting tribute to a distinguished
public servant, to one who has served in this body for more than 30
years.
I served together with John on our postal committee for more than 10
years. John was always looking out not only for our civil servants and
our postal workers but for the Nation as a whole. He certainly served
his district with a great deal of pride and with a great deal of
accomplishment.
I think this is the least we can do for such an outstanding public
servant to name the post office building in Terre Haute after John
Myers, whose heart was in the postal service trying to find a better
way to make this a better service for the entire Nation. John Myers, we
salute you. I am pleased to be part of this endeavor to pay tribute to
a great public servant.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana [Mr. Roemer].
[[Page H3816]]
Mr. ROEMER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to again thank the gentleman
from New York [Mr. McHugh] and the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr.
Fattah] for their hard work on these two very important bills, the
first one, as we spoke earlier, for Andy Jacobs, and this one for my
friend John Myers.
I think many things come to mind when I rise to commend and give
accolades to my friend from Indiana, and one of them is his
bipartisanship and his comity. Whenever we would go to John and ask him
for advice as a member of the Committee on Appropriations, and myself
as a Democrat, I would go to him to ask for that advise or seek help on
a particular project for the State of Indiana, John did not look at us
as a member of a particular party in a partisan way, John looked at us
as how could I best help the people of Indiana and is this project one
that has merits and that would help the people of the State? John's
bipartisanship, his lack of partisanship, and his comity and courage
are certainly attributes that we miss and miss deeply at times here in
this session of Congress.
I also want to rise in support not only of the John T. Myers Post
Office, but in support of John Myers' family. These attributes I think
have the name of one single individual, a former Member of Congress,
but with all the sacrifices that John made in terms of time, in terms
of campaigning, in terms of attentiveness to his constituents, I think
this accolade is also to his wife Carol and her dedication to the
Hoosiers in the great State of Indiana and to his entire family.
I just close by saying that again, John is a Member who was deeply
dedicated to the rights of the minority, who served this body with
great intelligence and great warmth, and we dearly miss him. John, if
you are listening out there, remember that we still need your help and
guidance on certain issues and enjoy your second life as you have
retired from Congress.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Indiana [Mr. Buyer].
Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York [Mr.
McHugh] for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud again to cosponsor H.R. 1058, the bill
designating John T. Myers Post Office Building in Terre Haute, IN. It
is so fitting that not only the Indiana delegation, but other Members
here honoring two Members from Indiana. These are two gentlemen that
many have described them, whether it is from their bipartisanship,
their comity, these are two gentlemen that always in the midst of a
storm had their hands firmly upon the helm.
Congressman Myers dedicated 30 years of his life to serving the
Seventh District in Indiana. During his 15 terms, he was respected for
his mild-mannered, firm but fair attitude and consensus building
attributes. He was not only a friend of the farmer but a friend of the
veteran. As a World War II veteran from the European Theater, he, like
others, left freedom in his footsteps and he knew the value of a strong
defense.
{time} 1515
He also remembers the soldier, the sailor, the airman, and the marine
wherever they are away from home, wherever they are standing watch,
protecting our liberties. That was John Myers. Indiana was well
represented by his formidable presence on the Committee on
Appropriations, later chairing the Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development. When we mentioned his bipartisanship, whenever one went to
John he also had to go to Mr. Bevill, or if one went to Mr. Bevill he
had to go to John. Nothing happened out of that subcommittee unless it
was agreed to by both of them. They worked in such a strong bipartisan
nature.
Their presence is truly missed here in the 105th Congress.
Congressman Myers is retired to the Seventh District in Indiana to
continue his service to the communities he represented for so many
decades. I wish John and Carol and the family all the best as they move
into the new phase of their lives.
The naming of the new post office under construction at 150 West
Margaret Drive in Terre Haute, IN, is well deserved and an appropriate
tribute to John, who served as the ranking member of the Committee on
Post Office and Civil Service. I offer my strongest support of the
designation of the John Myers Post Office Building in Indiana.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Ohio [Mr. Traficant].
Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished ranking member
from Pennsylvania for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I mentioned John when I talked about Andy Jacobs. I want
to thank John here on the floor for so many things he did through
appropriations, where he was fair. He was not about Republicans and
Democrats. He was fair. When one had a problem, and went to him, he
understood the nature of those problems, and he sat down and he dealt
with everybody fairly. I think that is the best thing one could say
about anybody. He is a beautiful man. He was fair, he worked with all
of us, he did not play favorites, and I think that is a great
testament.
Two great guys, Andy Jacobs and John Myers. I am just glad to rise
and call them a friend and thank them for having helped my people.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to yet another gentleman
from Indiana [Mr. McIntosh].
Mr. McINTOSH. Mr. Speaker, I too rise in favor of this bill in honor
of John Myers and unfortunately could not make it to the Chamber for
the previous bill and would like to voice my strong support for that
one honoring Andy Jacobs. Both of them were wonderful colleagues. As I
arrived here a little over 2 years ago, they took me under their wing
and said, this is, David, what you need to know about Congress. That
advice and friendly encouragement is something that I treasure and will
always treasure.
But in particular John is somebody who represents quintessentially
what it means to be a Hoosier. He practices common sense. He helped
build our State universities. He helped make sure that our communities
would be great places to live by making sure they received the things
they needed. But he also did not feel that Hoosiers should have to pay
higher taxes. And so as he liked to tell people in the last election
campaign that he ran, in 30 years he had never voted for a tax
increase.
He is a man who stood for those Hoosier values. His wife Carol is
somebody who embodied them as well. When I was first elected, she
called my wife Ruthie and told her, ``Welcome to the congressional
family. If you need help or advice along the way, I'll be there for
you.'' That meant a tremendous amount to both of us.
Andy is somebody that I had the opportunity often to visit with on
the flights back and forth to Indianapolis. His humor, his wit, and his
friendship are moments that I will always treasure in my public life.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in favor of both of these resolutions and thank
the gentleman for bringing them to the committee and to the floor of
the House.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
As a relatively new Member of the Congress, I am pleased that I had an
opportunity to serve with both of these gentlemen, if only for a brief
few years. I am glad that they were not, as some now are, discussing
this notion of term limits in the Congress. These two distinguished
careers of over 30 years would not have been possible given the context
in which the people of Indiana would not have been freely able to vote
to continue to send them to the U.S. Congress so that they could
represent that great State and to serve the entire country.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana [Mr.
Visclosky] to close for our side.
Mr. VISCLOSKY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me
this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to John T. Myers and in
strong support of H.R. 1058, designating the new postal facility in
Terre Haute, IN, as the John T. Myers Post Office.
John Myers' career is one of inspiration and dedication. The third
most senior Republican in the House and the Republican dean of
Indiana's congressional delegation when he retired last year, John
Myers served the people of Indiana's Seventh Congressional District
with honor and dignity for 30 years. During the course of those years,
John earned the reputation as a
[[Page H3817]]
man of impeccable character, honesty, and integrity. A staunch fiscal
conservative, John took great pride in the knowledge that he never
voted for a tax increase as he worked hard to provide a better life for
his children and his grandchildren as well as all the children of our
Nation.
I had the honor of serving with John since I was first elected to
Indiana's congressional delegation in 1984. Before that I got to know
him when I worked on the staff of the late Congressman Adam Benjamin,
Jr. From the moment I met Mr. Myers over two decades ago, I never once
doubted that he was someone I could trust as both a generous friend and
a trusted colleague.
John's leadership on the Committee on Appropriations, the committee
on which I serve, was particularly distinguished. From the time he
joined the committee in 1970, John compiled a remarkable legislative
record, punctuated by fairness and, as many speakers have already said,
a sense of bipartisanship.
Throughout his career and most recently as chairman of the
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, he used his experience to
craft needed flood control projects for his farming intensive district.
However, John's work on the subcommittee always went beyond helping out
his own constituents. He was a longtime advocate for high-technology
research, including projects in new cancer treatments, plant
biodiversity, superconductivity, and general science at Purdue, Indiana
State, and other universities throughout the Nation.
It was a great honor for me to serve under his chairmanship on the
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development in the last Congress.
Although I was sad to see John Myers leave the Congress last year, his
presence has left behind an indelible impression on the men and women
with whom he served. Passage of H.R. 1058 is a fitting tribute to a man
who never really left behind his hometown roots in Indiana and yet
managed to become one of this body's most honorable and capable
leaders. I wish John, his wife Carol, and his family every happiness.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to yet another gentleman
from Indiana [Mr. Pease].
(Mr. PEASE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. PEASE. Mr. Speaker, I find myself at the end of the line of
speakers about my friend and colleague John Myers and find everything
on my list save one already having been said that I was going to share.
And so, Mr. Speaker, I will submit my formal remarks at a later time
and just speak from the heart for a minute.
I am not only the one who comes at the end of the line in talking
about John Myers but I am also the one who has lived with the
tremendous honor but also the tremendous responsibility of being his
successor in the Congress. I told folks back home as we campaigned
through 13 counties in western Indiana that I never ran into any
community where I could not find someone whose life had been touched by
John Myers and the things that he had done on their behalf or on behalf
of their community. And then I come to Washington thinking I finally
escaped that and I run into folks here who all have John Myers' stories
about ways he has helped them both personally and professionally. There
are a lot of things that have been said about John and his
contributions to politics, to people and to this institution. One that
was not mentioned was one in which I think I take the greatest pride,
and that is the fact that for a number of years, probably more years
than any of us would care to serve, he was the senior Republican on the
Ethics Committee and in that role was responsible for ensuring that the
highest standards of conduct were maintained and that respect was
brought upon this body and the people who served here. His personal
life and his professional life were both examples of the highest
standards that are expected of Americans and of Members of the Congress
of the United States and set a very high standard that I seek to
exemplify. John is one of those people who despite 30 years of Congress
and the accolades that come with it is as humble a man as he was when
he came here. I invited him to be with us on the floor today as he has
the right to do. He declined to do that, thinking it was not
appropriate. He is that kind of a person who is very much one who is
aware of the folks around him more than he is of himself.
He is usually embarrassed by the fact that I tell this story, but I
am going to tell it because it is indicative of the kind of person he
is. I first met John Myers in 1967 when he was in his first year of
service in the Congress of the United States and I came to Washington
as a teenage Boy Scout and met my Congressman, the man who I was
fortunate enough 30 years later to succeed in this body. The important
thing about that story for me is not just the honor that it accorded to
me but the fact that I did not see Congressman Myers for another 10
years after that initial meeting in 1967. When we met 10 years later,
he remembered who I was and where we had met. I tell that story not
just because it is unusual but because quite frankly it is fairly
commonplace. Congress Myers paid attention to everyone in western
Indiana. He knew them as individuals, he cared about them as people and
it is absolutely appropriate that we honor him this way this day.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
would only say in closing that we have heard today a very extraordinary
outpouring of warmth and love for two very deserving gentlemen. Perhaps
it is the air, perhaps it is the water or some other factor but it is
obvious that Indiana has the ability to produce some extraordinary
representatives to this great body. No two finer examples in my humble
opinion exist than both John Myers, the subject of this bill, and Andy
Jacobs, the subject of the previous one. Like the previous bill, Mr.
Speaker, I would strongly urge all of our colleagues to support this
measure and give Mr. Myers a very deserved piece of recognition and
tribute.
Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1058, a bill
that would recognize former Congressman John T. Myers by naming a U.S.
Post Office under construction in Terre Haute, IN, in his honor. John
served as a Member of Congress for 15 terms and as chairman of the
Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development before
retiring this past year after the 104th Congress. He and I were
colleagues in the House for 17 years, during most of which we served on
the Appropriations Committee together. As members of the Appropriations
Committee, we maintained an excellent working relationship, from which
I developed the highest respect for him.
John was a tremendous advocate for medical research and I admire his
contribution to this area, particularly in breast cancer research.
Though John was personally affected by this disease when his wife
developed breast cancer, his commitment to the advancement of breast
cancer research was equally exceptional both prior and subsequent to
her illness. I was particularly pleased to be able to respond to John's
high priority for breast cancer research when I was appointed chairman
of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,
and Education.
I believe that it is most appropriate that we recognize John Myers
for his valuable contributions as a Member of Congress with this bill.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New York [Mr. McHugh] that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1058.
The question was taken.
Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
____________________