[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H8856-H8857]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H8856]]
                   PETER J. McCLOSKEY POSTAL FACILITY

  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2564) to designate the U.S. Post Office located at 450 North 
Centre Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, as the ``Peter J. McCloskey 
Postal Facility''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2564

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The United States Post Office located at 450 North Centre 
     Street in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Peter J. McCloskey Postal Facility''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the United States 
     Post Office referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a 
     reference to the ``Peter J. McCloskey Postal Facility''.

  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. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, the legislation before us, H.R. 2544, designates the 
United States Post Office located at 450 North Centre Street in 
Pottsville, PA, as the Peter J. McCloskey Postal Facility. The bill was 
introduced by the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Holden] and 
cosponsored by the House delegation of the State of Pennsylvania in its 
entirety, in accordance with the policy of the Committee on Government 
Reform and Oversight.
  Peter McCloskey, a native of Pennsylvania, joined the U.S. Army Air 
Corps in 1944. In 1967, he was selected to join the Post Office 
Department as acting postmaster of the City of Pottsville, and then was 
reappointed postmaster. During his 23 years as postmaster, Mr. 
McCloskey has seen 30 of the employees that he has supervised become 
postmasters. He has been an active member of the Pottsville community 
for more than 60 years.
  Madam Speaker, the Congressional Budget Office has commented that 
this bill contained no intergovernmental or private sector mandates as 
defined in the Unfunded Mandated Reform Act of 1975, and would impose 
no costs on State, local, or tribal governments.
  Madam Speaker, on four occasions previously today, we have honored 
truly deserving gentlemen. I think this one is especially appropriate 
because it is an opportunity to recognize the Postal Service's own, a 
gentleman who worked his literal entire adult career in the Postal 
Service in service to that great cause.
  I think for that reason, particularly, this is a very, very fitting 
tribute for a man who stands out, but probably is best recognized for 
the kind of dedication to the service that so typifies the over 800,000 
postal employees who each and every day go out and make sure that all 
of us in this Nation receive our mail in a timely fashion.
  So I would commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Holden] and 
thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fattah] for helping to bring 
this bill to the floor to pay tribute to a gentleman who represents all 
of the good and positive things that the Postal Service has stood for 
for more than 200 years in this Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2564 as introduced by my 
colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Holden], a Member with 
whom I have had the opportunity to serve and who has provided a great 
deal of leadership here in the House and on behalf of the citizens of 
Pennsylvania.
  Madam Speaker, this bill is appropriate. We sometimes joke about the 
Postal Service in our country. Let the record be clear that we have the 
finest Postal Service anywhere in the world, and partly because of 
people like the gentleman we honor with the naming of this postal 
facility in Pottsville, PA, because we have dedicated people who work 
very, very hard, almost 700,000 people who work for the United States 
Postal Service. And I think that among these bills, it is, indeed 
appropriate that we would take one and name it after someone who has 
labored to help make sure that our Nation has a Postal Service that is 
really second to none in the world.
  Madam Speaker, I am not surprised at all that the naming of a postal 
facility on behalf of someone who has worked for the Postal Service 
would come from my colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. 
Holden], because the gentleman is someone that we all know who has 
seriously applied himself to understanding the interworkings of the 
Federal Government and how it interacts and is relevant in the lives of 
the people who we attempt to serve.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania [Mr. Holden], my colleague.
  Mr. HOLDEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today as the proud sponsor of H.R. 
2564, a bill to designate the U.S. Post Office located at 450 North 
Centre Street in Pottsville, PA, as the Peter J. McCloskey Postal 
Facility. I would like to thank the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
McHugh] the subcommittee chairman, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
[Mr. Fattah], ranking member, and all 21 members of the Pennsylvania 
delegation for cosponsoring this legislation and bringing it to the 
floor today.
  Madam Speaker, Pete McCloskey has dedicated his entire life to 
serving his country, his Government, and helping people. He was born in 
New Castle Township, PA, on September 20, 1920, and graduated from Cass 
Township High School in 1938.
  In February 1941, Pete married Catherine ``Kitty'' Mahoney. They are 
the proud parents of Ethel McCloskey Joyce and have four grandchildren: 
Patrick, Peter, Lalor and Kaeti.
  In 1942, Pete joined the U.S. Army Air Corps serving with distinction 
as an aerial gunner instructor in the European Theater. Upon discharge 
from the Army, he worked for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and 
was later appointed by Pennsylvania Auditor General as the supervisor 
for the Bureau of School Audits, where he served until 1967.
  In 1968, he was appointed postmaster of the Post Office in 
Pottsville, PA. In his 23 years as postmaster of Pottsville, he earned 
the respect of the hundreds of employees he supervised, approximately 
30 of whom moved on to become postmasters in their own right.
  During his tenure as postmaster, and prior to that and since that, 
Pete not only earned the respect of his coworkers and his employees but 
of the entire community of Pottsville and of Schuykill County, PA. 
Whether that be involved with civic organizations such as the Elks or 
the Rotary or the Lion's or the Knights of Columbus or with his church, 
Saint Patrick's.
  After retirement from the Postal Service, Pete continues to be active 
in the community. He has served on the Pottsville Housing Authority 
Board of Directors. And the thing that most impresses me about Pete 
McCloskey is that he never looks to help himself; he is always there to 
help others with their problems.
  Madam Speaker, I wish I could count the number of times that Pete has 
come to see me or other political leaders or other businesspeople in 
the community to say I have so-and-so who is in need of a job. They 
have a difficult situation right now and they need employment. Can you 
help them? Or the number of times he would bring a widow to my office 
and say, can you help with the black lung benefits? Or another 
constituent of mine who had trouble with the Social Security 
Administration or with the Veterans Administration. It is Pete who acts 
as an intermediary to try to bring those people to get help. He does 
that through my congressional office, with the county commissioners, 
with our State representatives throughout Schuykill County and, in 
particular, the city of Pottsville.
  Madam Speaker, here is a man who has dedicated his life to serving 
his community and, as was mentioned by the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
McHugh], he is a retired worker from the Postal Service. I think it is 
proper and fitting that we rename the Pottsville Post Office for Peter 
J. McCloskey.

[[Page H8857]]

  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York and the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania for bringing this to the floor.
  Mr. McHUGH. Madam Speaker, I have no requests for time at this 
moment, and conclude with a final urging to my colleagues to supporting 
this very worthy legislation for a very, very worthy recipient.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, let me again thank the gentleman from New York [Mr. 
McHugh]. It has been a real pleasure to work with him on these bills 
and any number of activities that we have had to deal with over the 
course of this session thus far. I really do appreciate the level of 
cooperation and the spirit of bipartisanship. That is talked a lot 
around here, but in actuality is practiced by the gentleman from New 
York, and I want to publicly thank him for his efforts as we have 
worked together in these matters.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my staff, Denise Wilson and also 
Neal Snyder, for their work on these bills and other matters related to 
postal affairs.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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. 2564.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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