[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H523-H524]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    KARL BERNAL POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2766) to designate the United States Post Office located at 
215 East Jackson Street in Painsville, Ohio, as the ``Karl Bernal Post 
Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2766

       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 215 East Jackson 
     Street in Painesville, Ohio, as the ``Karl Bernal Post Office 
     Building''.

     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 ``Karl Bernal Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).
  (Mr. McHUGH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2766 was introduced on October 29, 1997, by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), and it is cosponsored by the 
entire House delegation of the State of Ohio, as required under 
committee policy. The legislation was unanimously voted out of the 
committee on February 12, 1998, by a voice vote.
  H.R. 2766 honors Mr. Karl Bernal, a civic and community leader in 
Painesville, Ohio. Mr. Bernal was a life member of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
  Mr. Speaker, I will submit for the record a complete statement on the 
achievements of this very special individual. I know the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and I presume others will want to make further 
comments upon that.

[[Page H524]]

  I think it is worth noting that the Ohio House of Representatives and 
the Ohio Senate have recognized Mr. Bernal's volunteer work and his 
work in mental health services.
  The gentleman died at the age of 76 after a full life of service to 
his community. It is worthy of note that the people of Lake County 
considered Mr. Bernal more than a leader amongst the black community. 
His obituary stated, ``It would be more accurate to portray him as 
possibly the most influential person in all the county, without 
consigning him to a subdivision based on race or other limiting 
factors.''
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is entirely fitting that we designate the 
Post Office at 215 East Jack Street in Painsville, Ohio, as the Karl 
Bernal Post Office Building, to honor a man who dedicated his life to 
his community.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2766 was introduced on October 29, 1997 by the 
gentleman from Ohio, Mr. LaTourette, and it is cosponsored by the 
entire House Delegation of the State of Ohio pursuant to the policy of 
the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. The legislation was 
unanimously voted out by the Committee on February 12, 1998 by voice 
vote.
  H.R. 2766 honors Karl Bernal, a civic and community leader in 
Painesville, Ohio. Mr. Bernal was a life member of the National 
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). He was 
probably best known for his two terms as president of the Lake County 
Branch of the NAACP. Mr. Bernal was founder of the Lake County NAACP 
Scholarship Program and was a fund-raiser for numerous other 
organizations. He attended the St. James Episcopal Church for many 
years. He was a member of the Painesville Area Chamber of Commerce and 
received its Outstanding Citizen of the Year award in 1989. 
Additionally, he received the distinguished service award of the Lake 
County Mental Health Board, distinguished service award of Lakeland 
Community College, the United Way of Lake County's Good Neighbor Award, 
the United Way of Lake County's Good Neighbor Award, among many other 
honors. The Ohio House of Representatives and the Ohio Senate 
recognized Mr. Bernal's volunteer work and for his work in mental 
health services.
  Mr. Bernal died at the age of 76 after a full life of service to his 
community. People of Lake County consider Mr. Bernal more than a leader 
among the black community; his obituary stated that ``[I]t would be 
more accurate to portray him as possibly the most influential person in 
all the country without consigning him to a subdivision based on race 
or other limiting factors.''
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting to designate the post office at 215 East 
Jackson Street, Painesville, Ohio as the ``Karl Bernal Post Office 
Building'' to honor a man who dedicated his life to this community.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge our colleagues to support this measure.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield three minutes to the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette), who has been the driving force on this 
particular piece of legislation.
  (Mr. LaTOURETTE asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York 
(Chairman McHugh), and also the ranking member of our subcommittee, the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), and his able stand-in, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), and the chairman of our full 
committee, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), and also our 
ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman), for 
allowing this bill to come forward to the floor in such a timely 
fashion.
  Mr. Speaker, as the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) stated, Karl 
Bernal did so much for the community in which I live, and it is more 
than fitting that his legacy be permanent with the addition of the Karl 
Bernal Post Office.
  Karl Bernal was not one who simply paid lip service to a cause, but 
rather one who embraced so many causes and did not let go until he had 
affected some positive change. He was a giant in Lake County, Ohio, and 
with his passing last May, he is an individual who is sorely missed.
  He was active in the Lake County Salvation Army, the United Way, 
where he was awarded with the Lake County's Good Neighbor Award. He was 
named the Painesville Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Citizen of the 
Year in 1989 and the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from 
the Lake County Mental Health Board. He received a Distinguished 
Service Award from Lakeland Community College, and he was also given 
the Outstanding Pacesetter Award from the Ohio NAACP, and, probably 
most important to him, he was elected as a member of the Lake County 
Senior Citizen Hall of Fame.
  I only had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Bernal during the last 20 
years of his life. As the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) stated, 
he died when he was 76, but his was a rich life, and, through his life, 
he made the community that I have the honor of representing richer for 
all of our citizens, and, for that reason, I respectfully ask all of 
our colleagues to support the naming of this Post Office in his memory, 
the Karl Bernal Post Office in Painesville, Ohio.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I join the gentleman from New York (Chairman McHugh), in 
support of H.R. 2766, legislation introduced by our colleague, the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) designating the United States Post 
Office located at 215 East Jackson Street in Painesville, Ohio, as the 
Karl Bernal Post Office Building.
  Mr. Bernal, as already noted, although deceased, was in the words of 
the News Herald Newspaper, truly one of a kind. His notion of civic 
responsibility was to totally immerse himself in organizations, 
projects, ventures and good deeds designed to make life better for 
others.
  Mr. Karl Bernal was the recipient of numerous awards attesting to his 
dedication to his family and community. He received the Distinguished 
Service Award of the Lake County Mental Health Board, the Outstanding 
Pacesetter Award of the Ohio NAACP, the Distinguished Citizen Award of 
the Painesville Chamber of Commerce, and recognition from the Ohio 
House and Senate for his volunteer efforts.
  By all accounts, designating the East Jackson Post Office in honor of 
Mr. Karl Bernal is indeed only a small token of the appreciation that 
we can bestow for his efforts to make life better for people throughout 
his community and throughout the State of Ohio.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, with a final thank you to the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Davis) and his staff, and also to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
LaTourette), who is not just a sponsor of this bill, but is also a 
valued member of the Postal Subcommittee, I would urge all my 
colleagues to support this very worthy designation of an extraordinary 
man.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 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. 2766.
  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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