[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 24, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H528-H530]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         LARRY DOBY POST OFFICE

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 985) to designate the post office located at 194 Ward 
Street in Paterson, New Jersey, as the ``Larry Doby Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                 S. 985

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Larry Eugene Doby was born in Camden, South Carolina, 
     on December 12, 1923, and moved to Paterson, New Jersey, in 
     1938.
       (2) After playing the 1946 season in the Negro League for 
     the Newark Eagles, Larry Doby's contract was purchased by the 
     Cleveland Indians of the American League on July 3, 1947.
       (3) On July 5, 1947, Larry Doby became the first African-
     American to play in the American League.
       (4) Larry Doby played in the American League for 13 years, 
     appearing in 1,533 games and batting .283, with 253 home runs 
     and 969 runs batted in.
       (5) Larry Doby was voted to 7 all-star teams, led the 
     American League in home runs twice, and played in 2 World 
     Series. He was the first African-American to play in the 
     World Series and to hit a home run in a World Series game, 
     both in 1948.
       (6) After his stellar playing career ended, Larry Doby 
     continued to make a significant contribution to his 
     community. He has been a pioneer in the cause of civil rights 
     and has received honorary doctorate degrees from Long Island 
     University, Princeton University, and Fairfield University.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF LARRY DOBY POST OFFICE.

       (a) In General.--The post office located at 194 Ward Street 
     in Paterson, New Jersey,

[[Page H529]]

     shall be known and designated as the ``Larry Doby Post 
     Office''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     post office referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to 
     be a reference to the ``Larry Doby Post Office''.

  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. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 985 was introduced by the junior Senator from New 
Jersey, Senator Torricelli, on June 27, 1997, and referred to the 
Committee on Government Reform and Oversight.
  On October 9, the committee discharged the measure by unanimous 
consent and it was laid before the Senate by unanimous consent. The 
Senate agreed to an amendment and S. 985, as amended, passed the 
Senate. The House received the legislation on October 21, and it was 
referred to the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight. The 
committee unanimously passed S. 985 on voice vote on February 12.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to your attention that the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) introduced similar 
legislation, H.R. 2116, on June 8, 1997, which was cosponsored by the 
Members of the House delegation from the State of New Jersey, pursuant 
to the committee policy, and 45 other Members of Congress.
  S. 985 honors Larry Doby, the first African-American to play in the 
American League. Mr. Speaker, Larry Doby was born in Camden, South 
Carolina, but moved to Paterson, New Jersey, with his mother when he 
was 8 years old. So I think we can understand why the great people of 
the great State of New Jersey take great pride in the fact of calling 
Mr. Doby a resident of their State.
  He was a gentleman who obviously excelled in sports while in high 
school and attended Long Island University briefly on a basketball 
scholarship before he heard his Nation's call in another way and went 
into service in the Navy.
  Mr. Speaker, after World War II ended, he returned to play for the 
Negro League Newark Eagles and there history truly began. His was a 
storied career; one of high achievement; one of playing as the first 
African-American on a world championship team, helping the Indians to 
that championship victory. He later played 13 seasons in the majors 
with the Cleveland Indians, the Chicago White Sox and the Detroit 
Tigers. He had a career average of .283 with 253 home runs.
  Mr. Speaker, Larry Doby, by any measure, had a remarkable career in 
baseball. But he had placed upon him an additional challenge, one of 
his ethnic background. Many of us think, very rightfully so, of the 
incredible achievements of Jackie Robinson, the first African-American 
to play in the major leagues, and some of us very incorrectly somehow 
assume at times that after Jackie Robinson, everything was easy. That 
was anything but the case and Larry Doby, in his own way, took on that 
challenge in every bit as an effective fashion as the great Jackie 
Robinson, and I know they consider each other as colleagues and co-
pioneers in doing some remarkable things.
  The designation of this post office, I think, is a very, very fitting 
tribute to a remarkable man with a remarkable career, facing equally 
remarkable challenges. And I would urge all of my colleagues to 
unanimously join in passing this worthy piece of legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I would again thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. 
Pascrell) for his efforts in working with his colleagues in the Senate 
in bringing this bill to the floor here today.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with Chairman McHugh in support of 
Senate Bill 985, legislation which was introduced by Senator Robert 
Torricelli of New Jersey, which designates the post office located at 
154 Ward Street in Paterson, New Jersey, as the Larry Doby Post Office.
  Mr. Speaker, I must confess that growing up I was a Brooklyn Dodger 
fan, and Jackie Robinson, Don Newcombe, Roy Campanetta, Junior Gilliam, 
Pee Wee Reese, Carl Furillo, Andy Pafko and all of those were my main 
men. But I agree with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) 
sponsor of an identical House bill, H.R. 2116, when he stated that 
Larry Doby is an exceptional man and athlete. Of course, the first 
African-American to play baseball in the American League. Larry is the 
only black major leaguer from 1947 still alive.
  As we have heard, he was born in Camden, South Carolina. Larry Doby 
moved with his mother to Paterson, New Jersey. He starred in four 
sports in high school, a real feat, and attended Long Island University 
on a basketball scholarship before enlisting in the Navy.
  After World War II, he played for the Negro League, the Newark 
Eagles, with a batting average of .458, that is, until the Cleveland 
Indians owner, Bill Veeck, signed him up. Larry played 13 seasons in 
the majors: Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers, 
with a career batting average of .283 with 253 home runs.
  But Larry Doby was more than an athlete, more than a player. He was, 
indeed, a leader and was tagged and tapped to become the manager of the 
Chicago White Sox in 1978, becoming only the second African-American 
manager in the major leagues. He has not yet been elected to the 
Baseball Hall of Fame, and I certainly do not know why. But I am indeed 
pleased to join with Senator Torricelli and the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) to commend Larry Doby. And, Mr. Speaker, I 
commend the gentlemen for their foresight and for giving an honor to 
this great American.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell).

                              {time}  1630

  Mr. PASCRELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  I want to begin by thanking the members of the Committee on 
Government Reform and Oversight and, in particular, the distinguished 
Subcommittee on Postal Service chairman, the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. McHugh); the ranking member, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Fattah); and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) for their 
assistance in bringing this bill to the floor.
  I would also like to thank my colleagues from New Jersey, each of 
whom is cosponsor of this legislation, and Senator Torricelli, the 
sponsor of the bill on the Senate side.
  I think it is more than appropriate, Mr. Speaker, that we bring this 
bill to the floor today as we are in the midst of celebrating Black 
History Month. Few people are more deserving than Larry Eugene Doby to 
be honored by this Congress during this Black History Month.
  The impact Larry Doby had on the integration of professional baseball 
should not be underestimated or diminished. As the first African 
American to play in the American League, and only the second African 
American to play in the major leagues, Larry Doby is in no small part 
responsible for opening doors for thousands upon thousands of African 
American ball players.
  After playing in 1946 in the Negro League for the Newark Eagles, 
Larry Doby's contract was purchased by the Cleveland Indians of the 
American League on July 3rd, 1947. Two days later, on July 5th, he 
became the first African American to play in the American League. Larry 
Doby's debut came 11 weeks after that of Jackie Robinson in Brooklyn 
for the Brooklyn Dodgers.
  Many have discounted his achievement on the basis that he was not the 
first African American but rather the second. That, I think, is 
foolish. In fact, there is much reason to believe that what Larry Doby 
did was more special because he was second.
  He stepped onto the field at a time when Jackie Robinson, a man who 
would be a great Major League baseball player, was struggling to find 
his game, struggling to the point that many wondered whether or not he 
would make it. Robinson's struggles could have been more than enough to 
keep other African Americans from seizing the opportunity to integrate 
the American

[[Page H530]]

League, but not Larry Doby. He was a very special, special person.
  We honor him not only for his feats in professional baseball but this 
is truly a family man, a large family, a great family, an extended 
family. This is what Larry Doby was about. Not only in Cleveland, not 
only where he came from, Paterson, New Jersey, but all of northern 
Jersey and New Jersey knew of his feats. The silk city.
  Mr. Speaker, Larry Doby was from another time but very appropriate to 
our time. Today, when professional athletes hold up sneakers made in 
foreign lands with less than reasonable wages, we think of Larry Doby 
and his professionalism and his character that he brought to the field 
and off the field.
  Mr. Speaker, he is a special person because he loved children; still, 
to this day, working with them in his own community of Montclair, which 
is a few miles from Paterson, New Jersey.
  The naming of this post office is very fitting, very apropos. It 
should make us think about sports, which is all around us today. Every 
time we turn to the tube or turn to our own children or our children's 
children, it is around us and we are submerged. But that athlete, and 
particularly Larry Doby, was an individual who made sports more than a 
profession. He made sports his life.
  And, yes, he helped integrate the sport. But as significant as that 
was, he helped elevate the character of what it was to be in 
professional sports. He is a very special person, very special indeed. 
Not only as a long-time resident of our State, the silk city slugger 
has certainly been a hero to everyone. Naming this post office will not 
only be an appropriate honor for Larry Doby, it is an honor for the 
people of Paterson. From another time, perhaps, Mr. Speaker, but 
appropriate for our time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), the 
chairman, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the ranking 
member, for their leadership in bringing all of these bills to the 
floor for consideration today. I think, as usual, they have done a 
magnificent job; and I certainly appreciate their efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, today we pay tribute to Larry Doby. More 
than just a good professional baseball player, Mr. Doby was the first 
African American to play for the American League Cleveland Indians.
  Like his counterpart Jackie Robinson playing for the National League 
Brooklyn Dodgers, Larry Doby proved to any doubting fan of the game 
that baseball's color barrier had nothing to do with ability and heart 
and everything to do with ignorance and fear.
  The American men who played for the Negro Leagues should be commended 
for their grace and grit, showing world class athleticism to a country 
still coming to terms with race. In spite of being kept from the Major 
League teams, the men of the Negro Leagues, men like Jackie Robinson, 
Larry Doby and Satchel Page, played the game just as well as their 
white counterparts, men like Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Stan Musial.
  Larry Doby played for the Newark Eagles in my home state of New 
Jersey. There is another man I would like to mention who played for the 
Eagles, and his name is John Drakeford. Although Mr. Drakeford played 
for the Eagles long after Larry Doby departed, his role as a player in 
the Negro Leagues should not be forgotten. John Drakeford loved the 
game as much as any Major League baseball player and showed it every 
time he took the field. His son, Theodore Drakeford, works in my 
district office in Long Branch. Theodore talks proudly of his dad, his 
uncle Steve Stephenson who played alongside John Drakeford, as well as 
his grandfather, John Stephenson, who played for the Philadelphia 
Hilldales. John Stephenson was an All-Star second baseman and played 
when Doby played.
  Men like John Stephenson, Steve Stephenson, John Drakeford and Larry 
Doby not only contributed to America's pastime by playing good 
baseball, but also provided a valuable lesson to America's 
understanding of race. They showed us all that arbitrary labels and 
discriminatory barriers can do nothing to weaken the heart of a 
champion.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
and echo the words of the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pascrell) and 
note the very worthy individual we are about to honor on this last 
piece of legislation and urge its unanimous acceptance by the body.
  I would also like to return the very gracious remarks of the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and also extend my deep 
appreciation to him, to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), 
the entire membership on the minority side of the subcommittee, and the 
staff who have worked with us to bring these six bills to the floor 
and, in anticipation of passage of the final one, for a fairly 
successful afternoon.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Shaw). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 985.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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