[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 141 (Friday, October 9, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10311-H10313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  ESTABLISHING DESIGNATIONS FOR UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE BUILDINGS

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4052) to establish designations for United States Postal 
Service buildings located in Coconut Grove, Opa Locka, Carol City, and 
Miami, Florida, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4052

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

     SECTION 1. WILLIAM R. ``BILLY'' ROLLE POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 3191 Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove, Florida, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``William R. `Billy' Rolle 
     Post Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``William R. `Billy' Rolle Post Office 
     Building''.

     SEC. 2. HELEN MILLER POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 550 Fisherman Street in Opa Locka, Florida, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``Helen Miller Post Office 
     Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Helen Miller Post Office Building''.

     SEC. 3. ESSIE SILVA POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 18690 N.W. 37th Avenue in Carol City, Florida, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Essie Silva Post 
     Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Essie Silva Post Office Building''.

     SEC. 4. ATHALIE RANGE POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 500 North West 2d Avenue in Miami, Florida, shall 
     be known and designated as the ``Athalie Range Post Office 
     Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Athalie Range Post Office Building''.

     SEC. 5. GARTH REEVES, SR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The United States Postal Service building 
     located at 995 North West 119th Street in Miami, Florida, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Garth Reeves, Sr. Post 
     Office Building''.
       (b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation, 
     document, paper, or other record of the United States to the 
     building referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be 
     a reference to the ``Garth Reeves, Sr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from

[[Page H10312]]

New York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh).


                             General Leave

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4052 as introduced by our distinguished colleague, 
the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), the legislation was 
introduced on June 11 of 1998, and all members of the Florida 
delegation are original cosponsors of this legislation, as required 
under the committee rules.
  The bill establishes designations for United States Postal Service 
buildings located in Coconut Grove, Opa Locka, Carol City and Miami, 
Florida.
  Section 1 designates the United States Postal Service building 
located at 3191 Grand Avenue in Coconut Grove, Florida, to be known as 
the William R. ``Billy'' Rolle Post Office Building.
  Section 2 designates the facility at 550 Fisherman Street in Opa 
Locka, Florida, to be known as the Helen Miller Post Office Building.
  Section 3 designates the United States Post Office building located 
at 18690 Northwest 37th Avenue in Carol City, Florida, be known as the 
Esse Silva Post Office Building.
  Section 4 designates the United States Postal Service building at 500 
Northwest Second Avenue in Miami, Florida, be known as the Athalie 
Range Post Office Building, while section 5 designates the facility at 
995 Northwest 119th Street, Miami, Florida be known as the Garth 
Reeves, Sr., Post Office Building.
  Mr. Speaker, I would say that in keeping with the tradition of the 
Subcommittee on Postal Service, the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. 
Meek) has taken yet another step in advancing five very distinguished 
Americans who distinguish themselves and their communities for their 
hard work.
  This is a bit of an unusual approach to have five designations in a 
single bill, but I think it is a testament to the frugality and the 
wisdom of the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), a former member of 
the Subcommittee on Postal Service, a very valuable member and a lady 
who we miss dearly, but we know continues to be interested in these.
  I recognize that the gentlewoman has much to say about each one of 
these individuals. I would only note that having reviewed the record of 
each one of these fine designees, I could not more highly recommend 
them for these designations.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I want to 
thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), under whom I served on 
the Subcommittee on Postal Service, for his guidance and leadership in 
understanding the postal system.
  It is a very, very organized system and having worked on that 
committee was of tremendous help to me, and also now to have the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), who is the ranking member of 
that committee, to provide guidance.
  I want to thank all of those people who made it possible that we 
could recognize these citizens that are being recognized today in the 
naming of Postal Service buildings, and that many of them are unsung in 
terms of the large frame of this country.
  I want to say to the Congress that these members are people in the 
community and in Florida who have blazed a trail for others to follow. 
Also, I want to thank the members of the Florida delegation. They 
unanimously supported these five post offices being designated to these 
outstanding citizens.
  They are distinguished and, as I said, they may not be nationally 
known, but they are local heroes in our community, Mr. Speaker. There 
are post offices in this country named after certain luminaries such as 
John Kennedy, Dr. Martin Luther King and others, but I want to assure 
you that everyone in South Florida and many people in the Nation will 
recognize and be aware of the credentials of these five persons.
  First is Billy Rolle. He is deceased. The post office that has been 
dedicated to him is one that is in the neighborhood where he lived. He 
spent 35 years teaching and coaching, not the regular youngsters, but 
the out-of-school youth, many of the people that other trainers and 
coaches may not have noticed after school, but Billy Rolle noticed 
them. He also taught them band, how to have their own band, how to have 
their own track team.
  He served as an administrator in the Dade County school system for 
many, many years. He organized the First Annual Goombay Festival in 
Miami, and that festival now is known throughout the State of Florida 
and in the Nation for many who come to visit.
  Next, the Athalie Range Post Office. She served so many years in the 
local Parent-Teachers Association there in Miami. She was the first 
African American woman to be elected and serve on the city commission 
in Miami, Florida.
  She served as the first African American woman to serve in the 
cabinet in the State of Florida. She has been the recipient of so many 
awards, Mr. Speaker. I would say to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
McHugh) and the rest of my colleagues, I cannot enumerate the number of 
awards. She has dedicated herself to her community.
  The next post office is to be named after Garth S. Reeves. He is a 
current publisher and owner of the Miami Times. This was a newspaper 
founded by his father in 1923. He has dedicated himself to the 
achievement of excellence. Just the name Reeves in the State of Florida 
and in the newspaper publishing establishment throughout this country 
is well-known.
  He sits on trustee boards of three colleges located in Florida, and 
he has a scholarship set up in his name that provides support for the 
education of aspiring journalists, an outstanding example in his own 
name.
  Esse D. Silva, the next post office, she chaired the Governmental 
Affairs Committee for the Miami Dade Chamber; caused many local 
businesspeople to be able to establish businesses and to get working 
capital for the businesses they established.

                              {time}  1630

  She has lobbied for black businesses throughout this country and 
trying to build them, knowing that they provide jobs for the people who 
live in the inner cities of this country. She started the SunStreet 
Festival in Miami, Florida, to bring better businesses, and to bring 
certainly more admiration for the businesses on 7th Avenue, Esse D. 
Silva.
  Helen Miller, the next post office. She became the first African 
American female elected to be the mayor of Opa Locka, Florida. She was 
the first one in Dade County to be recognized. She served on nearly 40 
different nonprofit community organizations. Commissioner Miller was a 
motivator whose many years of political activism and political work 
made her the elder stateswoman of the Opa Locka and Miami-Dade 
political community.
  I am happy, Mr. Speaker, that I am allowed, through the committee of 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) to bring the eyes of the 
Congress and the eyes of this country to these people. I urge my 
colleagues to vote for these outstanding heroes from Dade County, 
Florida. To have their names emboldened on the post office would mean a 
lot, not only to them but to their families who come after them.
  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.
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek), as I knew very well she 
would, highlighted the many admirable achievements of these individuals 
from Florida. As she so eloquently stated, I would say in closing, in 
deriving from her experience on the committee, while often post offices 
or Postal Service buildings are named for individuals known to us all, 
for me as chairman the very special time is the opportunity that this 
provides us to recognize, as she put it so well, heroes in their local 
communities. We have at this moment five just such individuals.

[[Page H10313]]

 I would urge all colleagues to support this bill.
  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. 4052, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof), the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was 
passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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