[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 137 (Tuesday, October 12, 1999)]
[House]
[Pages H9837-H9839]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       LOUISE STOKES POST OFFICE

  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2357) to designate the United States Post Office located at 
3675 Warrensville Center Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio, as the ``Louise 
Stokes Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2357

       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 3675 Warrensville 
     Center Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Louise Stokes Post Office''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the post office 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Louise Stokes Post Office''.

  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 as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 2357, was introduced by the 
distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant) on June 24 of this 
year. Again, it has been cosponsored by the entire House delegation of 
the great State of Ohio in accordance with our policy on the Committee 
on Government Reform, which has moved this legislation.
  The measure does, indeed, designate the United States Post Office 
located at 3675 Warrensville Center Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio, as 
the Louise Stokes Post Office.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2357 is a very special bill in that it honors the 
mother of two very remarkable men. Louise Cinthy Stone Stokes, mother 
of Louis and Carl, was born the eighth of 11 children of the Reverend 
Mr. William and Fannie Stone on October 27, 1895, in Wrons, Georgia.
  She moved to Cleveland, Ohio, in 1918 where she met and married 
Charles Louis Stokes, a laundry worker. Charles Stokes died when his 
two sons were still infants. Louis was but 2 years old, and Carl only 
13 months. Louise, now widowed, worked as a domestic worker, and her 
widowed mother, Fannie, lived with a family and helped with the 
children. They lived in public housing on meager earnings.
  Louise Stokes insisted that her sons get jobs at an early age and 
that they, most of all, get an education, and they did. Louis Stokes 
graduated from Case Western Reserve and Cleveland Marshall Law School, 
and Carl Stokes graduated from Marshall Law School.
  Louis served as a civil rights attorney; and, in 1968, he became the 
first African-American Congressman from Ohio. Also in 1968, Carl became 
the first African-American mayor of a major U.S. city and later became 
a United States ambassador.
  Louise Stokes was selected Cleveland's Woman of the Year, Ohio Mother 
of the Year, and received numerous awards from religious and civic 
organizations throughout her lifetime. The guiding principles of Louis 
Stokes' life and his brother Carl's were really instilled in them by 
their mother. It was simply a value of hard work, education, and 
religion.
  I suspect someday, Mr. Speaker, we may be on this floor honoring two 
very remarkable men in Louis and Carl Stokes, but I think it is most 
appropriate, before we designate post offices in recognition of their 
contributions, that we first recognize the woman who, indeed, instilled 
in them the kind of values, the kind of ethics that brought them to the 
high pinnacle of public service which we have seen over so many years.
  Indeed, Louise Stokes was a remarkable woman, and she fully merits 
this kind of recognition. I would certainly urge my colleagues to 
support this bill, H.R. 2357, and place the name upon the post office 
in Shaker Heights of which all of us, not just the people from that 
community and the State of Ohio, but all of us as Americans can be 
very, very proud. She is a dedicated mother and, as I said, a very 
remarkable woman.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an opportunity to recognize the extraordinary 
accomplishments of a woman who embodies the story of literally millions 
and millions of women throughout our country who struggled against 
tremendous odds and difficult circumstances to raise children.
  Her two sons she raised after their father died, her husband died, 
when they were very young children. She worked as a domestic worker. 
She did what was necessary to feed and clothe and educate her children. 
One became a United States Congressman of some note because, not only 
was he the first African American to serve the great State of Ohio and 
the Congress, but a Congressman whose work and accomplishments and 
achievements are not equaled by many who serve in this House or have 
served in this House. The other son went on to be the mayor of a major 
city at a time in which no other African American had ever served in 
such a capacity.
  So it is a remarkable woman that we acknowledge in this naming. But 
it is a story that is very important to the very fabric of our country 
that I think is acknowledged through her life's work.
  I want to thank the gentleman from the great State of Ohio (Mr. 
Traficant), the prime sponsor of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).
  (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, this is not a day to pay tribute to Carl 
and Lou Stokes; the first black mayor of a major city, later an 
ambassador, and Lou Stokes, the first black cardinal on the powerful 
Committee on Appropriations who used to go on junkets all around the 
world with the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay). That is a little off 
joke here. They are great, dear friends.
  I decided to submit this legislation. I had some calls, and they 
troubled me. What troubled me was that some people felt well, maybe, we 
name our institutions for America's greatest; and that is exactly why I 
submitted this legislation.
  I want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh), and I want 
to thank the distinguished gentleman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Fattah), for giving this its consideration.
  This is a great American. She embodies the American experience, 
specifically the black experience, worked on her hands and her knees so 
her two boys who lost their father when they were infants could get an 
education and be somebody. God almighty, if that is not worthy of this 
designation, I do not know what is, because those two boys just did not 
get an education, they educated America and the world.

[[Page H9838]]

  I would like to put across the Record a couple quotes, humble words 
from a humble American. One of them, she said, ``There are three 
principles in our life: religion, education, and hard work.'' She said, 
``By God, my boys better learn that.''
  Another thing she said that impressed me very much is she said, 
``Yes, it is true I had to work on my hands and knees, but that made me 
all the more determined that my boys would get an education and would 
have a better life than me.''
  She later said the boys are there to do their share. They helped with 
cleaning and outside tasks, and they did chores just like I did when I 
was raised on the farm. She said they also had a paper route, and they 
did errands to help them get some spending money.
  She says then later in a quote, ``To teach them responsibility when 
they start making money, I made them pay room rent, not because I 
wanted that room rent, I wanted them to learn the responsibility, the 
value of hard work, and nothing comes easy.''
  But what is not written in that quote is she saved every penny those 
two sons gave her and put it towards their education. Yes, I guess it 
is about Carl. I guess it is about Louis. I think it is about a great 
American woman, Louise Stokes, and it is fitting this post office be 
named for her.
  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Traficant). With his permission, I ask unanimous consent that the 
humorous reference to junkets by former and present Members be revised 
in his remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1530

  Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, not having any further speakers, I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not have any further requests for time. I am not 
sure that any of us could add to the passion and eloquence and I think 
very fitting comments of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).
  If the actions of a truly remarkable woman such as this do not 
constitute what is a great American, I am not sure we know otherwise. 
So this is a truly fitting naming bill, and I would urge all of our 
colleagues to support it.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues 
in honoring Louise Cinthy Stone Stokes, the mother of two great men, 
the late Carl Stokes, Ambassador to Seychelles, and our former 
colleagues, Representative Louis Stokes.
  I had the honor of serving with Louis Stokes on the VA-HUD 
Appropriations Subcommittee, where he was the ranking Democrat and 
formerly chairman--as well as the first African-American on the 
Appropriations Committee. I know that Louise Stokes must have been a 
remarkable mother, because Louis stokes is truly a remarkable man.
  Working with him was like playing in the band with Duke Ellington. A 
master of the legislative process, he knew every agency and every 
program and how to make his points with quiet dignity and piercing 
logic. His focus was squarely on insuring that the government treated 
people fairly and that it help lift up those who had fallen behind. On 
issue after issue, from environmental justice in EPA, to fair housing 
and focused community development in HUD, to aid to HBCU and minority 
scholarships in the National Science Foundation, to science programs to 
build competence and get youngsters interested in math and physics in 
NASA . . . I could go on and on. Louis Stokes left his mark on every 
single program, bar none. His importance to the African-American 
community cannot be exaggerated.
  Louis Stokes' mother, Louise Cinthy Stone Stokes, was born October 
27, 1895, in Wrons, GA. She was the eighth of 11 children of Reverend 
William and Fannie Stone. She was raised on the family farm where she 
did the chores that were part of that life and time. Sunday school and 
church were a main part of their lives.
  Louise moved to Cleveland, OH, in 1918. It was here she met Charles 
Louis Stokes, a laundry worker, and they were married July 21, 1923. 
From their union two fine sons were born; Louis and Carl. The young 
husband died early in their marriage, when the boys were 2 years and 13 
months, respectively. Louise's widowed mother came to live with her to 
look after her family while she worked.
  Three principles guided the Stone and Stokes families: Religion must 
be central in a person's life; education is the way to come up and go 
places, and the value of hard work. Whenever she talked of her 40 years 
as a domestic worker, she would say, ``I had to work with my hands and 
this made me all the more concerned that my sons get the kind of 
education I didn't have.''
  Mrs. Stokes raised her sons in Cleveland public housing on meager 
earnings. When times were too difficult during the Depression, the 
family had to go on federal assistance. She often recalled the $25 a 
month and said, `` . . . that wasn't even rent money.'' Whenever Mrs. 
Stokes spoke about the family days, she said it was a case of everyone 
doing his share. The boys helped with the cleaning and outside tasks. 
They also had a paper route and did errands to earn spending money. She 
recalled, ``When the boys got their first jobs, I required a certain 
amount of their earnings as room rent. I wanted them to feel some 
responsibility for their home.'' What she didn't tell them is that she 
saved the money as a nest egg for them. Further evidence of the wisdom 
of a loving mother at work.
  She always told her sons, ``Get an education--get something in your 
head so that you don't' have to work with your hands like I do.'' The 
Stokes men did as mother told them. Louis graduated from Case Western 
Reserve and Cleveland Marshall Law School, served as a civil rights 
attorney and became in 1968 the first black Congressman from the State 
of Ohio. Carl Stokes graduated from Marshall Law School, in 1968 became 
the first black mayor of a major U.S. city and later a U.S. ambassador.
  Louise Stokes' love and devotion to her sons gave them a strong 
foundation to achieve greatness. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 
2357, a bill to designate the Post Office at Warrensville Center Road, 
Shaker Heights, OH, with her name.
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to honor Mrs. 
Louise Stokes by designating the Louise Stokes Post Office Building. 
Louise Stokes was a great American. She raised two sons; one son became 
a U.S. Congressman, and one son became a mayor. Mrs. Louise Stokes had 
three themes that guided her life: religion, education, and hard work. 
She lived her principles and she imparted these guiding principles to 
her two sons.
  The lives of Mrs. Louise Stokes' two sons represent an enduring 
tribute to her supreme love and care. The careers of Carl and Lou 
Stokes show that America's progress as a nation is measured not by what 
we do for the strong, but what we do for the weak; not by what we do 
for the haves, but what we do for the have-nots. Throughout their 
careers, Carl Stokes and Lou Stokes fought for voting rights, civil 
rights, education rights, and housing rights.
  Somehwere in America, there is a child living in adverse 
circumstance, maybe not even having a home. Maybe they are just sitting 
on a stoop marking the time, wondering if things are ever going to get 
better in their life, because things are very tough right now. Now, 
that person in America today could be black, could be brown, could be 
yellow, could be white. And when he or she is sitting there and feeling 
low, feeling down, wondering what is going to come and if things could 
ever get better with their life, they could think about two young 
African-American children--Carl and Louis Stokes--who were born in 
poverty, who lived in public housing, who, through the grace of God and 
a mother who worked for them, were able to move through the ranks, come 
to power, reach the pinnacle, make American history, and through it all 
they always remembered where they came from.
  I stand here with a great deal of humility, to join in honoring Mrs. 
Louise Stokes for her life, her accomplishments, her legacy, and her 
sons. It is fitting to honor her by designating the Louise Stokes Post 
Office Building.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
2357. This bill designates the post office located at 3675 Warrensville 
Center Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio as the ``Louise Stokes Post 
Office.''
  Louise Stokes in the mother of former Representative Louis Stokes and 
the late Carl Stokes, the first black mayor of a major U.S. city and 
former ambassador to Seychelles. Louise Stokes, born on October 27, 
1895, in Wrens, Georgia moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1918 where she met 
and married Charles Louis Stokes in 1923. Louise's husband died early 
in their marriage, However, Mrs. Stokes was intent on ensuring that her 
children were provided for. She always told her son ``get an 
education''--get something in your head so you don't have to work with 
your hands like I do.''
  The Stokes' boys followed their mother's advice. Both boys graduated 
from college and went on to law school. Louis Stokes served as a civil 
rights attorney and in 1968 became the first black Congressman to serve 
from the State of Ohio. Carl Stokes became the first black mayor of a 
major U.S. city and later a U.S. ambassador.

[[Page H9839]]

  Louise Stokes in the ultimate example of how a mother's love can 
positively impact her children and change the lives of millions of 
people. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Ohio, Mr. 
Traficant for introducing the bill and urge my colleagues to give their 
full support for its passage.
  Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Stearns). 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. 2357.
  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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