[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 102 (Wednesday, September 6, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7235-H7236]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DR. FLOSSIE McCLAIN DEDMOND POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4449) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1908 North Ellamont Street in Baltimore, Maryland,
as the ``Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond Post Office Building.''
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4449
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DR. FLOSSIE MCCLAIN DEDMOND POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1908 North Ellamont Street in Baltimore,
Maryland, shall be known and designated as the ``Dr. Flossie
McClain Dedmond Post Office Building''.
(b) References.--Any reference in a law, map, regulation,
document, paper, or other record of the United States to the
facility referred to in subsection (a) shall be deemed to be
a reference to the ``Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings)
each will control 20 minutes.
[[Page H7236]]
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).
General Leave
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on H.R. 4449.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 4449, was introduced by the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), my colleague. This legislation
designates the post office located at 1908 North Ellamont Street in
Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond Post
Office.'' Each member of the Maryland delegation has cosponsored this
legislation, pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government
Reform.
Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond earned a bachelor's degree in English
from Fisk University, a master's degree from Columbia University, and
she pursued postgraduate studies in English and speech at Ohio State
University and Catholic University of America, respectively.
Dr. Dedmond taught and held administrative positions at Allen
University, Benedict College, Knoxville College, Morgan State
University, and Coppin State College, where she spent 31 years in
various posts.
She held various positions at Coppin, including professor of English,
head of the English Department, and chair of numerous committees. She
was also the director of the summer/evening college and retired as dean
of the arts and sciences division.
The first residence hall at Coppin State College was named ``The
Flossie M. Dedmond Center for Living and Learning.'' Dr. Dedmond was
bestowed the honor of Dean Emeritus when she retired from Coppin State.
Dr. Dedmond passed away on September 11, 1998.
Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 4449, a bill that
honors a great academician who has inspired innumerable young
Americans.
I also want to recognize the dedicated work of the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) in bringing this legislation to the floor.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond earned a bachelor's degree
in English from Fisk University, received a master's degree from
Columbia University, and pursued postgraduate studies at Ohio State
University and Catholic University of America. She served in teaching
and administrative positions at Allen University, Benedict College,
Knoxville College, Morgan State University, and Coppin State College.
{time} 1615
Dr. Dedmond spent 31 years working at Coppin State College where she
served in numerous roles. Upon her retirement, the honor of Dean
Emeritus was bestowed upon her. In 1993, Coppin's first residence hall
was named after her and is called the Flossie M. Dedmond Center for
Living and Learning.
A talented musician, Dr. Dedmond composed the alma mater for Allen
University, and the song is still in use today. Along with her other
many talents and honors, Dr. Dedmond was a prize winning poet. For over
6 years, she served as the Governor's appointee on a 13-member
appellate judicial nominating commission. She is the former national
vice president of the National Council of Negro Women. Dr. Dedmond was
also a 52-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a service
sorority. In her many years of service to this organization, she was a
former national public relations director of the sorority and was one
of the organization's incorporators of the Cleveland Job Corps. She
died on September 11, 1998.
Dr. Burnett, the President of Coppin State University, tells a very
interesting story about how, when she was dean, she had a major trip
that she was supposed to take to Austria to deliver a paper and it was
probably the most important trip of her life as a college educator. He
said that she was prepared to go but they had some problems at the
university and so he thought that she had flown off to deliver her
paper in Austria. So he walks in early that Monday morning to try to
address the problems, and she is sitting there in his office. He said,
``Why are you still here?'' She says, ``I'm here because I didn't want
to leave you here to drown. I wanted to stay here to make sure that the
students who come through the doors of this university have an
opportunity to move forward and become the great people that I know
that they can be.''
That was what Dr. Dedmond was all about, touching the lives of
college students, making sure that they were prepared to go out of the
doors of Coppin State University and other historically black colleges
and universities so that they could touch others to make their lives
better.
She would often talk about breaking the cycle of poverty and breaking
the cycle of illiteracy and breaking the cycle of alcoholism and health
problems and she wanted to do her part; and she did, staying so long at
Coppin State University, touching the young people's lives, making it
so that they could break the cycles in their own families. And so today
we salute her.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this
very important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
This legislation honors a woman, Dr. Dedmond, who was a woman of arts
and letters and great service to her country and to her community.
It is important that we open the doors of opportunity for others, but
it is also very important that we prepare them to go through those
doors. That is what Dr. Dedmond did.
I urge passage of H.R. 4449.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kuykendall). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4449.
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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