[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 111 (Tuesday, September 19, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H7757-H7759]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GERTRUDE A. BARBER POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4625) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 2108 East 38th Street in Erie,
Pennsylvania, as the ``Gertrude A. Barber Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 4625
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. GERTRUDE A. BARBER POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 2108 East 38th Street in Erie,
Pennsylvania, shall be known and designated as the ``Gertrude
A. Barber 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 ``Gertrude A. Barber Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Barr) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barr).
General Leave
Mr. BARR of Georgia. 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. 4625.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Georgia?
There was no objection.
Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 4625, was introduced by the
distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. English). The
legislation designates the facility of the United States Postal Service
Building located at 2108 East 38th Street in Erie, Pennsylvania as the
Gertrude A. Barber Post Office Building. The House delegation from the
State of Pennsylvania has cosponsored this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. English).
Mr. ENGLISH. Mr. Speaker, this is a great privilege. Let me, first of
all,
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thank the gentleman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), the
distinguished ranking member, who helped me shepherd this legislation
through the committee and through the House of Representatives, with
the unanimous support of the entire Pennsylvania delegation, because
the person we are honoring today really enjoyed a Statewide reputation
in Pennsylvania as an advocate of those with special needs.
With every handshake, Mr. Speaker, Dr. Gertrude Barber left an
indelible mark, reflective of her compassion and caring not only for
those with special needs, but everyone. This native of Erie, a
community that I have lived in all of my life and which I represent,
touched so many individuals. Her special gift and passion was reserved
for the mentally disabled, but through that, she touched the lives of
an entire community and reached out and touched many people throughout
the State of Pennsylvania.
{time} 1145
For years, she gave all that she had and more, and she asked no less
of the community in which she lived. Even when one met Dr. Gertrude
Barber just once, that encounter lasted for a lifetime.
For these reasons, we as a community have decided to name the post
office in Erie, on East 38th Street, the Gertrude A. Barber Post Office
Building. I can again proudly say that every member of the Pennsylvania
delegation has cosponsored this bill.
Dr. Barber died April 29 at the age of 88. During her life, she
impacted not only Erie but our entire Nation. Her influence stretched
outside of Erie into neighboring counties, States and everywhere in her
path. It is inconceivable for Erie to imagine a life without Dr.
Barber. There was something about this extraordinary individual that
made one think that she would be around forever. To quote the Erie
Times, who eulogized Dr. Barber, ``She was a legend whose name and
works will be with us for years to come.''
Dr. Barber served more than 2,850 developmentally disabled clients
not only in Erie but throughout the State of Pennsylvania. She knew
everyone by name, whether it was a client, volunteer, or staff person.
She knew about their lives and the challenges they faced and she truly
cared.
For those of us who visited her in her office and visited her at the
Dr. Gertrude Barber Center, we saw that caring very much in action. The
disabled children and adults always came first with her. Whether she
was walking with the Governor or even a Member of Congress, Dr. Barber
would always take the time to talk to her children. After all, they
were every bit as important to her and maybe even more so.
A member of a prominent and respected family in Erie, Dr. Barber
became a special education teacher in 1933. Focusing on a need in our
community, she opened the center that now bears her name in 1952. The
Barber Center has since blossomed and flourished under her strong and
thoughtful and watchful hand. The Center has dramatically improved the
lives of the developmentally disabled. The Center has facilities for
autistic and Down syndrome children, classrooms, a library, and many
satellite sites. It has sponsored adult literacy and adult job training
programs. She and her staff have worked with mental health
professionals from 33 countries, many coming to see the methodologies
and accomplishments of this Center.
As Dr. Barber's dream continued to expand, so did the Center. During
her 48 years of service, she established many satellite sites
throughout Pennsylvania, including group homes in Philadelphia and in
Pittsburgh. She started with a small staff, which grew to 60 in the
1970s, and more than 1,650 across the State today.
During her lifetime she was recognized by world leaders, including
Pope John Paul II, and Presidents Kennedy and Bush. President Kennedy
appointed Dr. Barber as a delegate to the White House Conference on
Children and Youth. She was also a member of his Task Force on Mental
Retardation. She testified many times before Congress about the needs
of people with disabilities and mental retardation. National figures
sought out her advice, and she gladly guided them.
This is the 10th anniversary of the year that the Americans With
Disabilities Act was passed by Congress; and in July, 10 years ago,
when President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act
into law, he invited Dr. Barber to attend the ceremony. Her invitation
was in recognition of the work she put into the caring for the
disabled.
In 1981, she was on the planning committee for the International Year
of Disabled Persons and was a delegate to the White House Conference on
Education. Not only did Dr. Barber serve on countless local, State, and
Federal committees, but she even established a number of local branches
of national advocacy groups for people with mental retardation and
related developmental disabilities.
She founded the Division of Mental Retardation within the
Pennsylvania Federation Council for Exceptional Citizens, the Northwest
Council for Exceptional Children and, in Erie County, the ARC. She also
served as president of the Pennsylvania Association for Retarded
Citizens, the Pennsylvania Federation Council for Exceptional Citizens,
and the Polk State School Board of Trustees.
In her honor, scholarships have been established at Penn State
University, Gannon University, Mercyhurst College, and the University
of Notre Dame. She was one of the most recognized advocates of people
with special needs for generations and she made this her mission.
Dr. Barber was truly called to her life's work. She dedicated her
life to the thousands of children and adults whom others often treated
with disregard. She believed strongly in her dream to transform the
lives of the developmentally disabled. Her dream was just one small
seed planted in the broad fields of life, but she loved it and
protected it. She believed in her dream until it grew and blossomed and
gave great joy. She proved without doubt that one person, one
extraordinary person, can make a difference.
In the new testament, Mr. Speaker, Matthew wrote, ``The house fell,
for it was not founded upon a rock.'' Dr. Gertrude Barber was the rock
on which her centers for the disabled were built and, in fact, she was
the rock on which the disability community in Erie and even throughout
the United States could lean. Though she has died, her ideals and her
goals live on.
It is my great honor to sponsor this legislation to name a post
office after her. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring a
remarkable woman who has taught so much to so many with her message of
caring.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Barr) for managing this bill on the floor, and I would also like to
thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton), the gentleman from New
York (Mr. McHugh), and the ranking member, as I said, the gentleman
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), for their efforts in committee to make
sure that this bill passes and becomes a reality.
I hope all my colleagues will support H.R. 4625 in recognition of
this remarkable woman.
Mr. FATTAH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Let me congratulate my colleague and my good friend from the great
State and Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Mr. English). He is responsible
for this legislation. And appropriately so, because in his home
district, in the City of Erie, the person who we honor has been so well
known. But also throughout our State her work has been documented, even
in the area of Philadelphia, and it is obvious that this is the type of
person that a Federal facility, like a postal facility, should
appropriately be named, and will in this case be named, after her.
I want to thank my colleague for introducing this legislation and ask
all to support H.R. 4625.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARR of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my the
time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Linder). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Barr) that the House suspend
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4625.
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.
[[Page H7759]]
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