[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 14, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H886-H887]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  W. JOE TROGDON POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 821) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1030 South Church Street in Asheboro, North 
Carolina, as the ``W. Joe Trogdon Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                H.R. 821

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

     SECTION 1. W. JOE TROGDON POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1030 South Church Street in Asheboro, 
     North Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``W. Joe 
     Trogdon 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 W. Joe Trogdon Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Meek) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Platts).


                             General Leave

  Mr. PLATTS. 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. 821.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 821, was introduced by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble). This legislation designates 
the post office located at 1030 South Church Street in Asheboro, North 
Carolina, be known as the W. Joe Trogdon Post Office Building. Each 
Member of the House delegation from the State of North Carolina has 
cosponsored this legislation pursuant to the policy of the Committee on 
Government Reform.
  Mr. Trogdon was born in Asheboro, North Carolina, in 1932 and was 
educated in the Asheboro city school system. He then attended North 
Carolina State University from 1950 to 1954. He participated in the 
Army ROTC program while studying at NC State.
  Mr. Trogdon served our Nation as a 2nd lieutenant in the United 
States Army Security Agency on active duty in Germany for 2 years, from 
1955 to 1957. In 1957, he was made a 1st lieutenant in the Army and 
served in the inactive reserve until 1963.
  Mr. Trogdon served on the Asheboro Planning Board from 1964 to 1973 
and the Asheboro City Council from 1973 until 1983. He was then elected 
mayor of the city of Asheboro and continues to hold that position. He 
is the former chairman of the Piedmont Triad Council of Government and 
a former member of the board of directors for the North Carolina League 
of Municipalities.
  Mayor Trogdon is also an active member of the Asheboro Jaycees, the 
Kiwanis Club, the Rotary Club, the East Hog-Eye Yacht Club, and the 
board of directors for the Wachovia Bank & Trust. He is also a member 
of the board of trustees of the First United Methodist Church.
  Mr. Trogdon is the president of a family-owned business of general 
contractors, which was established in 1928.
  Mr. Speaker, it is fitting that a post office be dedicated to a 
gentleman who has given his life to public service in a city where he 
was born and grew up.
  I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 821, a bill that honors Mayor 
W. Joe Trogdon. I also want to recognize the dedicated work of the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) for sponsoring this 
legislation and for the other Members of the delegation in cosponsoring 
and bringing this issue to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Coble).

[[Page H887]]

  Mr. COBLE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I may repeat some that has already been said, but this 
is important to the people of Asheboro, and I want to go into a little 
more detail.
  At the outset, I want to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Burton), the Republican leadership, and the Members of the North 
Carolina congressional delegation for their assistance in bringing this 
legislation to the floor in such a timely manner.
  On March 1 of this year, Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 821, a bill 
to designate the new post office at Asheboro, North Carolina, as the W. 
Joe Trogdon Post Office Building.
  Several years ago, it became apparent that the former postal 
facilities in Asheboro were not adequate. In fact, the building was 
literally falling down. Condemnation of the original post office in 
1997 expedited the need for a new building to serve the area.
  During this process, Mayor Joe Trogdon was instrumental in 
coordinating the wishes of his community with the requirements of the 
United States Postal Service. He encouraged the people of Asheboro to 
actively voice their views regarding the location of the new post 
office to ensure that this new facility would be built where it would 
best serve Asheboro and Randolph County.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not know how many of my colleagues have been 
involved in building or in relocating post office buildings, but it 
involves an eternal maze. For many years, the citizens of Asheboro have 
been inconvenienced by the poor accessibility, insufficient parking, 
and hectic traffic patterns surrounding the old post office.
  After searching for a potential site for the new building, 
negotiating and renegotiating with the U.S. Postal Service and various 
landowners in the area, the project was finally completed. This 
tremendous new asset to the community will have its official grand 
opening on Sunday, April 1.
  Although it has been a long and, at times, a tenuous process, the 
community, under the leadership of Mayor Trogdon, was able to work 
through the many frustrations and disappointments and now has seen its 
goal of a gleaming new postal facility become a reality.
  Once the location for the new post office building has been 
determined, the omnibus task of picking the perfect name still 
remained. In my opinion, the name of the building should reflect a 
constant presence in the community, a person who has given of his time, 
heart and spirit, not only in the creation of this post office, but to 
the growth and prosperity of the city of Asheboro.

                              {time}  1045

  That being said, I can think of no one more qualified who exemplifies 
that description than Mayor Joe Trogdon. He is a hometown boy, as the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania pointed out. He grew up in the town of 
Asheboro. Joe received his college diploma from North Carolina State 
University in Raleigh. Joe honorably served in the United States Army 
in Germany; 6 years in the U.S. Army Reserve; and following his tour of 
duty in Germany, Joe returned to his boyhood home to begin work in the 
family business. But that was not enough for Joe Trogdon. Nearly 4 
decades ago, Joe started his public service career in Asheboro. He has 
served as a member of the Asheboro Planning Board, the City Council, 
the Piedmont Triad Council of Governments, the North Carolina League of 
Municipalities, and since 1983, as Mayor of Asheboro.
  Joe also gives of his time and talent to civic groups and 
associations such as the Asheboro Jaycees, the Asheboro Kiwanis Club, 
the Asheboro Rotary Club, and the East Hog-eye Yacht Club. Joe is also 
on the board of trustees of the First United Methodist Church in 
Asheboro. What you can say about this man is that Joe Trogdon does not 
believe in sitting idly on the sidelines. When work needs to be done, 
Joe is the first one to pitch in and help. Through his many years of 
dedication to the people of Asheboro, Joe has always put the needs and 
views of his constituents first and foremost, and for that reason he 
has gained the respect and support of the people he represents.
  Mr. Speaker, I am not alone in my desire to honor Joe Trogdon. We 
have heard from a number of groups in the area encouraging us to 
introduce legislation to name the Post Office in Asheboro in honor of 
Joe. Included on this list is the Asheboro City Council, the Randolph 
County Board of Commissioners, the Home Builders Association of 
Asheboro and Randolph County, the American Legion Post 45 of Asheboro, 
the Randolph County Senior Adults Association and the Asheboro/Randolph 
Chamber of Commerce.
  Additionally, private citizens sent letters of support to our office 
to endorse this proposal, including my good friend, North Carolina 
State Representative Arlie Culp.
  Mr. Speaker, for the benefit of my colleagues, one of my constituents 
did contact me and expressed his opposition to the naming of this 
building, not because it was being named to honor Joe Trogdon, but he 
expressed his concern that Federal buildings should not bear the name 
of people still living. I explained that rules governing the naming of 
Federal buildings do not prohibit the naming of buildings for people 
alive, and I do not think anybody is interested in accelerating Joe 
Trogdon's death to make him eligible to have his name put on the post 
office building, so I hope that gentleman's discomfort will be assuaged 
somewhat after he reconsiders it.
  Mr. Speaker, I am about to close, but I would be remiss if I failed 
to mention the names of Rebecca Redding Williams and Missy Branson. 
Rebecca is our district representative in the Asheboro office; and 
Missy, who is from Thomasville, North Carolina, is our legislative 
director here; and both of them worked tirelessly on this legislation, 
and I thank them for their efforts.
  It is for my friend and constituent, Joe Trogdon, that I move to pass 
this bill today. We wish Joe's wife could still be with us, but we know 
that Anne Trogdon is smiling down upon us today. Joe and Anne's three 
children and six grandchildren are very proud of what we are doing 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope you will all join me in celebrating this great 
man by voting in support of this bill designating the new post office 
in Asheboro, North Carolina, as the W. Joe Trogdon Post Office 
Building. My hat goes off to Joe, and I thank you all for what you have 
done for Asheboro and Randolph County. What we do here today is a 
fitting tribute to your dedicated career of public service, Joe 
Trogdon.
  Mrs. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute to speak 
about this outstanding person for whom the gentleman from North 
Carolina (Mr. Coble) has decided to name a post office.
  Listening to all of the information concerning this mayor, he must be 
a very outstanding man and has made a great contribution to his 
community, so it is good he is getting his flowers while he is alive 
and will hear the acclamations that will come from his community.
  The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) is to be commended in 
seeking to honor Mayor Trogdon. The mayor has shown tremendous 
leadership and deserves to be acknowledged for his hard work. I urge 
swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. PLATTS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Miller of Florida). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Coble) 
that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 821.
  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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