[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 70 (Monday, May 21, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H2341-H2343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RON de LUGO FEDERAL BUILDING

  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 495) to designate the Federal building located in 
Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, as the 
``Ron de Lugo Federal Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

[[Page H2342]]

                                H.R. 495

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION.

       The Federal building located in Charlotte Amalie, St. 
     Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``Ron de Lugo Federal Building''.

     SEC. 2. REFERENCES.

       Any reference in a law, map, regulation, document, paper, 
     or other record of the United States to the Federal building 
     referred to in section 1 shall be deemed to be a reference to 
     the ``Ron de Lugo Federal Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette).
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 495 designates the Federal building in Charlotte 
Amalie, St. Thomas of the United States Virgin Islands as the ``Ron de 
Lugo Federal Building.'' Ron de Lugo was born in Englewood, New Jersey 
in 1930. He attended school in Saints Peter and Paul School in St. 
Thomas, Virgin Islands and Colegio San Jose, Puerto Rico.
  Delegate de Lugo ably served in the United States Army as a program 
director and announcer for the Armed Forces Radio Service from 1948 
until 1950. Following his military service, Delegate de Lugo continued 
working radio at WSTA St. Thomas and WIVI St. Croix. In 1956, he served 
as senator for the Virgin Islands, a position he held for 8 years; 
during which time he served as minority leader and member of the 
Democratic National Committee.
  In 1968, Delegate de Lugo was named the Virgin Islands' 
representative to the United States Congress. While serving as 
representative to the Congress, Ron de Lugo successfully educated his 
colleagues about the people of the Virgin Islands. In 1973, Delegate de 
Lugo was elected to serve in the 93rd Congress before running for 
governor. He later returned to Congress in January 1981 when he was 
officially elected delegate to the 97th Congress from the Virgin 
Islands, a position he held until the conclusion of his career in 1995, 
when he did not seek reelection.
  Delegate de Lugo served on the Committee of Public Works and 
Transportation and as vice chairman on the Aviation Subcommittee. I 
wholeheartedly support this piece of legislation and urge my colleagues 
to do the same.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I support H.R. 495, a bill to designate the Federal 
building in Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, in honor of our 
former colleague, Ron de Lugo.
  Although Ron was a native of New Jersey, he spent his entire life 
working in and associated with the Virgin Islands. He attended St. 
Peter and Paul School in St. Thomas and attended the College of St. 
Joseph in Puerto Rico.
  In 1956, he began his public career when he was elected to the 
Territorial Senate. From 1961 to 1962, he served as administrator for 
St. Croix; and in 1963, he returned to the Territorial Senate and was 
minority leader for 3 years. In 1972, Ron became the first Virgin 
Islands delegate to the U.S. Congress and served until 1979. After an 
unsuccessful campaign for Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, he was 
once again elected to Congress in 1980 and served until 1995.
  While in Congress, he was a tireless advocate for infrastructure 
improvements for the Virgin Islands. From his position on the Natural 
Resources Committee as chairman of the Subcommittee on Insular and 
International Affairs, he was vigilant in assuring that Federal 
policies preserved the natural beauty of the islands. Ron also was 
supportive of all efforts to provide for full participation of 
residents of the Virgin Islands and Guam in the electoral process as 
well as equal treatment under various Federal programs.
  Ron de Lugo fought for the rights and privileges for territorial 
delegates, and left his mark on the political development of the 
territories. He worked endlessly for his constituents and for full 
political status for the Virgin Islands. He was a real consensus 
builder, and he was well liked on both sides of the aisle.
  Madam Speaker, it is fitting and proper that we honor Ron de Lugo's 
public service with this designation. I support H.R. 495 and urge my 
colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen), the author of 
this legislation.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in 
support of legislation I sponsored to name the Federal building on St. 
Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands after my predecessor and the person who 
originated the office, Ron de Lugo. It is fitting that Ron be given 
this honor for his over 30 years of service to the people of the Virgin 
Islands, 20 years of which was spent as a Member of this body.
  Madam Speaker, Ron de Lugo's life has been almost entirely devoted to 
public service on behalf of the community in which his family put down 
roots more than a hundred years ago. The de Lugo family migrated from 
Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands on April 26, 1879. Ron's grandfather, 
Antonio Lugo y Suarez was a merchant on St. Thomas, operating various 
wholesale and retail businesses. His father, Angelo de Lugo, who was 
born on St. Thomas in 1892, carried on the family business. Ron de Lugo 
was born on August 2, 1930.
  Ron attended school, as you have heard, in the Virgin Islands and 
Puerto Rico; and after a tour of duty in the U.S. Army, he returned to 
St. Thomas where in 1950 he helped to start the first radio station, 
WSTA. It was at WSTA that he created the popular wise-comic character 
``Mango Jones,'' still fondly remembered 40 years later.
  In 1952, Ron led the revival of Carnival, a community institution and 
a lasting legacy of his early years as a radio personality.
  In 1955, Ron moved to St. Croix and the following year embarked on 
what was to become his life's work when, at 26, he was elected at-large 
to the Virgin Islands legislature, the youngest member to serve in that 
body. His local legislative career spanned 10 years, with one break to 
serve as St. Croix administrator. He served on the Democratic National 
Committee in 1959 and was selected as delegate to five Democratic 
National Conventions.
  In 1968, Ron was elected at-large as the Virgin Islands' first 
Washington representative and was reelected to the post in 1970. In 
1972, he was elected and seated as the first Delegate from the Virgin 
Islands in Congress.
  The establishment of this office was a great step forward in the 
political development of the Virgin Islands and was achieved in large 
measure because of Ron's efforts here in Washington. He was reelected 
to Congress in 1974 and 1976 and left to run for governor in 1978.
  Ron regained his seat in Congress in 1980 and was reelected every 2 
years thereafter until his retirement in 1994.
  With the organization of the 100th Congress in 1987, his hard-earned 
seniority qualified him for chairmanship; and he was elected to head 
the Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs because of its 
importance to the people of the territory.
  It was as chairman of this distinguished subcommittee where Ron may 
have, in the words of one of his colleagues, ``left an indelible mark 
on the history of the United States territories and the freely 
associated States.'' Among Ron's accomplishments in this regard were: 
the implementation of the Compact of Free Association which allowed the 
former Trust Territory of Palau to become the Republic of Palau on 
October 1, 1984; the legislation implementing the covenant between the 
U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; the Compact 
establishing the Federates States of Micronesia and the Republic of the 
Marshall Islands; the first bill to pass either House of Congress 
concerning the political status of Puerto Rico; Public Law 102-247 
which made it possible for the Virgin Islands and the other territories 
to receive the same benefits as States from FEMA whenever there was a 
disaster, as well as many others.
  Throughout his political career, whether it was a right to write our 
own

[[Page H2343]]

constitution or the authority to exercise the people-power rights of 
initiative, referendum and recall, Ron has been at the forefront of 
successful efforts to win greater control of their own destiny for the 
people of the Virgin Islands. For these and many other accomplishments 
too numerous to mention, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring 
Delegate Ron de Lugo by naming the Federal building on St. Thomas, the 
Ron de Lugo Federal Building.
  Our appreciation and good wishes go out to him and his lovely wife, 
the former Sheila Paiewonsky of St. Thomas.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from Guam (Mr. Underwood).
  (Mr. UNDERWOOD asked and was given permission to revise and extend 
his remarks.)
  Mr. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Illinois for 
yielding me the time.
  Madam Speaker, I, too, rise in support of H.R. 495, the legislation 
by the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands, a bill designating the 
Federal building located in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin 
Islands, as the Ron de Lugo Federal Building.
  Madam Speaker, for a distinguished colleague who has devoted almost 
four decades towards public service in Washington and in the Virgin 
Islands, this honor is both timely and rightfully deserved.
  I had the honor of working with Congressman de Lugo as a freshman in 
the 103rd Congress. At the time, he served as the chairman of the House 
Subcommittee on Insular and International Affairs having jurisdiction 
over the Caribbean, Pacific Island territories, the freely associated 
states, and those parts of the U.S. Department of Interior which had 
coordinating responsibilities for these areas.

                              {time}  1445

  As mentioned, he was tireless in his advocacy for increased levels of 
self-government, not only for all the U.S. territories but for those 
jurisdictions which ultimately came out of the trust territory of the 
Pacific Islands, Republic of Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, 
Federated States of Micronesia, and the covenant with the Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariannas. In that time that we worked together, I had 
been acquainted with his dedication to the U.S. territories. He had a 
great understanding of our home islands and the Federal Government's 
attention, or lack of attention, to the territories; the history of our 
people and our determination to right past injustices, our commitment 
towards political advancement.
  He worked tirelessly on Guam issues, as well as Virgin Island issues, 
and I considered him my mentor as well as my friend.
  It was very fitting that under the rules of the 103rd Congress, 
delegates were allowed to vote in the Committee of the Whole House, and 
he was the first delegate in American history to preside over the 
Committee of the Whole House here in the House of Representatives.
  A colorful figure in Virgin Island politics, Ron attended academic 
institutions in the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland. 
He returned to St. Thomas in 1950 after a tour of duty with the U.S. 
Army and helped start WSTA, the first radio station in the Virgin 
Islands; and of course, it was here that he created the popular Mango 
Jones. So this building is for Mango Jones, a wise-alecky character 
still fondly remembered some 5 decades after its original inception.
  Another lasting legacy attributed to our friend is the institution of 
the Virgin Islands' carnival that we know and enjoy today, and he led 
the revival of this community institution in 1952, exhibiting the 
leadership skills that would assist him in the lifetime of public 
service.
  At the age of 26, he was elected at-large to the Virgin Islands 
legislature. Consistently elected by large pluralities, he served as a 
legislator for 10 years with one break to serve as St. Croix 
administrator. He was elected in 1968 and in 1970 to be the Virgin 
Islands' first Washington representative. Due in large part to Ron's 
efforts, the office of the Virgin Islands delegate to the U.S. House 
was established in 1972 and it was a parallel effort, along with the 
election of Guam's first delegate Antonio Won Pat, who worked very 
closely with Ron de Lugo, a giant step in both of our island 
territories' political development. He eventually became the first 
person elected to occupy this seat, and he was reelected in 1974, 1976, 
and again in successive elections from 1980 until his retirement in 
1994.
  Few political leaders can claim the record of accomplishment of Ron 
de Lugo. Fewer still can boast of friends stretching from the far-flung 
reaches of the Caribbean to the western-most of U.S. territories and 
U.S.-affiliated islands in the Pacific. Throughout his political 
career, he made sure that his colleagues in the territories knew that 
he was one of us; that we were fashioned from the same mold; that he 
had walked in our shoes; and that he was always there to be of 
assistance.
  No amount of words and praise could adequately express our esteem for 
the endeavors and accomplishments of our former colleague, Ron de Lugo. 
He was a tireless advocate and great friend. He greatly deserves this 
honor, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 495.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to adopt this legislation, and I 
thank the subcommittee chairman for his support.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
H.R. 495, a bill to designate the federal building in Charlotte Amalie, 
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, as the ``Ron de Lugo Federal 
Building.''
  Mr. Speaker, I served with Congressman Ron de Lugo in this House from 
January, 1989 when I was first elected, until he retired in January, 
1995. During that time he was Chairman of the House Subcommittee on 
Insular and International Affairs, and through his leadership the 
subcommittee resolved several then-pending unresolved issues. These 
bills were later enacted into federal law, and are today the governing 
authority setting federal policy in the insular areas.
  I also had the pleasure of seeing Ron de Lugo represent the people of 
the U.S. Virgin Islands when I was a member of the staff of the 
Interior Committee in the 1970's. Throughout the time I knew him in 
Washington, D.C., he devoted himself to public service, serving both 
his constituents and the people of this nation. But this does not 
describe his service to this nation in total.
  Ron de Lugo's public service began in 1956 when he was elected as a 
senator with the Virgin Islands legislature. With the exception of one 
two-year period, he served in elected positions until his retirement in 
1995, a span of nearly 40 years!
  Among the firsts in his career are that he was the first delegate 
Chairman of a Subcommittee in the Interior Committee, first elected at 
large Washington representative from the Virgin Islands, and the first 
seated delegate from the Virgin Islands in the U.S. Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, Congressman Ron de Lugo will be long remembered as a key 
leader who shaped the political future of the U.S. Virgin Islands. 
Through his efforts, the people of the Virgin Islands have greater 
control over their own destiny, both with regard to their political 
status and development of social and economic conditions. Designation 
of the federal building in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands is a fitting 
tribute to this distinguished gentleman, and I urge my colleagues to 
support this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the 
measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. LaTourette) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 495.
  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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