[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 153 (Wednesday, November 7, 2001)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11547-S11548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        IN MEMORY OF JOSEPH CURSEEN, JR. AND THOMAS MORRIS, JR.

  Mrs. CLINTON. Madam President, I rise today to pay tribute to two men 
who lost their lives while serving their country, and to express the 
profound sorrow that our entire country feels as a result of this loss. 
I want to extend my deepest sympathies to the families of Joseph 
Curseen, Jr. of Clinton, MD and Thomas Morris, Jr. of Suitland, MD. I 
commend their service to our country, which combined totals nearly 50 
years, and pay tribute to the honorable lives they lived.
  The sudden deaths of two District of Columbia postal employees a few 
weeks ago shook our nation. We have come to realize that in our battle 
against terrorism at home, our postal workers, men and women in 
uniform, are on the front lines.
  Joseph Curseen, Jr., 47, an employee of the United States Postal 
Service for 15 years, never missed a day of work--a truly commendable 
feat. He worked evenings at the Brentwood Road mail facility in 
Northeast Washington, D.C. where he supervised bar coding machines that 
handled government mail. Mr. Curseen was dedicated to his community and 
served as president of the homeowners' association. He helped institute 
a neighborhood watch and, although he did not have children of his own, 
he helped build the neighborhood playground. Shortly before his death, 
Mr. Curseen, concerned about speeding traffic, went door to door to 
urge his neighbors to sign a petition to install speed bumps in their 
neighborhood. One of his neighbors has pledged to carry on Mr. 
Curseen's petition drive for the speed bumps.
  A religious man, who led a bible study group at work and was often 
the first one at church on Saturdays, Mr. Curseen never forgot the 
Washington, D.C. neighborhood where he was raised and often returned to 
visit his old church and school. The Reverend Lowell Chase of Our Lady 
of Perpetual Help church in Washington said of Mr. Curseen, He was just 
a good and honorable man who did his duty in a very simple and 
responsible way.
  The account of Mr. Curseen's illness and sudden death is tragic. On a 
Tuesday, he started feeling ill, but assumed it was just a cold. 
Despite his worsening pain in the following days, he insisted on going 
to work, and was upset on Friday when he had to leave work early 
because he was so ill.
  Mr. Curseen did not suspect that his illness might be something more 
dangerous than a cold. He was not worried that he might have contracted 
anthrax, according to his wife Celestine, because the Postmaster-
General had told the workers that there was little risk of infection 
from sealed envelopes at mail sorting facilities. Still, Mr. Curseen 
took some precautions and purchased rubber gloves and shared them with 
seven co-workers.
  In church that Saturday, he fainted. The medics who came to revive 
him asked if he wanted to go the hospital. Replying that it would not 
be necessary, Mr. Curseen went to work instead. At work, he felt worse 
and decided to go to the hospital. There, he was treated for flu-like 
symptoms and released only to faint again on Sunday, this time at home. 
His family rushed him to the hospital where he died six hours later.
  His sister, Joan Jackson, has remarked,

       And I just feel that my brother did not die in vain; that 
     he is an example, he is a saint, he's a martyr for this 
     country. He's every man, and . . . He's an example to us of 
     how this affects home, how it affects us in all of our 
     lifestyles.

  Thomas Morris, Jr., 55, fondly called ``Moe'' by those who knew him, 
had 32 years of service with the Postal Service. His strong work 
ethic--he often worked overtime on the night shift--was well known. He 
had a passion for bowling and served as president of the ``Tuesday 
Morning Mixed League'' at the Parkland Bowl in Silver Hill, Maryland. 
Mr. Morris was dedicated to his family. He leaves behind his wife, 
Mary, a son, two stepchildren and three grandchildren.
  Mr. Morris was an intensely private man and, in keeping with this, 
his family requested that people who knew him not share their memories 
of him with the media.
  Washington Mayor Anthony Williams, who attended Morris' funeral, said 
of him, ``He was a man who worked in the Post Office, a God-fearing 
man, a diligent man trying to support his family.''

[[Page S11548]]

  Our nation's postal employees are mothers and fathers, grandparents, 
sons and daughters and neighbors who, just like other Americans, go to 
work and earn a living. Unlike our men and women in uniform overseas, 
they did not sign up for this new battle. However, like their own 
predecessors in years gone by, they are serving our country with 
courage and distinction.
  Mr. Curseen and Mr. Morris, two men who were dedicated to their jobs 
and never sidestepped their responsibilities even when there were 
risks, have inspired us all to live up to our responsibilities and face 
with determination and courage the obstacles that are placed before us. 
Their lives have become an inextricable part of our nation's history 
and their spirits live on.

                          ____________________