[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 65 (Monday, May 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5723-S5724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     EINAR V. DYHRKOPP POST OFFICE

 Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, on May 8, 2003, John F. Potter, 
Postmaster General of the United States will formally designate and 
rededicate the post office in Shawneetown, IL in honor of Einar V. 
Dyhrkopp. This public distinction will recognize the exemplary 
contributions of Einar Dyhrkopp in his decade of service as a member of 
the Postal Service Board of Governors. This is certainly a fitting way 
to publicly express our gratitude to Governor Dyhrkopp for his 
commitment and dedication to the Postal Service by naming the post 
office in his hometown in his honor.
  Governor Dyhrkopp was appointed a Governor to the U.S. Postal Service 
Board of Governors by President William J. Clinton on November 24, 
1993. He served in this capacity with distinction until December 2002. 
During his tenure, he served as a member of the Capital Projects and 
Compensation Committees; Chairman of the Audit and Finance Committee; 
Vice Chairman; and Chairman of the Board of Governors for two terms.
  Among the accomplishments of the Postal Service during his period of 
service was an unprecedented 5 straight years of positive net income 
for the Postal Service. In addition, the Postal Service improved 
performance to the point where 94 percent of first-class mail destined 
for next-day delivery received overnight service through most of the 
country. Also, the Postal Service achieved breakthroughs in 
productivity which allowed the Postal Service to reduce its workforce 
through attrition. Finally, the Postal Service created a comprehensive 
Transformation Plan, proposing a new business model that would maintain 
universal service and strengthen the mail system.
  Governor Dyhrkopp is President of Tecumseh International Corporation, 
a coal marketing firm. Recently, he retired from an active banking 
career after nearly 35 years of service. Dyhrkopp's interests extend to 
agriculture, and he has been a livestock and grain farmer. In addition, 
Governor Dyhrkopp has initiated land development and managed a 
construction company specializing in commercial and housing building. 
For 22 years, he was chief executive officer and partner of a southern 
Illinois manufacturing firm specializing in electronic cabinetry for 
leading American firms.

[[Page S5724]]

  A former mayor of Shawneetown, Governor Dyhrkopp has served on 
several State of Illinois commissions, most recently the Commission on 
the Future of Afro-American Males. Dyhrkopp is also a member of the 
Regional Advisory Board of the Southern Illinois University Public 
Policy Institute.
  During World War II, Governor Dyhrkopp served in the Navy on the 
destroyer-minelayer U.S.S. Aaron Ward, DM 34, which endured major 
suicide plane damage at the Battle of Okinawa.
  Governor Dyhrkopp is married to Francis Lambert Saunders and they are 
the parents of one son and three grandchildren. In addition to his 
rewarding family life, Einar is a member of the American Legion, the 
Masonic Lodge, the Scottish Rites Bodies, the Shrine, and the Veterans 
of Foreign Wars.
  Governor Dyhrkopp's contributions to the United States Postal Service 
and the Shawneetown community deserve special and lasting recognition. 
I have admired his dedication and appreciated his friendship.
  In the words of my friend Senator Paul Simon, ``Einar Dyhrkopp 
represents responsible citizenship at its best. He has aided his 
community and provided leadership on the State and national scene. He 
has gone out of his way to help those who need assistance.''
  Establishing the Einar V. Dyhrkopp Post Office in Shawneetown, IL, 
will ensure that Governor Dyhrkopp's exemplary service to his community 
and Nation is properly and publicly acknowledged.

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