[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 131 (Tuesday, September 23, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H8460-H8461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ROBERTO CLEMENTE WALKER POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2826) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1000 Avenida Sanchez Osorio in Carolina, Puerto
Rico, as the ``Roberto Clemente Walker Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read as follows:
H.R. 2826
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ROBERTO CLEMENTE WALKER POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1000 Avenida Sanchez Osorio in Carolina,
Puerto Rico, shall be known and designated as the ``Roberto
Clemente Walker 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 Roberto Clemente Walker Post Office
Building.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy).
General Leave
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2826, introduced by the gentleman from Puerto Rico
(Mr. Acevedo-Vila) designates the U.S. Postal Service facility in
Carolina, Puerto Rico, as the Roberto Clemente Walker Post Office
Building. Roberto Clemente was one of baseball's greatest heroes, both
when he commanded the right fields of baseball stadiums across America,
and when he was so giving of his time, energy and resources off the
field. Naming this post office in Carolina, his hometown, is a
wonderful tribute to a man all of us ought to never forget.
This legislation is particularly relevant to my constituents and
myself because of Roberto Clemente's great years with the Pittsburgh
Pirates. He played all of his 18 major league seasons in Pittsburgh,
slugging 240 home runs and exactly 3,000 hits. Clemente remains the
Pirates' all-time leader in at-bats and hits. Along with his hitting
prowess, Pittsburghers and Pirate fans everywhere remember his cannon
of an arm. Number 21 finished his career with 266 assists from the
outfield, and won 12 Gold Gloves.
And at a time when we may confuse the meaning of hero, he truly fits
the definition, showing sacrifice and courage and giving of himself to
help others. Beyond the baseball field, Roberto Clemente took seriously
his role as a community leader. He was known for his work to bring
better lives to disadvantaged children all over the world. And
tragically, it was his charitable conduct that led to his death. After
relief supplies had failed to be sent to Nicaragua immediately
following a devastating earthquake in December 1972, Clemente wanted to
see to it himself that essential provisions were delivered. Roberto
loaded 16,000 pounds of supplies into a DC-7 aircraft and set off for
Nicaragua. The plane, apparently overloaded, crashed just off the coast
of his native Puerto Rico on New Year's Eve.
Major league baseball honored Roberto Clemente the very next summer
by inducting him into Baseball's Hall of Fame. He was the first player
ever from Latin America to become a Hall of Famer; and today, Major
League Baseball's annual Man of the Year Award is named in Roberto
Clemente's honor.
{time} 1600
After Clemente's death, his eldest son, Roberto, Jr., sought to
continue his father's benevolent legacy; and in 1993 he established the
Roberto Clemente Foundation, which provides educational and
recreational programs for disadvantaged youth in the Pittsburgh area. I
want to commend all those involved in the work of the Roberto Clemente
Foundation today.
Roberto Clemente once said, ``I want to be remembered as a ball
player who gave all he had to give.'' Off the field, perhaps more than
on, today we remember Roberto Clemente as just that, a man who gave all
he had to give.
Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of
H.R. 2826 that will name this post office after Roberto Clemente,
number 21. I thank the gentleman from Puerto Rico for his work on this
fitting honor for a
[[Page H8461]]
baseball great and a great humanitarian.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
H.R. 2826 would designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1000 Avenida Sanchez Osorio in Carolina, Puerto
Rico, as the Roberto Clemente Walker Post Office Building. As a member
of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased to join my
colleague in the consideration of H.R. 2826, which designates a U.S.
postal facility in Puerto Rico after Roberto Clemente Walker. H.R. 2826
was introduced by the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Acevedo-Vila) on
July 23, 2003.
Roberto Clemente Walker was born in Barrio San Anton in Carolina,
Puerto Rico, in 1934. A top athlete from his early years where he
excelled in track and field, he went on to play amateur baseball in
Puerto Rico. From there he signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers, playing
for the Montreal Royals. He later joined the Pittsburgh Pirates
baseball team as the number one draft pick in 1954. He played 18 years,
his entire major league career, with the Pirates.
During his career with the Pirates, Roberto Clemente played in two
World Series, he was the National League batting champion four times,
was awarded 12 Gold Gloves, and selected National League Most Valuable
Player. Roberto Clemente Walker could do it all, and he did.
He was also a very caring man. He was the father of three sons,
Roberto, Jr.; Luis Roberto; and Roberto Enrique, and the husband of
Vera Cristina Zabala. Sadly, he died in a plane crash in 1972
delivering food, clothes, and medical supplies to an earthquake-
stricken Nicaragua.
Mr. Speaker, while we often honor athletes for their great athletic
ability, for the number of home runs that they hit, for how fast they
can run, how well they can catch, how many touchdowns they may have
thrown or how many they may have caught, Roberto Clemente died
demonstrating that when you give of yourself, when you give of yourself
for others, that is when you truly give. That is really what makes you
great. Roberto Clemente died proving that if he could help somebody as
he passed along, if he could cheer somebody with a word of song, if he
could give his life for the benefit of others, that is the real stuff
that heroes are made of. That is really what made Roberto Clemente the
hero that we all know him to be.
I commend my colleague for seeking to honor this great American, this
great humanitarian, this great man. I urge passage of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Puerto Rico (Mr. Acevedo-Vila), the author of this legislation.
Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA. Mr. Speaker, today is a very important day for
Puerto Ricans, for fans of baseball, and for humanitarians alike who
value the legacy of Roberto Clemente, one of the greatest ball players
of all time. It gives me great pride to recognize Roberto Clemente's
successful career, both on the field as a baseball player and off it as
a humanitarian, by naming a post office after him in his native town of
Carolina, Puerto Rico.
Roberto had rare talent that combined all the essential elements of a
great baseball player. He had a powerful bat, speed, graceful fielding,
and an especially amazing arm. But perhaps the most important
characteristics about Roberto Clemente for Puerto Ricans and for
Americans include his character, integrity, humility, and commitment to
excellence both on and off the field.
Between 1955 and 1972, Roberto Clemente batted 9,454 times in the
major leagues, scored 1,416 runs, 3,000 hits, the first Puerto Rican to
reach that mark; 240 home runs and batted in 1,305 runs in 2,433 games.
Also, Roberto won four National League batting titles, 1961, 1964, 1965
and 1967; had a .317 lifetime batting average; and was selected 12
times to the Midsummer Classic, the All-Star game.
Roberto also participated in two World Series, won the National
League Most Valuable Player award in 1966, and became the first Puerto
Rican to win such an award. He also won 12 Gold Gloves as a right
fielder; and was selected, and I remember that one, in 1971 the World
Series Most Valuable Player. Also, Roberto Clemente has been the only
Latin American to appear in two First Class stamps.
Puerto Ricans remember Roberto Clemente with great pride, for he not
only made the most of his athletic talents, he was also a role model
for us all, helping those in need and giving back to the community what
he earned through his hard work and dedication. In a day when we often
cringe at the scandals involving some of our greatest athletes, we can
remember Roberto Clemente for all the great things he embodied.
Last December 31, 2002, we commemorated the 30th anniversary of his
tragic death. Roberto died on New Year's Eve while delivering aid to
the victims of a major earthquake that hit Nicaragua in 1972. I was 10
years old, and I clearly remember that New Year's Day in Puerto Rico
the reaction, a holiday that is supposed to be a celebration, New
Year's Day was a day of great, great sorrow for the people of Puerto
Rico when we all learned about what had just happened to Roberto. Even
though his family urged him not to do the trip because of foul weather,
Roberto was determined to help the victims. Unfortunately, the plane
suffered a tragic accident; and Roberto and the whole crew perished in
the incident.
H.R. 2826 will honor Roberto's legacy by naming his hometown post
office in his honor. This legislation will serve much-deserved
recognition to Roberto Clemente. It is for our fallen star, his family,
and for all his fans in Puerto Rico, Pennsylvania, and throughout the
world. We will never ever forget what he brought to both the baseball
field and to our society.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Again, I would like to commend the gentleman from Puerto Rico for
introducing this legislation. In my community, there is a Roberto
Clemente High School that we revere as one of the great institutions in
the city of Chicago. I certainly would urge passage of this legislation
naming a post office for a tremendous athlete, but more than that for a
great humanitarian and a great citizen.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MURPHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I am just reminded of one other thing. When Roberto Clemente hit his
3,000th hit, as he reached the base, he stood there and raised his hat
to the fans. It is fitting for a man who gave his life helping others
that we raise our hats to him. I urge all Members to support the
passage of this measure that honors Roberto Clemente.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Culberson). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2826.
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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