[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 104 (Tuesday, September 7, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H6719-H6720]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HARVEY AND BERNICE JONES POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 4381) to designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 2811 Springdale Avenue in Springdale, 
Arkansas, as the ``Harvey and Bernice Jones Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4381

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

     SECTION 1. HARVEY AND BERNICE JONES POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2811 Springdale Avenue in Springdale, 
     Arkansas, shall be known and designated as the ``Harvey and 
     Bernice Jones 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 Harvey and Bernice Jones Post Office 
     Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I am 
pleased to rise in support of H.R. 4381. The Congress names post 
offices after numerous Americans, some famous, some anonymous, who 
devote inordinate time, energy, and resources to constructive causes, 
to their communities, or to the greater public. And today, through the 
consideration of H.R. 4381, we recognize a couple that is among the 
most deserving to be honored by Congress with a local post office.
  Mr. Speaker, Harvey and Bernice Jones dedicated literally a lifetime 
of service to the people of Arkansas. The Joneses gave away literally 
millions of dollars to schools, to hospitals, to charities, most of 
them in northwest Arkansas, through the Harvey and Bernice Jones 
Charitable Trust.
  After Harvey died in 1989, Bernice established the Harvey and Bernice 
Jones Eye Institute at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in 
Little Rock in 1994. The next year Bernice opened the Harvey and 
Bernice Jones Center for Families and Children in Springdale. The 
center, which features a swimming pool and ice skating rink, continues 
to positively mentor youths. President Clinton took notice of Mrs. 
Jones's work in his home State and awarded Bernice the Presidential 
Citizens Medal for her benevolence to humanity on February 22, 1996.
  Bernice Jones passed away September 10, 2003. And I thank the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Congressman Boozman) for advancing this 
legislation on behalf of Harvey and Bernice Jones. This beloved couple 
deserves to be remembered by the people of Springdale forever. This 
post office should serve as a wonderful memorial to their compassion.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Committee on Government Reform, 
I am pleased to join with my colleagues in the consideration of H.R. 
4381, legislation naming a postal facility in Springdale, Arkansas, 
after Harvey and Bernice Jones. This measure, which was introduced by 
the gentleman from Arkansas (Representative Boozman) on May 18, 2004, 
and unanimously reported by our committee on July 8, 2004, enjoys the 
support and cosponsorship of the Arkansas delegation.
  As my colleagues have heard, the late Harvey and Bernice Jones were 
founders of a nonprofit organization, the Jones Center for Families. 
The mission of the center is to ``serve families, strengthen community, 
and glorify God.'' The organization, which provided a host of needed 
community services including health, education, and recreational 
facilities, was founded to improve the lives of those in need of 
assistance and guidance.
  In 1996 President William Clinton awarded Mrs. Bernice Young Jones 
the Presidential Citizen Medal. Throughout her life, Mrs. Jones donated 
millions of dollars to assist individuals and families.
  Mr. Harvey Jones, who built one of the largest trucking companies in 
the country, was also a generous contributor to charitable 
organizations. Sadly, he passed in 1989, and Mrs. Jones passed away 
last year.
  I commend my colleagues for sponsoring this bill, and I urge its 
quick passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Boozman), my distinguished 
colleague.
  Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. 
Miller) for yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to introduce legislation to my fellow 
colleagues to name the post office at 2811 Springdale Avenue in 
Springdale, Arkansas, after Harvey and Bernice Jones. Harvey and 
Bernice Jones are known throughout Arkansas for their amazing 
generosity and compassion for their community. Harvey Jones first 
started the Springdale Transportation Company in 1919 and soon changed 
the name to Jones Truck Lines, Incorporated, which later became one of 
the largest privately owned trucking companies in the United States. In 
1938 the couple married and together used their success to further the 
improvement of their community and their home State of Arkansas.
  The Joneses were instrumental in the development of Springdale's 
first hospital, and in 1992 Bernice Jones continued their support for 
the hospital by pledging $25 million to the Northwest Medical Center of 
Washington County. Furthermore, the couple provided a wing of the 
hospital for family members who want to stay close to their loved ones.
  Harvey Jones was chairman of the Springdale Memorial Hospital Board,

[[Page H6720]]

president of the Springdale School Board, president of the Springdale 
Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the board of the First National 
Bank of Springdale.
  After her husband's death in 1989, Bernice Jones continued the 
couple's philanthropic interests. She paid for the computers and 
Internet access for the entire Springdale School System and was a lead 
supporter for the children's library fund. As an eye doctor in 
Arkansas, I was gratified by her donation of $11.5 million for the 
56,000 square foot Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute at the 
University of Arkansas for the Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
  I could go on and on with the extensive list of their contributions 
and achievements, but probably their most memorable gift to the 
community is the Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families in 
Springdale, Arkansas. Established by Mrs. Jones in 1995, the Jones 
Center is a 235,000 square foot facility dedicated to the intellectual, 
cultural, and spiritual enhancement of families throughout the 
community.
  The center offers ice skating, swimming, and numerous other sports 
activities. There is a beautiful chapel for services and weddings. An 
ever-widening array of family classes are offered, including a senior 
center, a teen arts program, CPR, cancer screening, and many, many 
more. All of this is free for the community use as long as they behave 
like ladies and gentlemen. This was Bernice's only rule for the center. 
The Joneses are still honored extensively throughout the State for 
their accomplishments. We can continue to honor them by naming the 
Springdale Post Office after the Joneses. They selflessly rose to 
answer the call of their community time and time again and will 
continue to be an inspiration for Arkansas for years to come.
  Ms. WATSON. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4381.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and 
nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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