[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 132 (Wednesday, November 17, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H9872-H9873]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          EARL B. GILLIAM/IMPERIAL AVENUE POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5364) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 5505 Stevens Way in San Diego, California, as the 
``Earl B. Gilliam/Imperial Avenue Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5364

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

     SECTION 1. EARL B. GILLIAM/IMPERIAL AVENUE POST OFFICE 
                   BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 5505 Stevens Way in San Diego, California, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Earl B. Gilliam/
     Imperial Avenue 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 Earl B. Gilliam/Imperial Avenue Post 
     Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Shays) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays).


                             General Leave

  Mr. SHAYS. 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 
gentleman from Connecticut?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation would establish the Earl B. Gilliam/
Imperial Avenue Post Office Building. I want to salute the 
distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), who earned 
cosponsorship of all 52 of his home State colleagues to comply with a 
longstanding Committee on Government Reform policy. On behalf of the 
committee members, I congratulate him on that accomplishment.
  Mr. Speaker, Judge Earl Gilliam was appointed to the U.S. District 
Court for the Southern District of California by President Carter in 
1980 and became a senior judge 13 years later in 1993. Prior to joining 
the Federal bench, Judge Gilliam served as a municipal court judge in 
San Diego from 1963 to 1975 and as a superior court judge from 1975 to 
1980. Judge Gilliam had a long and distinguished judicial record as a 
prosecutor, private practicing lawyer, and then as a State and Federal 
judge for over 30 years.
  Away from the bench, he mentored many young adults and lawyers. He 
also taught courses and directed the trial practice at Thomas Jefferson 
School of Law in San Diego. He was clearly a loved and respected member 
of his community. Judge Gilliam passed away on January 28, 2001.
  I thank the gentleman from California for this bill that commemorates 
Judge Gilliam's commitment to justice in both our State and Federal 
courts. Hopefully this post office will be a meaningful tribute to 
Judge Earl Gilliam's life and career, to his friends, family and the 
entire San Diego area.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Filner), the sponsor of 
this legislation.
  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this 
time.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Chairman Shays) and 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), ranking member, for the 
courtesy rendered to me. This post office is going to open up in 3 
days, and I had to try to get this naming on the bill in just the 
couple days we were here. The committee was very courteous to me.
  The 52 members of the California delegation, both Republican and 
Democrat, were all very prompt in their cosponsorship. The staff that 
scheduled these things was very accommodating, and I not only want to 
thank the Democratic staff, but the majority leader and his staff 
showed me a great deal of courtesy, and I appreciate that very much for 
getting this on the calendar today.
  The gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) highlighted some of the 
important parts of Judge Gilliam's life. I would just like to add a few 
things, if I may. He grew up in a very poor section of San Diego, 
southeast San Diego, where his parents owned a fish market on the very 
street where this post office will be named after him. He had to work 
his way all the way through school, whether it was high school or 
college where he went to San Diego State and then on to law school.

                              {time}  1900

  He was appointed deputy district attorney shortly after being 
admitted to the California bar in 1957, and he became the first African 
American judge appointed to the San Diego bench just 6 years later in 
1963 and was named presiding judge of the San Diego Municipal Court in 
1971. Governor Jerry Brown named him a California Superior Court Judge 
in 1975, and President Jimmy Carter elevated him to the U.S. District 
Court for the Southern District of California in 1980, where he served 
for more than 2 decades before passing in 2001.
  In his long, distinguished career, Judge Gilliam presided over 
numerous trials that had regional and even national importance. They 
dealt with drug trafficking, fraud, tax evasion, bribery, and civil 
matters; but Judge Gilliam always brought a fair and professional 
approach to the law and laid the foundation for his solid reputation, 
both within and outside the legal community.
  He made his mark in the classroom also. The Thomas Jefferson School 
of Law recruited Judge Gilliam as an adjunct professor. With his 
background in business, economics, and law, he proved to be an 
inspirational and devoted instructor for the students at the Thomas 
Jefferson School of Law where he taught for 24 years. The moot 
courtroom there at the school has been in fact dedicated also to his 
honor.
  Along with being a full-time judge, he gave his time and effort to 
his community in a whole number of ways. He served on the boards of 
organizations ranging from the San Diego Urban League to the University 
of California San Diego to the YMCA; and the community, in turn, 
honored him with a whole list of awards too numerous to mention here 
that attest to his unrelenting commitment to making a difference in San 
Diego.
  The San Diego African American Lawyers Organization in 1982 honored 
the judge by changing its name to the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, 
and they carry on his legacy by working within our community to defend 
the rights of African Americans, combating racism and poverty, and 
fostering integrity in the legal community.
  I knew Judge Gilliam for more than 30 years. He was a very big man, 
almost larger than life, full of energy, full of enthusiasm, love of 
life, great sense of humor, enjoyed life to its maximum. But he also 
saw the injustices around him in the community in which he was raised, 
and in the Nation in which he loved; and he fought to right those 
injustices, both on the bench and in his many community activities.
  So Judge Gilliam truly was a hero who worked for all of us in San 
Diego. I just am so honored to have the privilege of introducing this 
legislation to name the post office in his old neighborhood in his 
honor. I hope my colleagues will support this. I once again thank this 
House and its staff for giving me the courtesy of allowing this bill to 
be passed today.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  As a member of the House Committee on Government Reform, I am pleased 
to join with my colleagues in consideration of H.R. 5364, legislation 
designating the postal facility in San Diego, California, after the 
late Earl B. Gilliam. This measure, which was introduced by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Filner) on November 16, 2004, enjoys the 
support and cosponsorship of the entire California State delegation.
  Earl B. Gilliam was born in 1931 in New Mexico. He moved to San Diego 
with his family when he was in the

[[Page H9873]]

fifth grade. He attended local public schools and graduated from San 
Diego State University in 1953. He received his law degree from 
Hastings College of Law in 1957 and served as a deputy district 
attorney and private practitioner before joining the State bench.
  Judge Gilliam served as a municipal court judge in San Diego from 
1963 to 1975, and was a superior court judge from 1975 to 1980. In 
1980, President Carter appointed Judge Gilliam to the Federal bench. 
The honorable Judge Gilliam was the first African American to be 
appointed as a judge in the San Diego municipal, superior, and district 
courts.
  A noted jurist, Judge Gilliam presided over a number of important 
cases while serving on the Federal bench. He was the trial judge for 
the Ponzi scheme fraud trials, a trial judge in cases involving 
immigration, drug trafficking, and health care fraud.
  Judge Gilliam was not only a distinguished jurist; he was also very 
involved in his community. Beginning in 1965, he was recognized by the 
San Diego Junior Chamber of Commerce as the Young Man of the Year, 
Citizen of the Year, and Good Guy Award. In 1981, the Boys' Club of San 
Diego chose the judge as the Golden Man of the Year. In same year, the 
San Diego Trial Lawyers Association chose him as the Trial Judge of the 
Year. He was also awarded the NAACP Civil Rights Pioneer Award, and the 
San Diego Black Lawyers Organization honored his hard work by changing 
the name of their organization to the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association.
  Sadly, Judge Gilliam passed away on January 28, 2001, following a 
long heart-related illness. He is survived by his wife, Rebecca, and 
son, Derrick,
  Mr. Speaker, I commend my colleague for seeking to honor the legacy 
of the late Judge Earl B. Gilliam and urge swift passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHAYS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I just want to congratulate the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Filner) for such extraordinary work in moving this bill so quickly and 
just say that I particularly appreciate that we are honoring someone, 
frankly, who is no longer living who has been so distinguished. We are 
not honoring someone who is still alive today, but someone who earned 
this recognition in life and is now being recognized after his death. I 
would encourage the House to support the passage of H.R. 5364. I would 
also thank my colleague from Chicago for his work on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Renzi). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Shays) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5364.
  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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