[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 77 (Monday, June 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H4366-H4368]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        FLOYD LUPTON POST OFFICE

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2326) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 614 West Old County Road in Belhaven, North 
Carolina, as the ``Floyd Lupton Post Office''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2326

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

     SECTION 1. FLOYD LUPTON POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 614 West Old County Road in Belhaven, 
     North Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``Floyd 
     Lupton Post Office''.
       (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 ``Floyd Lupton Post Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan).


                             General Leave

  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam 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 H.R. 2326.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  On behalf of the Committee on Government Reform, I rise in support of 
H.R. 2326. This bill would designate the postal facility located at 614 
West Old County Road in Belhaven, North Carolina, as the ``Floyd Lupton 
Post Office.'' Floyd Lupton, who passed away on Tuesday, May 10th of 
this year, was chief of staff to former Congressman Walter Jones, Sr., 
who served with such great distinction in this body from 1966 until 
1992.
  H.R. 2326 was authored by Mr. Jones' son, the distinguished current 
Member from North Carolina, Congressman Walter Jones, Jr., one of my 
closest friends in this body and one of our finest Members. All Members 
of the North Carolina State delegation have cosponsored this 
legislation, and I join them in strong support.
  Madam Speaker, Floyd Lupton, Sr., was born and raised in the town of 
Pantego, North Carolina, near the Atlantic coast in 1922. He went to 
college at North Carolina State University, but like so many of his 
generation, his education was interrupted by World War II. Floyd left 
home to heroically serve in the Army's 99th Infantry Division, with 
which he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, among other combat 
experiences. For his heroism Floyd earned the Bronze Star, and he was 
honorably discharged as a first lieutenant.
  After the war, Floyd Lupton returned home to work on the family farm 
in Pantego. He later worked stints with Norfolk Western Railroad, the 
State Wildlife Commission and the Beaufort County Sheriff's Department.

[[Page H4367]]

  But most notably, Madam Speaker, Floyd served for 26 years as the top 
aide to the late Congressman Walter Jones, Sr. Floyd Lupton earned a 
tremendous reputation with Members of Congress, staff and constituents 
as both a very dedicated adviser to Congressman Jones and an empathetic 
liaison with the people of North Carolina's First Congressional 
District.
  One of the most difficult jobs in this Nation is to work on a 
congressional staff, and Mr. Lupton did it with great honor for 26 
years. He took very seriously his responsibility working in the 
people's House and greatly valued all opportunities to help his friends 
and neighbors throughout his years of public service.
  Mr. Lupton retired after 26 years on Capitol Hill in December of 1991 
and returned home to Belhaven. There he enjoyed an active retirement 
with his beloved wife, Doris Ambrose. Floyd and Doris were married 
nearly 48 years before Doris unfortunately passed away on June 24th of 
1996. Floyd passed away on May 10th of this year, but this post office 
will memorialize his career of service to the State of North Carolina 
and to the country that he loved so much.
  Madam Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague from North Carolina 
(Mr. Jones) for working to honor his father's trusted assistant, Floyd 
Lupton. I support this meaningful piece of legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 2326 would designate the facility of the United 
States Postal Service located at 614 West Old County Road in Belhaven, 
North Carolina, as the Floyd Lupton Post Office.
  As the ranking member of the Committee on Government Reform, I am 
pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of this bill, 
legislation designating this facility in Belhaven, North Carolina, 
after the late Floyd Lupton. This measure was introduced by the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) on May 12, 2005, and it was 
unanimously reported by the Government Reform Committee on May 26, 
2005. It enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire North 
Carolina State delegation.
  Floyd Lupton, a native of North Carolina, grew up in Pantego, North 
Carolina. He attended North Carolina State University when he left to 
join the Army. He served in the 99th Infantry Division, received a 
Bronze Star and was honorably discharged.
  After serving in the military, he returned home to Pantego. In 1966, 
he began working for the late Congressman Walter Jones, Sr., as his 
administrative assistant. He held that position for 25 years until his 
retirement in 1991. As administrative assistant Fred earned the 
reputation as a person who was dedicated to the Congressman, the 
district and the constituents. He was always available to all, night or 
day, and never forgot who he was or where he was from.

                              {time}  1445

  Upon his return, Mr. Lupton served on numerous boards, associations 
and community organizations. At the time of his death, he was serving 
as a member of the Beaufort County Community College Board of 
Directors. Sadly, he passed away on May 10, 2005.
  Madam Speaker, I commend my colleague for honoring the legacy of the 
late Floyd Jackson Lupton, Senior, and I urge the swift passage of this 
bill.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield for such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones), my colleague, the author 
of H.R. 2326.
  Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the 
gentleman from Tennessee and the gentleman from California. His remarks 
were absolutely excellent and to the point, a very fine public servant.
  I am only going to take a few minutes. I certainly want to thank the 
chairman and the ranking member of the committee in getting this 
legislation to the floor.
  Madam Speaker, as fate would have it, Floyd Lupton and my father were 
a team. I do not know anyone that knew anything about the congressional 
office that would not say the same thing because my daddy, as many of 
my colleagues remember, who served with him on the floor of the House, 
at one point in his career became chairman of the Merchant Marine and 
Fisheries Committee, and it took a great deal of his time. Floyd always 
was there to take care of the needs of the people of the 1st 
Congressional District and to make sure that the office was running as 
smooth as a congressional office can.
  I think about the personal relationship that my family had with Floyd 
Lupton. We were like family, quite frankly.
  Floyd would drive my daddy home most of the weekends from Washington, 
D.C., to eastern North Carolina, and I would know that my father was 
coming home. My mother would call and say, ``Walter, your dad is going 
to be here pretty soon with Floyd; don't you want to come up here and 
have a bit of time with him and socialize?'' I did that so many times.
  Those days of being there with my father and Floyd, when they were 
driving back from Washington, in a house in a little town of Farmville, 
5,000 people, were very special times for me and my family because we 
were a family.
  When Floyd came to Washington, Madam Speaker, he spent I do not know 
how many hours after the Congress had finished of staying out at 7:30, 
8:30, 9:00 at night, calling constituents back home to say hello, 
trying to help someone who had a problem that they finally had answers 
and/or they could at least listen to that constituent to see if they 
could find answers.
  Floyd, as has been said by the gentleman from California (Mr. Waxman) 
and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) never, not one time, did 
he seek anything for himself. His only concern were the people of the 
1st District of North Carolina, and I think about how humble a man 
Floyd Lupton was, a man that always had time. He never would look past 
anybody when he was talking to them. He would look them straight in the 
eye. He would always take time when maybe he did not have the time, but 
no one ever realized that he had something else to do as he always had 
a way about himself so that people knew that he cared.
  Sadly, at his funeral, which I know that he is in heaven, there is no 
question in my mind about that, with his lovely wife Doris, but they 
asked me to speak at his funeral. It was an extremely emotional time 
for me, and I remember when one thing I did say that if anybody wanted 
to know the definition of public service, all they would have to know 
is Floyd Lupton because he exemplified exactly what a public servant 
is.
  I have just a couple of more comments and then I will yield back my 
time. Too many times when buildings, and whether it be a post office or 
a Federal building or State building, we always seem to think about 
someone who was elected to public life and, therefore, it is easier for 
that person who was elected to public life to be remembered, but in 
this case, I want to say again to the ranking member and to the Chamber 
that I am grateful that today we will hopefully pass legislation that 
will remember a public servant that never held public office. He could 
have probably if he had been a younger man, but he gave 26 years, as 
has been stated, to serving my father and to serving the people of the 
1st District at the same time.
  This is so fitting, and I know I speak on behalf of thousands of 
people in eastern North Carolina who knew Floyd Lupton when I say thank 
you to the committee of jurisdiction for getting this legislation to 
the floor. I know also I speak for his family as well. They will be 
thrilled and excited that we got this legislation to the floor of the 
House, and hopefully it will pass this evening.
  Secondly, I want to say that this Congress, I have the greatest 
respect for this institution and the fact today that we will hopefully 
pass H.R. 2326 on behalf of a man who never asked anything but what can 
I do to help you. That is the legacy of Floyd Lupton.
  Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I have no other requests for time, but I do want to say how moved I 
was by the gentleman's presentation. I have

[[Page H4368]]

known Floyd Lupton only through the descriptions and the information, 
the cold statistics, that have been furnished to us, but the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Jones) has given us a picture of a man who, 
through his service and his availability and his commitment to the 
public good, is well deserving of the tribute that we are bestowing 
upon him by naming this facility after him. I hope it will stand as an 
example for others to look at, the plaque that will be posted there, as 
a tribute to a man that they should remember as an example for all 
people to be committed to the kinds of ideals that he stood for.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DUNCAN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank our colleague the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Jones) for his very moving and heartfelt tribute to Mr. Floyd Lupton 
who obviously was a great American, and I am proud to be associated 
with this legislation. I, again, urge passage of H.R. 2326.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida). The 
question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Duncan) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2326.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. DUNCAN. 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.

                          ____________________