[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 94 (Wednesday, July 13, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H5756-H5758]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


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             JOHN F. WHITESIDE JOLIET POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2113) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2000 McDonough Street in Joliet, Illinois, as the 
``John F. Whiteside Joliet Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 2113

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

     SECTION 1. JOHN F. WHITESIDE JOLIET POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2000 McDonough Street in Joliet, Illinois, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``John F. Whiteside 
     Joliet 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 ``John F. Whiteside Joliet Post Office 
     Building''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. DENT. 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 H.R. 2113.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2113 introduced by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Weller) names this Post Office in Joliet, Illinois, as the John F. 
Whiteside Joliet Post Office Building. All 18 Illinois colleagues of 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller) have cosponsored this bill, 
and I am pleased to participate in this bill's consideration today.
  John Whiteside was a long time opinion writer for the Joliet Herald 
News. Upon graduation from Northern Illinois University in 1971, he was 
hired by the Herald News which was the only newspaper he ever worked 
for.
  For the first decade of his career, he worked as a beat and general 
assignment reporter. But in 1981, he began writing a daily column in 
the paper each weekday that became beloved by Joliet residents.
  Mr. Whiteside wrote the vast majority of his columns on local 
matters. The most frequent and passionate topics on which he opined 
were matters of importance to community veterans and law enforcement 
officials. An Air Force veteran himself, Whiteside correctly viewed all 
of our Nation's military service veterans as American heroes.
  He, likewise, had tremendous respect for police officers, once 
championing an attempt to raise funds for a police memorial in Joliet, 
among other efforts. For his eloquent advocacy over many years, it 
appears safe to say his subjects admired him, too.
  Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, after battling cancer for 18 months, John 
Whiteside passed away on January 22, 2005. He was 61 years old. Days 
after he died, the front page of the Sunday Herald News carried one 
final John Whiteside column. It was a posthumous article full of life's 
lessons that he had written in anticipation of his death. It was a 
touching end to a meaningful career that was cut short by a struggle 
with cancer.

                              {time}  1130

  His struggle was all the more touching because Whiteside had shared 
tales of his battle with melanoma with his readers from October 2003 
through his passing in January 2005. On a personal note, my own father-
in-law passed away from that same disease in January of this year, so I 
have some understanding of what Mr. Whiteside and his family went 
through. My sympathies go out to his family.
  Mr. Speaker, John Whiteside was indeed a memorable resident of 
Joliet. Readers of the Herald News have spent a few moments with John 
every Monday through Friday for nearly a quarter of a century. For 
these reasons, it is fitting that the House would pass this bill to 
name a post office in his honor in his hometown of Joliet. I urge all 
my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 2113.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Government Reform Committee, I am 
pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 2113, legislation 
naming a postal facility in Joliet, Illinois, after the late John 
Whiteside. This measure was introduced by my friend, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Weller), on May 5, 2005, and unanimously reported by the 
Government Reform Committee on June 16, 2005. H.R. 2113 enjoys the 
support and cosponsorship of the entire Illinois State delegation.
  John Whiteside worked at the Herald News, a suburban Chicago 
newspaper, for 34 years as a reporter and columnist. He was well 
respected in his community as someone who fought for the rights of 
veterans. As a veteran, one of his most notable achievements was to 
increase the number of honor guard volunteers for the Abraham Lincoln 
National Cemetery in Elwood, Illinois.
  Sadly, John Whiteside passed away in January of cancer. Mr. Speaker, 
I commend my friend and colleague for renaming the Joliet post office 
after Mr. Whiteside and urge support for this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Weller).
  Mr. WELLER. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2113, 
legislation in tribute to John Whiteside which names the Joliet post 
office in his honor. John Whiteside was a citizen

[[Page H5757]]

and a local hero from the congressional district that I have the 
opportunity to represent, a man who touched so many lives through his 
daily commentary with the Herald News in Joliet, Illinois. John F. 
Whiteside inspired countless readers through his 34 years of service 
with the newspaper.
  Let me begin by thanking Government Reform Committee Chairman Tom 
Davis; my friend Mr. Dent of Pennsylvania; my very, very good friend 
Mr. Davis of Illinois for joining me here on the floor today; and the 
support of the Government Reform Committee for this legislation, 
because today the House will be voting on legislation that I along with 
the entire delegation of Illinois, all 19 Republicans and Democrats, 
have cosponsored, legislation naming the Joliet post office the John F. 
Whiteside Joliet Post Office Building. I would note that this post 
office building is on McDonough Avenue just a few short blocks from the 
Joliet Herald News offices where he put in so many hours and so many 
days over the years. I ask my colleagues to support this legislation 
today.
  John Whiteside started his career with the Joliet Herald News in 1971 
as a beat reporter and became a true storyteller in 1981 when he 
started his own personal daily column. Many of his columns focused on 
the good nature of people, and he especially loved writing about police 
officers and veterans because he looked to police officers and veterans 
as his heroes. Readers appreciated his dedication and his advocacy for 
veterans. John himself was a United States Air Force veteran and wrote 
thousands of stories about the concerns of local veterans.
  One of the biggest veterans accomplishments for John, something he 
was so proud of and something he invested so much time and personal 
effort in, was helping organize the honor guard units for military 
funerals at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery located outside of 
Joliet at the former Joliet arsenal. Mr. Whiteside's legacy included 
helping to raise funds that equipped squad cars in Will County with 
video cameras to help nail drunk drivers. He is also noted for reviving 
police interest in the unsolved disappearance of Joliet newspaper 
editor Molly Zelko in 1957.
  Mr. Whiteside was a recipient of many awards during his 34-year 
career with the Herald News in Joliet, Illinois, and some of these 
awards and recognitions included the Will County Sheriff's Department 
2004 lifetime achievement award; Joliet area historical museum war 
heroes gallery named in John Whiteside's honor; and an Illinois State 
house resolution in 2004 honoring his long service to the Herald News 
and the Joliet community, just to name a few.
  As a columnist, John knew how to connect with every reader through 
the emotions he brought to his stories. He brought even more emotion to 
them when he found out he had melanoma cancer in the fall of 2003. 
Through his trials and tribulations, he chose to share his cancer story 
with his readers and gave many other cancer victims empathy and hope in 
their own troubled times.
  On January 22, 2005, John Whiteside lost his battle with cancer, 
leaving behind his wife, Mary Jane, and his daughter, Shelley. He so 
enjoyed spending time with his family and will be remembered for the 
time he spent creating birdhouses out of wood in the basement of his 
home.
  In Mr. Whiteside's very last column, he gave some very valuable 
advice. He said, ``Live every second of every minute of every hour of 
every day you are given on this good Earth. Look for the positive. 
Search for the smile. Seek out the good. It is all around you if you 
just take the time to recognize it.''
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a few minutes to share John 
Whiteside's last column with my colleagues. This column, of course, was 
published after John passed away on the front page of Joliet Herald 
News. It is entitled, ``Lifelong Dream Ends in Final Column,'' 
published in the Herald News on January 23, 2005.
  ``If you're reading this, I have already looked upon the face of God. 
And I pray that he has nodded his head in a positive way.
  ``I had a good life. A good wife and daughter. Good friends and good 
times. A good job.
  ``But, sure, I have some regrets. I did some wrongs at times, which I 
hope I have been forgiven for doing. The last months of my life were 
full of blessings. So many of you prayed for me and wrote of your 
concern for my health. I had hoped for a miracle, but it wasn't meant 
to be. I guess I completed my purpose in being in this world.
  ``In heaven, well, I don't expect pearly gates and streets of gold. 
But I know I'll find a place full of goodness, compassion, and mercy. 
There will be no evil. No meanness. No brutal crime and war. No disease 
and illness. No jealousy and no hatred. No greed. And no politics.
  ``If I am allowed to enter this place, I believe that I will be 
united with my lost loved ones, including my dad, Uncle John, Aunt 
Mary, Grandma and a whole bunch of great uncles and aunts who loved me 
as a child. I'll see my buddies like Happy Chopp, Dan Stobbe and Ralph 
Wick.
  ``As I visualize my role in heaven, maybe God needs a birdhouse 
builder to construct shelters for his birds which sing lovely songs. I 
really have enjoyed creating birdhouses. Some of my happiest hours were 
in my basement workshop cutting and hammering on them.
  ``But the real love of my life, outside of my wife and daughter, has 
been this column. From the time I was old enough to dream, I wanted to 
be a writer. I wanted to be a storyteller. And I even thought that God 
told me as a child that I would be a writer.
  ``The column gave me an outlet to hook words together and tell you a 
story on a daily basis. I wrote thousands and remembered most of them. 
But I couldn't remember the names. I thought that the Lord directed me 
at times to tell certain tales, which just seemed to fall into my lap. 
Someone told someone to call John Whiteside because they recognized 
that as my kind of story.
  ``Two of my very best friends have been storytellers, too, Marx 
Gibson and Lonny Cain. Both were mentors as well as buddies.
  ``In my last days, cancer changed me. I believe it made me a better 
man. It brought me closer to my wife and daughter. It made me more 
compassionate to mankind. It brought me honors from friends, colleagues 
and people.
  ``I have no major regrets. I called them, for the most part, like I 
saw them. But I wasted time when I should have been living every moment 
to the fullest.
  ``If I have any advice to pass on to the rest of you, it's all about 
living. Living every second of every minute of every hour of every day 
you are given on this good Earth. And don't get caught up in any form 
of hatred. Hatred, anger, and the negative only feeds upon you and will 
destroy you. Look for the positive. Search for the smile. Seek out the 
good. It is all around you if you just take the time to recognize it. 
And laugh a lot, because laughter is healthy.
  ``As my storytelling days have ended, now perhaps I have the final 
chapter of what happened to Molly Zelko. Maybe God will allow me to 
interview her if she made it upstairs, too.
  ``But, no, Molly isn't what I consider my best accomplishments. They 
include helping with the honor guard system at the national cemetery, 
the Taylor Pirc video camera project, writing veterans' memories and 
building the police memorial in front of the courthouse.
  ``But most of all, I like my people stories. Stories about ordinary 
folks caught up in some form of human drama. My favorite saying was, 
everyone has a story to tell if you just listen. I believed that all of 
my journalism life.
  ``But now it's over. Good-bye, my friends. Thanks for reading my 
stuff. God bless you all.
  ``At this time, my only regret is that I can't write a column and 
share with you what is happening to me right now.
  ``P.S. I don't have a phone number to accept calls anymore. But maybe 
I can hear a few prayers coming my way.''
  That final column published in the Joliet Herald News on January 23 
of this year says so much about John Whiteside, and he wrote it in his 
own words.
  Ladies and gentlemen of this House, I ask again that you join me in 
honoring and remembering this extraordinary man who touched so many 
lives in so

[[Page H5758]]

many ways and I ask for an ``aye'' vote on H.R. 2113.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Weller) for his work on H.R. 2113.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Simpson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2113.
  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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