[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 32 (Tuesday, March 14, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H878-H879]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             MALCOLM MELVILLE ``MAC'' LAWRENCE POST OFFICE

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 2064) to designate the facility of the United States 
Postal Service located at 122 South Bill Street in Francesville, 
Indiana, as the Malcolm Melville ``Mac'' Lawrence Post Office.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                                S. 2064

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

     SECTION 1. MALCOLM MELVILLE ``MAC'' LAWRENCE POST OFFICE.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 122 South Bill Street in Francesville, 
     Indiana, shall be known and designated as the ``Malcolm 
     Melville `Mac' Lawrence 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 ``Malcolm Melville `Mac' Lawrence Post 
     Office''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Issa) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Udall) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Senate 2064 introduced by the distinguished gentleman 
from Indiana, Senator Lugar, would designate the Post Office in 
Francesville, Indiana, as the Malcolm Melville ``Mac'' Lawrence Post 
Office.
  Mac Lawrence was a true leader in every sense of the word. After 
graduating from Purdue University in 1943, Mac was drafted into the 
Army and, with the First Medical Battalion, he participated in the D-
Day landing at Normandy. For his heroics as an Army medic in World War 
II, Mac was awarded the Silver Star for valor, two Purple Hearts, and 
two Bronze Stars.
  After the war, Mac and his wife moved to Francesville, Indiana, where 
they were again teaching at the Francesville High School in 1946. He 
taught vocational agriculture and industrial arts and was greatly 
admired by his students for his dedication to his craft and for his 
encouraging and optimistic nature. After 30 years of service, he 
retired as administrator of the high school, whose students he spent a 
large part of his life educating.
  In addition, his service to his community did not go unnoticed. He 
served on the Francesville library board, was active in the Future 
Farmers of America, and participated in 4-H for 25 years. Mac's service 
to his country, State, and community were unparalleled, and I ask that 
all Members come together and honor this pillar of the Francesville, 
Indiana, community and pass Senate 2064.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleague, Mr. Issa, in 
consideration of S. 2064, which designates the Postal facility in 
Francesville, Indiana, after Malcolm Melville ``Mac'' Lawrence. Senate 
2064, sponsored by Senators Lugar and Bayh, unanimously passed the 
Senate on March 3, 2006. An identical measure, H.R. 4346, sponsored by 
Representative Buyer, was unanimously passed by the Government Reform 
Committee on February 1, 2006.
  A native of Indiana, Malcolm Lawrence was drafted into the U.S. Army 
after graduating from Purdue University. An Army medic serving in the 
1st Medical Battalion, 18th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division, Mac 
participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy and attended to injured 
soldiers in numerous battles. In 1944, he was injured in a mortar 
attack. Before his discharge in 1945 and subsequent return home to 
Indiana, Mac had been awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze and Silver Star, 
and a host of other medals and badges.
  Mac moved to Francesville and became a teacher at the local high 
school. He completed his teaching career as an administrator after 30 
years of teaching.
  A local hero, community leader and friend, Malcolm Lawrence was a 
beloved neighbor. Sadly, he passed away on July 8, 2004, leaving behind 
his family and a host of friends.
  I commend my colleagues for seeking to recognize the many 
contributions of Malcolm Melville ``Mac'' Lawrence and urge swift 
passage of this bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

[[Page H879]]

  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Buyer).
  Mr. BUYER. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank both of my colleagues 
for the remarks that they have made, and share with them I wish they 
had an opportunity to meet this man, a remarkable human being, who was 
very humble, like many of his generation.
  Mac Lawrence, if you were to ask Mac what was it like when you hit 
the beach at Omaha, and the only thing to protect you was the Red Cross 
on your sleeve, because he had no weapon and his only concern was to 
take care of his comrades, and there were many to take care of on that 
day.
  When I asked Mac, Tell me, what was it like? I asked him that 
question because I was asked to give the radio address to the Nation on 
the 50th anniversary of Normandy, so I wanted to talk to some soldiers 
that actually had been on the beach that day and fought at Normandy. As 
he described that day to me, he wept. He said, Steve, I am one of the 
lucky ones. Many of the survivors of that battle, that is how they 
considered themselves, very lucky and very fortunate.
  Mac came from humble beginnings in rural Indiana. He was morally 
centered. He was steeped in values, and received a pretty strong 
heritage from those who had come before him.
  Some say that the measure of a man is the depth of the footprint that 
he leaves behind. I would say that Mac Lawrence left a deep footprint 
in the community of Francesville, not only as a war hero, but also as a 
community leader and as a teacher.
  When you think of someone who just came out of the experience of 
freeing Europe from tyranny, he returns home, and what does he do, he 
wants to give back to his community and to serve his community in other 
manners. That is exactly what he did.
  So yes, he was admired by his students; but he was also a very strict 
disciplinarian. One thing that his students remember is that principles 
mattered to this man. When I think about Mac, this is an individual of 
ordinary beginnings who, like many of his generation, were called upon 
to do extraordinary acts. They make the extraordinary very common.
  This is a remarkable individual. I want to thank my colleague, Mr. 
Chocola. Francesville is in Mr. Chocola's congressional district, and I 
want to thank him for joining me in this legislation. I appreciate 
Senator Lugar also taking up this cause in the United States Senate.
  Here in the House, we do this often, to name a post office on behalf 
of someone who makes a difference and can be exemplary as a leader, so 
when some young lady or young man or boy visit the post office might 
say, who was Mac Lawrence, and we have an opportunity to then describe 
who Mac Lawrence is and to set the principles for them on how to lead 
their life. That is what Mac did for those who knew him in 
Francesville, Indiana. I thank both gentlemen for bringing this bill to 
the floor and ask Members to support it.
  Special thanks to the chairman, Tom Davis, and the ranking member, 
Henry Waxman, for reporting this legislation from the Government Reform 
Committee by unanimous consent on the first of February. Congressman 
Chocola and I introduced H.R. 4346 in November of last year to honor 
Malcolm Lawrence with the naming of a post office in Francesville, IN. 
Today we consider S. 2064, companion legislation to our bill, which was 
introduced in the Senate by Senator Richard Lugar.
  Like many Post Office naming bills, we have the opportunity to honor 
a local hero by placing his name on an important community meeting 
place. Mac left an impression on not only his own community but on a 
country.
  Some say the measure of a man is the depth of the footprint he leaves 
behind. Malcolm Melville Lawrence, known as ``Mac,'' left a deep 
footprint on the community of Francesville as a war hero, community 
leader, and a teacher.
  Born on a farm in Wheatfield, IN, Mac attended Purdue University on 
scholarship where he pursued a degree in Vocational Agriculture, 
Education, and Science. Despite being denied acceptance into the ROTC 
program at Purdue, Mac was drafted 5 months after graduating from 
college and immediately called to Fort Benjamin Harrison in 
Indianapolis to serve his country.
  It may be insufficient to say Mac simply did his duty. He landed on 
the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, with so many other young men 
from the greatest generation, with nothing to protect him but the red 
cross on his sleeve. He worked tirelessly to save the lives of his 
comrades at great risk to his own life. Mac served as a medic alongside 
the 1st Battalion, 18th Regiment of the 1st Infantry Division and was 
awarded the Silver Star for valor, two Purple Hearts, and two Bronze 
Stars during five campaigns in World War II.
  After the war, Mac and his wife Phyllis moved to Francesville, IN, 
where he began teaching at Francesville High School in 1946. Mac was 
beloved by his students for his patience, remembered for his discipline 
and dedication to his craft, teaching everything from vocational 
agriculture to industrial arts. He finished as an administrator after 
more than 30 years in education.
  Mac was the kind of person every community needs. Whether it was his 
service to his country or community, Mac asked nothing in return. He 
served on the library board, was active in Future Farmers of America, 
and participated in 4-H for 25 years. He was an exemplary citizen of 
the Francesville community and deserves this honor bestowed to him. 
Though he left this world on July 8, 2004, his legacy lives on.
  I welcome the opportunity to further honor Mac Lawrence with the 
naming of the Francesville Post Office, the Malcolm Melville ``Mac'' 
Lawrence Post Office. Leading by quiet example while he was living, Mac 
deserves resounding recognition after death. I strongly urge the 
adoption of this legislation.
  Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members support Senate 2064, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Issa) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 2064.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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