[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 33 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H1162-H1163]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JOHN HENRY WOOTEN, SR. POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 3803) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 3100 Cashwell Drive in Goldsboro,
North Carolina, as the ``John Henry Wooten, Sr. Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3803
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. JOHN HENRY WOOTEN, SR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 3100 Cashwell Drive in Goldsboro, North
Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``John Henry
Wooten, Sr. 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 Henry Wooten, Sr. Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to extend and revise their
remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
As a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government
Reform, I am pleased to join my colleagues in the consideration of H.R.
3803, which names a postal facility in Goldsboro, North Carolina, after
John Henry Wooten, Sr.
H.R. 3803, which was introduced by Representative G.K. Butterfield of
North Carolina on October 10, 2007, was reported from the Oversight
Committee on December 12, 2007, by a voice vote.
{time} 1045
This measure has the support of the entire North Carolina
congressional delegation. A native of Goldsboro, North Carolina, John
Henry Wooten, Sr. was a graduate of the city's Dillard High School
where he would later serve as the last principal of the school before
it closed after integration. Mr. Wooten's postsecondary educational
pursuits took him to North Carolina A&T State University where he
earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees.
Beyond his educational accomplishments, Mr. Wooten also was a World
War II veteran having served as surgical technician in the Pacific
theater for the 2nd Infantry, 10th Army Division. A loyal servant to
his community, Mr. Wooten held seats on the Board of Trustees of North
Carolina A&T University, Wayne County Board of County Commissioners,
and on President Lyndon B. Johnson's White House Commission for
Education.
Mr. Speaker, for the years in which Mr. Wooten gave unselfishly of
himself for the betterment of his community and our country, I
wholeheartedly agree that he is worthy of the admiration and
recognition of having the postal facility on Cashwell Drive in
Goldsboro, North Carolina, named in his honor. Therefore, I would urge
swift passage of this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H1163]]
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge passage of this bill designating
the Cashwell Drive postal facility in Goldsboro, North Carolina, as the
John Henry Wooten, Sr. Post Office Building.
As an educator, public servant, and devoted member of the community,
Mr. Wooten selflessly dedicated his life to those around him.
A veteran of World War II, he earned his bachelor's and master's
degrees from North Carolina A&T State University. Throughout his
distinguished career as an educator, he served as a science teacher,
principal, and assistant superintendent. He was also active in his alma
mater, serving as a trustee and as the national president of the alumni
association. He was one of two North Carolina educators chosen by
President Lyndon B. Johnson to serve on the White House Commission for
Education.
Beyond his responsibilities as an educator, Mr. Wooten, in 1986,
became the first African American chairman of the Wayne County Board of
Commissioners, a position he ultimately held for 12 years.
His community lost a tremendous citizen when Mr. Wooten passed away
in January. His dedication to family, church and community will never
be forgotten. And I urge our colleagues to pass this bill in honor of a
deserving human being.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, it is now my pleasure to yield
such time as he may consume to the chief deputy whip and sponsor of
this legislation, the gentleman from North Carolina, Representative
G.K. Butterfield.
Mr. BUTTERFIELD. I want to thank the gentleman from Illinois, my
friend, Danny K. Davis, for yielding this time to me and thank him for
his leadership on this great subcommittee. I also want to thank my
friend and colleague, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, for her leadership
and thank her for the kind words that she had to say a few moments ago
about Mr. John Henry Wooten.
But Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor this great American, John
Henry Wooten, Sr. by naming the post office at 3100 Cashwell Drive in
Goldsboro, North Carolina, as the John Henry Wooten, Sr. Post Office
Building. John Wooten was a dedicated civic leader. He was a county
commissioner in the County of Wayne. It is a fitting tribute to name
this post office in his honor.
John Henry Wooten, Sr. was born and reared in Goldsboro, North
Carolina, many years ago. The place that he saw grow from a small
farming town to a small city. Mr. Wooten attended Goldsboro public
schools, a school system to which he later dedicated his professional
life. He received both his bachelor's of science and master's degrees
from North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and he was a
doctoral candidate at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
John Henry Wooten, Sr. served the Goldsboro city school system as a
science teacher and as a principal at historic Dillard High School. He
was a supervisor of instruction and later an assistant superintendent
for the entire school system. As a result of his leadership, the lives
of countless students were positively impacted. His accomplished career
in education also included teaching at Wayne County Community College.
During his entire career as an educator, Mr. Wooten was selected by
President Lyndon Baines Johnson to serve on the White House Commission
for Education.
John Henry Wooten served on the Wayne County Board of County
Commissioners for 12 years. First elected in 1986, he became the
commission's first African American chairman. While serving as
commissioner, Mr. Wooten was instrumental in helping Wayne County
become the great city that it is today.
A lifelong member the First African Missionary Baptist Church in
Goldsboro, where incidentally my grandfather was pastor some 90 years
ago, he served as chairman of the deacon board, vice chairman of the
finance committee, and was also a weekly Sunday school teacher.
Additionally, Mr. Wooten served on the board of trustees for North
Carolina A&T State University where he served as its secretary and
later as vice chairman. He was also president of the university's vast
alumni association.
Mr. Wooten was married to Ernestine Whitted who, herself, was the
product of a substantial Wayne County family. The Wootens were married
many years ago in 1946 and were together for more than 60 years.
Together, Mr. Speaker, they raised two children, John Henry, Jr. and
Pamela. Mr. And Mrs. Wooten have one granddaughter, Nancy Wooten Coor,
and two great granddaughters, Alysse and Abrianne. Sadly, Mr. Wooten
passed away in January of 2007 after giving his life to his community.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleagues in the North
Carolina delegation, including Ms. Foxx, who is managing the time for
the minority, for their full and unanimous bipartisan support of this
legislation. John Henry Wooten, Sr. was a great man. He was my friend.
He was a civic leader. This tribute is long overdue.
I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``aye'' on H.R. 3803.
Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I also urge our colleagues to support this
legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, we have no further speakers. I
would urge passage of this legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3803.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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