[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 65 (Wednesday, April 23, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2562-H2563]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ROCKY MARCIANO POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 5528) to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 120 Commercial Street in Brockton,
Massachusetts, as the ``Rocky Marciano Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5528
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ROCKY MARCIANO POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 120 Commercial Street in Brockton,
Massachusetts, shall be known and designated as the ``Rocky
Marciano 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 ``Rocky Marciano Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Davis) 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 revise and extend 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, it is my pleasure to yield such
time as he might consume to the gentleman who introduced this
legislation, Representative Lynch from Massachusetts.
(Mr. LYNCH asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. LYNCH. Thank you, Chairman Davis, for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5528 will designate the United States Postal
Service facility located at 120 Commercial Street in the city of
Brockton, Massachusetts, as the ``Rocky Marciano Post Office
Building.''
At the outset, I would like to thank the members of the Marciano
family and the public officials and the residents in the city of
Brockton for their dedication in honoring Rocky Marciano, who was a
remarkable champion and citizen, through the naming of this Commercial
Street post office.
In particular, I would like to note the contributions made by Rocky
Marciano's younger brother, Peter Marciano, Sr., also Brockton Mayor
Jim Harrington, my good friend, his staff assistant, Donna Daily,
Senator Bob Creedon, Representative Tom Kennedy, Chris Canavan and
Gerry Creedon, as well as the city council, led by City Councilman Mike
Brady.
{time} 1100
In addition, I would like to note the support of the Brockton High
School's legendary football coach, Armond Columbo; Brockton resident
Mark Casieri, who owns Rocky Marciano's boyhood home on Dover Street;
Goody Petronelli, the iconic fight trainer and owner of downtown
Brockton's renowned Petronelli Brothers Gym; and last but not least,
Charlie Tartaglia, who is the owner of the historic George's Cafe on
Belmont Street and whose walls and whose institution there serves as a
pictorial shrine to the sport of boxing and also to the life of Rocky
Marciano and the city of Brockton.
Mr. Speaker, Rocco Francis Marchegiano, better known as Rocky
Marciano, was born and raised in a working class family in the city of
Brockton, Massachusetts. He attended Brockton High School, and from his
induction in 1943 to his discharge in 1946, he served this country
proudly as a United States Army private with the 150th Combat
Engineers. It was during his Army service that Rocky Marciano first
discovered his love for boxing.
And as noted in Mr. Marciano's official biography, ``There were those
who didn't think much would become of the 190 pound heavyweight from
Brockton in the early days.'' Nevertheless, during his subsequent
professional heavyweight boxing career, Rocky Marciano, nicknamed the
``Brockton Blockbuster,'' amassed a professional record of 49 wins, no
draws, and no losses, with 43 knockouts. Rocky Marciano held boxing's
heavyweight title from 1952 until 1956, and, notably, he remains the
only heavyweight champion in boxing history to retire undefeated.
However, Rocky Marciano's legacy extends beyond the boxing ring. His
achievements, his skill, and relentless work ethic and determination
made Rocky Marciano the personification of what is best and proudest in
the city of Brockton and in this country.
As noted by sportswriter Ed Fitzgerald in a January, 1953, SPORT
magazine article, ``All Brockton came to love him and always will . . .
He put the city on the map; he gave its citizens a new interest in
life.''
In his honor Brockton is commonly referred to as the ``City of
Champions,'' and in his footsteps, the city has borne other great
champions, including former boxing middleweight champion Marvin Hagler
and also the celebrated Brockton High School Boxers football team, who
won back-to-back State championships in 2004 and 2005.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Chairman Davis and his
subcommittee staff, as well as Denise Wilson of the full committee, for
their assistance with this bill.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5528.
Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5528, Representative Lynch's legislation to
name a post office in Brockton, Massachusetts, on behalf its favorite
son, Rocky Marciano.
Mr. Speaker, the men who occupied the opposite corner for Rocky
Marciano's 49 professional fights probably would agree on only one
thing about him: that he was a magnificent fighter. In a career that
lasted a little more than 8 years, he won all 49 of his pro fights. He
still to this day is the only heavyweight to finish undefeated. He won
43 by knockouts, 9 of those in the first round. None of his first 16
fights lasted even five rounds. Only once did he win on a split
decision, and only once did he have to go the full 15 rounds to subdue
an opponent.
His nose looked like a piece of cork, his eyes like black stilettos
angrily firing out at his foes. His hands were like hammers, pounding
relentlessly on the hapless men who opposed him. At 5'10'', 185 pounds,
he was smaller and slower than most heavyweights. But what he lacked in
size and speed, he made up for in his desire and toughness. And that's
why the crowd loved him.
It was said that a Marciano knockout blow packed as much punch as an
armor-piercing bullet; that it equaled
[[Page H2563]]
the force required to lift a 1,000 pound block 1 foot off the ground.
It was enough, literally, to turn heads.
But what is not well known is that this hardscrabble Italian, who
fought just twice outside the Eastern seaboard, was a genuinely good
guy. He served in the Army, lent much of his winnings to friends, and
worked for charitable endeavors. Ultimately, he died in the plane crash
en route to give a speech for the son of a friend.
Rocky Marciano was a self-made man. He grew strong on homemade
weightlifting equipment and tough on a heavy bag made out of an old
mail sack that hung from a tree in his backyard. As his plaque says at
the International Boxing Hall of Fame: To define Rocky Marciano's
career, one only needs to know 49-0, 49 fights, 49 wins.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back 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 House Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform, I am pleased to present for consideration H.R. 5528,
which seeks to commemorate the life of Rocky Marciano, the undefeated
boxer from Brockton, Massachusetts, by naming a United States Post
Office in his honor.
Rocky Marciano's story serves as a testament to the American Dream
and the endless possibilities that line every street in our great
country. His accomplishments remind us of the fact that the United
States of America is a place where a poor and disadvantaged young man
growing up in the rough neighborhoods of Brockton, Massachusetts, can
aspire and achieve greatness.
H.R. 5528 was introduced by Representative Stephen Lynch of
Massachusetts on March 4, 2008, and was considered by and reported from
the Oversight Committee on March 13, 2008, by voice vote. The measure
has the support of the nine members of the Massachusetts congressional
delegation and upon passage will pay tribute to a man who demonstrated
the limitless potential that lies within each human being. The
obstacles Rocky Marciano had to overcome in life, whether they were
physical, financial, or spiritual, provide inspiration to us all.
Rocco Francis Marchegiano was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, on
September 1, 1923. Weighing 12 pounds and sporting a robust frame, it
was obvious, even as a newborn, that Rocky Marciano was not a pushover.
Yet his luck was not as healthy as his physique. At 18 months Rocky
contracted pneumonia and would have perished were it not for his
remarkably strong constitution. Thus starting from a tender age, Rocky
learned how to fight back to overcome daunting odds.
His first introduction to boxing came when he and some friends set up
a stuffed mail sack in Marchegiano's backyard to serve as a boxing bag.
Now, as chairman of the Federal Workforce, D.C., and Postal Service
Subcommittee, I wouldn't normally approve of using mail sacks in such
an abusive way. But in Rocky's case, I must say that his
resourcefulness is quite admirable.
At age 20 Rocky was drafted into the U.S. Army to fight overseas in
the European theater. After only 8 months, he was flown back to the
States where he awaited transfer to the Pacific in Fort Lewis,
Washington. While stationed at Fort Lewis, he volunteered to represent
his unit in a ring of amateur fights and eventually won the boxing
tournament in 1946. From that point onward, sports history would be
forever changed and Rocky Marciano would begin his long career as world
champion until he announced retirement in April of 1956.
On the eve of his 46th birthday in 1969, Marciano was aboard a small
private plane that went down on its way to Des Moines, Iowa. In memory
of Rocky Marciano and in honor of his accomplishment, I urge swift
passage of H.R. 5528.
Mr. Speaker, 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. 5528.
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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