[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 160 (Thursday, October 2, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S10488-S10489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REID:
  S. 3681. A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the 
``Joseph A. Ryan Post Office Building''; to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize and honor Joseph 
A. Ryan, a former Postmaster from Las Vegas, NV. I urge my colleagues 
to support this legislation, which will designate the U.S. Post Office 
at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, NV, in his name.
  Joseph ``Joe'' Ryan was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on May 19, 1927. 
He attended the College of St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota, 
and went on to do post-graduate work at UCLA, Duke University, and the 
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. During World War II, 
Mr. Ryan honorably served our country in the United States Coast Guard, 
and he later went on to work for Northwest Airlines before joining the 
United States Postal Service. Prior to serving as the Postmaster for 
Las Vegas, Mr. Ryan worked as the Postal Service's General Manager of 
Customer Programs for the Western Region.
  Mr. Ryan was appointed Postmaster of Las Vegas in May of 1983 and 
retired in October of 1992. As Postmaster, Mr. Ryan was responsible for 
overseeing the many post offices in the Las Vegas valley. The 1980s and 
early 1990s was a time of tremendous growth in southern Nevada, and 
under his leadership, eight new post offices opened throughout the 
community, including the stunning main facility on Sunset Road. During 
his tenure, Joe was known for his exceptional dedication to customer 
service and was greatly admired by the

[[Page S10489]]

local Postal Service employees. His work as Las Vegas Postmaster was 
recognized in 1988 by the Direct Marketing Association, which awarded 
him the National Postmaster of the Year Award. In 1991, I was happy to 
join my friend and colleague Senator Richard Bryan in honoring 
Postmaster Ryan with the U.S. Senate Productivity Award.
  Beyond his work with the Postal Service, Mr. Ryan has been an active 
member of the Las Vegas community and has given his time and efforts to 
improve this fast-growing city. He worked with the Nevada Development 
Authority, served on the board of the United Way of Southern Nevada, 
and was a member of the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce Leadership Group.
  Joe and his wife Pamelia have been married for over 50 years and have 
four children and three grandchildren. Mr. and Mrs. Ryan are especially 
proud that all four of their children are college graduates. Joe Ryan 
has served the Postal Service admirably and has contributed greatly to 
our community, so it is fitting that the Congress recognize his hard 
work by naming a post office in his honor.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no ojbection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 3681

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

     SECTION 1. JOSEPH A. RYAN POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, 
     Nevada, shall be known and designated as the ``Joseph A. Ryan 
     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 ``Joseph A. Ryan Post Office Building''.
                                 ______