[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 107 (Tuesday, July 20, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H5778-H5779]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
JOYCE ROGERS POST OFFICE BUILDING
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5341) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 100 Orndorf Drive in Brighton, Michigan, as the
``Joyce Rogers Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5341
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. JOYCE ROGERS POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 100 Orndorf Drive in Brighton, Michigan,
shall be known and designated as the ``Joyce Rogers 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 ``Joyce Rogers Post Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr.
Chaffetz) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia.
General Leave
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia?
There was no objection.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
On behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, I am
pleased to present H.R. 5341 for consideration. This measure designates
the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 100 Orndorf
Drive in Brighton, Michigan, as the Joyce Rogers Post Office Building.
H.R. 5341 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from
Michigan, Mr. John Dingell, on May 19, 2010. It was referred to the
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which waived
consideration of the measure to expedite its consideration to the floor
today. It enjoys the support of the entire Michigan delegation to the
House.
Joyce A. Rogers was born March 16, 1931, in Birmingham, Alabama, and
passed away at her Brighton, Michigan, home on November 4, 2009, at the
age of 78. Joyce Rogers was married to John Rogers for 57 years, and
was the mother of five sons, including Michigan State Representative
Bill Rogers, Major General James Rogers of the United States, and
Congressman Mike Rogers.
Beyond her devotion to her family, Joyce Rogers was also a dedicated
public servant who worked tirelessly to improve the Brighton community,
serving an integral role in the economic development of the Brighton
business community during the 1980s and 1990s.
She was an active member of the Livingston County Board of
Commissioners from 1985 to 1992, and completed her public service
career as executive director of the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of
Commerce. Through her efforts, Brighton was able to transform into a
thriving business community, attracting new residents and customers to
the area. She is especially remembered as a tireless advocate for small
businesses and a mentor to many women in the Brighton business
community.
In closing, she has left a lasting impression on the Brighton
community as well as a legacy which demonstrates the importance of
public service. I therefore urge my colleagues to join me in supporting
this measure.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 5341, to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 100 Orndorf Drive in
Brighton, Michigan, as the Joyce Rogers Post Office Building.
Mr. Speaker, it is altogether fitting and proper that we name this
Post Office in Brighton for Joyce Rogers, a woman who fought day and
night, day in and day out to promote business development and spur
economic growth in and around Brighton, Michigan.
Known by many as the queen bee and matriarch of Brighton, Joyce
Rogers was born in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1931. Mrs. Rogers and her
husband, John Rogers, moved to Brighton in 1968. Within a few years of
her relocation to Brighton, Mrs. Rogers became an executive director of
the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce. When Mrs. Rogers took
over the fledgling organization back in 1972, it consisted of roughly
50 members. Remarkably today, the chamber boosts well over 1,000
members. And under her stewardship, the chamber embarked on an
ambitious journey to put Brighton on the map. The economic expansion
that has followed in and around the Brighton area is truly remarkable
and can be attributed to the leadership and perseverance of Mrs.
Rogers.
For her tireless efforts, Mrs. Rogers was named the Most Powerful
Person in Livingston County in 1996, and fittingly the Chamber of
Commerce building has been named the Joyce A. Rogers Business Center.
Aside from being executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, Mrs.
Rogers also served in various other local organizations, including the
Livingston County Board of Commissioners, the City of Brighton Downtown
Development Authority, and the Livingston County Economic Development
Council.
In 2001 Mrs. Rogers' health began to decline. In that year, she
underwent open heart surgery. The following year she decided to step
down from the chamber after three decades as the executive director.
Sadly, on November 4, 2009, Mrs. Rogers lost her long battle with a
chronic illness and passed away at the age of 78. She is survived by
her husband of 57 years and her five sons.
The legacy left behind by Mrs. Rogers is not only marked by the
economic development seen around Brighton, but also in the family that
survives her, a family that, like their mother, is truly dedicated to
public service. In fact, her youngest son, Mike, is a colleague of ours
here in the House of Representatives. It is truly a great privilege to
have the opportunity to speak on the floor today to honor the mother of
this distinguished colleague.
Aside from my colleague from Michigan, Mrs. Rogers' eldest son, Bill,
served on the Livingston County Board of Commissioners and now
represents Michigan's 66th district in the Michigan State House of
Representatives. Another son, Jim Rogers, is a major general in the
United States Army, making us all proud.
{time} 1700
And still today her husband, John, is serving his community as the
trustee of the Brighton Township Board of Trustees.
Mr. Speaker, it is proper that we pass this legislation to honor the
memory of a true leader and public servant, Joyce Rogers. I urge all
Members to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to my colleague from
Michigan, Mike Rogers.
Mr. ROGERS of Michigan. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from
the District of Columbia for her help and support, and I also want to
thank Mr. Dingell from Michigan. It's great to know that leadership and
statesmanship is still alive in the people's House here in Washington,
D.C.
You know, it is fitting, I think, that this great body, this great
deliberative body stop along the way of its important business, its
really world-changing business and Nation-changing business, to
recognize that some of the greatest acts happen locally. The great
things don't really happen here; they are just reflected here. And the
great things do happen in communities like Brighton, Michigan, and
every other State in this great Union. And today is really that day.
Very, very few times do you get to come to the floor and talk about
some great community leader that you have such a personal relationship
with, my mother. And this post office is being named, in short, for her
great work in what is a great community in the great State of Michigan.
And I will tell you, nobody would be more, I think, shocked and
embarrassed that we are doing this today than Joyce Rogers. As a matter
of fact, she would often say that her greatest accomplishment was
raising five boys and surviving. But she did more than
[[Page H5779]]
that. She got involved in the schools, in the local community. And her
biggest accomplishment, I think, was the fact that she would talk to so
many women and get them involved in small business and get them
involved in politics and community service.
After her funeral service late last year, I can't tell you how many
times people came up to me or one of my family members and talked with
tears in their eyes about how she would take the time to sit them down
as small business women and talk them through to a plan for success or
offer them encouragement. One women said, I know she came to shop at my
store three and four times. She must have bags of my staff. I know she
didn't need any of it.
That's the kind of person she was. A kind of person where people of
all stripes, of all political philosophies believe she made an impact
on a community. And she certainly did that. I know she made an impact
on five boys who are doing their best to do half as well as she did in
life.
So, to this body, I thank you; to the Michigan delegation, for
recognizing this wonderful woman, I thank you.
Ms. NORTON. May I commend the gentleman from Michigan for his honor
to his mother, whom I'm sure would be particularly proud of him as he
should be proud of what we do today in her name.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CHAFFETZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5341.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not
present.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.
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