[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 190 (Monday, December 12, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H8343-H8344]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          M.D. ANDERSON PLAZA

  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1264) to designate the property between the United 
States Federal Courthouse and the Ed Jones Building located at 109 
South Highland Avenue in Jackson, Tennessee, as the ``M.D. Anderson 
Plaza'' and to authorize the placement of a identification marker on 
the grounds recognizing the achievements and philanthropy of M.D. 
Anderson, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1264

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

     SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds as follows:
       (1) The Government has the responsibility to honor and 
     recognize Americans who have positively impacted the welfare 
     of other Americans.
       (2) Monroe Dunaway Anderson, born in Jackson, Tennessee, in 
     1873, was one of the United States' most successful agri-
     businessmen and respected philanthropists.
       (3) Monroe Dunaway Anderson, also known as M.D. Anderson, 
     attended public schools in Jackson, Tennessee.
       (4) After attending college in Memphis, Tennessee, M.D. 
     Anderson returned to Jackson, Tennessee, to work at the 
     People's National Bank.
       (5) In 1904, M.D. Anderson, his older brother Frank 
     Anderson, along with Will Clayton, established a partnership, 
     Anderson, Clayton, and Company, to buy and sell cotton in 
     Jackson, Tennessee.
       (6) In 1945, Anderson, Clayton, and Company was called the 
     largest buyer, seller, storer, and shipper of raw cotton in 
     the world by Fortune Magazine.
       (7) In 1936, M.D. Anderson established the M.D. Anderson 
     Foundation. This foundation funded the M.D. Anderson Cancer 
     Center which grew into the largest medical complex in the 
     world, the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
       (8) M.D. Anderson's positive impact in the cotton trade is 
     still being felt by the cotton businesses in and around 
     Jackson, Tennessee, and throughout the world.
       (9) M.D. Anderson and his foundation's imprint on medical 
     research, education, and agri-business should be memorialized 
     in the town of his birth, Jackson, Tennessee, and deems 
     recognition.

     SEC. 2. M.D. ANDERSON PLAZA.

       (a) Designation.--The property in between the United States 
     Courthouse and the Ed Jones Building located at 109 South 
     Highland Avenue in Jackson, Tennessee, shall be known and 
     designated as the ``M.D. Anderson Plaza''.
       (b) Marker and Statues Authorized.--West Tennessee Health 
     Care Foundation is hereby authorized to install in a 
     prominent location on that portion of the Plaza under the 
     jurisdiction of the General Services Administration--
       (1) a Tennessee State Historical Society marker recognizing 
     the outstanding achievements in business and philanthropy on 
     the grounds between the United States Courthouse and the Ed 
     Jones Building; and
       (2) a life-sized statue depicting M.D. Anderson, with 
     information recognizing persons who donated funds for the 
     manufacturing of the statues.
       (c) Design of Marker.--The marker authorized by subsection 
     (b)(1) shall be at least 42 inches in height.
       (d) Prohibition on Use of Federal Funds.--No Federal funds 
     may be expended to design the marker, to acquire the marker, 
     to prepare the sight selected for the marker, to install the 
     marker, or to maintain the marker or the statues authorized 
     in subsection (b).
       (e) Approval.--
       (1) Submission of design.--The West Tennessee Health Care 
     Foundation shall consult with the Administrator of General 
     Services in the design of the marker and statue authorized 
     under subsection (b) and shall submit a design for approval.
       (2) Design approval.--The design of a marker or statue as 
     authorized under subsection (b) shall be subject to the 
     approval of the Administrator.
       (3) Timing of review.--The Administrator shall conduct a 
     review of the design not later than 90 days after the 
     submission of the design.
       (4) Failure to approve.--In the event that the 
     Administrator fails to approve the design, the Administrator 
     shall submit a report to the Committee on Transportation and 
     Infrastructure in the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Environment and Public Works in the Senate 
     detailing the reasons for failing to approve the design.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Long). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann) and the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann).


                             General Leave

  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend 
their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 1264.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 1264 would designate the property between the United States 
Courthouse and the Ed Jones Building located at 109 South Highland 
Avenue in Jackson, Tennessee, as the M.D. Anderson Plaza and authorize 
the placement of historical markers on the grounds recognizing the 
achievements and philanthropy of M.D. Anderson.

                              {time}  1930

  I want to thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Fincher) for 
introducing this legislation. Monroe Dunaway Anderson, also known as 
M.D. Anderson, was one of the United States' most successful 
agribusinessmen and philanthropists of the early 20th century.
  M.D. Anderson was born in 1873 in Jackson, Tennessee. He attended 
college in Memphis and came back to his hometown to work at the Peoples 
National Bank. In 1904 M.D. Anderson, his older brother Frank Anderson, 
and a businessman named Will Clayton established a partnership to buy 
and sell cotton in Jackson, Tennessee. By 1945 Fortune magazine called 
their company the largest buyer, seller, storer, and shipper of raw 
cotton in the world. Outside of his cotton business, M.D. Anderson 
contributed to numerous philanthropic causes, especially that of 
medical research. In 1936 he established the M.D. Anderson Foundation, 
which funded cancer research and education at the M.D. Anderson Cancer 
Center, which grew into the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, one 
of the largest medical complexes in the world.
  I believe this legislation is appropriate in honoring M.D. Anderson's 
enduring legacy in his hometown as a successful American businessman 
and, more importantly, in honoring his contributions to vital medical 
research and philanthropy.
  The subcommittee worked closely with the bill sponsor to make 
improvements to the legislation, which are reflected in the amendments 
to the bill. The amendments ensure the legislation is in line with the 
Commemorative Works Act by requiring that the design of the statue be 
approved by the General Services Administration prior to its 
installation.
  I support the passage of this legislation, as amended, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes or such time as I 
may consume, whichever comes first.
  I rise in support of H.R. 1264, which designates the property between 
the United States courthouse and the Ed Jones Federal Building in 
Jackson, Tennessee, as the M.D. Anderson Plaza. Ed Jones was the 
Congressman who preceded Mr. Fincher in that district, who preceded Mr. 
Tanner. He had the slogan, ``Ed Jones--the heart of the district with 
the district at his heart.'' Quite a fine man. This bill also 
authorizes the placement of a historical marker and a statue on the 
grounds recognizing the achievements and the philanthropic good deeds 
of M.D. Anderson.
  Born in 1873 in Jackson, Mr. Anderson, who was known as M.D. 
Anderson, was a successful businessman, farmer, and philanthropist. He 
went to college in Memphis--smart man he was to go to Memphis. It was 
then called Southern Baptist, but I believe it became Union, then 
Jackson, Tennessee. After he was in Memphis and had that opportunity, 
he moved back to Jackson and went to work in his family-owned 
business--a good choice. He went into the cotton business with his 
older brother, Frank, and with Frank's brothers-in-law, and they became 
the largest cotton company in the world, according to Fortune magazine 
in 1945.
  In 1936 M.D. Anderson created a charitable foundation that bore his 
name and funded it with an initial investment of $300,000--a 
considerable amount of money at that time, not a bad amount of money 
today. After his death, the trustees of M.D. Anderson's

[[Page H8344]]

estate directed an additional $19 million towards his foundation, which 
helped create M.D. Anderson's lasting legacy by providing seed funds 
for the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which is one 
of the world's leaders in cancer research and treatments.
  Thankfully, people I know have had the opportunity to be treated 
there. It's a great clinic, and it's the best place to go if you've got 
cancer and have that opportunity to be treated by the world's greatest 
professionals there in Houston.
  M.D. Anderson is considered to be the father of the institution, and 
because the charitable foundation matched the initial State funds for a 
Texas-based cancer research and treatment center, he is given that 
appellation. His charitable foundation has also funded and supported 
libraries and college buildings, including ones at Lambuth College in 
Jackson, now known as the Lambuth University of Memphis. It has funded 
planetariums also in the city of Jackson and in his adopted hometown of 
Houston, Texas.
  Given his lasting and significant contributions to his community and, 
really, to the world, with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, which is 
the finest cancer clinic, I suspect, in the world, it's fitting that we 
honor his commitment by giving the plaza between the two Federal 
buildings his name. Some might question our taking the time of this 
Congress, on this floor, to do this when we have so many things going 
on, but this is the type of activity that will, hopefully, inspire 
others to use their good fortune and/or good works to help others who 
are in situations as dire as having cancer. M.D. Anderson did that.
  So it's a commendable piece of legislation, and I'm happy that Mr. 
Fincher brought to it the floor. I'm happy to support it, and I urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 1264 in memorializing this gentleman.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Fincher).
  Mr. FINCHER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I thank my colleague from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for his support of 
this as well as my colleague from middle Tennessee for his support as 
well.
  Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 1264, will rename the plaza between the 
two Federal buildings in Jackson, Tennessee, located in the Eighth 
Congressional District, after Monroe Dunaway Anderson, a true hero to 
millions of people who have been diagnosed with cancer.
  For those who don't know M.D. Anderson, he was born and raised in 
Jackson, Tennessee, during the late 19th century. In 1904, after 
completing college and spending a few years working as a banker in 
Memphis, M.D. Anderson joined a cotton trading venture started by his 
older brother, Frank Anderson, and Frank's brother-in-law Will Clayton.
  Their corporation, Anderson, Clayton, and Company, flourished due to 
the rising demand for cotton during World War I. They eventually moved 
the business to Houston, Texas, to have better access to deepwater 
shipping. By the 1920s their operation had trading offices in Europe, 
Africa, and Asia. The company continued to succeed through the 1930s 
and 1940s, diversifying its capital into a marine insurance company, a 
barge line, cotton mills, an investment bank, machine works, and even a 
foods division. By 1950 Anderson, Clayton, and Company was a 
multimillion dollar corporation, and their international market sales 
reached 3.5 percent of all the world's cotton production.
  But we're not standing here tonight to honor M.D. Anderson because of 
his incredible success and contributions to agribusiness. Many would 
keep the fruits of their labor for themselves, but M.D. Anderson had 
others in mind.
  In 1936 he established a charitable foundation with $300,000, and 
upon his death in 1939, the foundation received an additional $19 
million endowment. M.D. Anderson had a particular interest in health 
care, specifically in working to find a cure for cancer. Trustees of 
the foundation kept M.D. Anderson's interests and passions in mind as 
they decided how to use the foundation endowment after his death.
  Funding for the foundation helped to start the Texas Medical Center 
in Houston, Texas, which is the largest medical complex in the world. 
Funding was also used to establish the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at 
the Texas Medical Center, which is one of the world's most respected 
centers, devoted exclusively to cancer patient care, research, 
education, and prevention. Since 1944, nearly 900,000 patients have 
turned to M.D. Anderson for cancer care. In addition to the medical 
research, the M.D. Anderson Foundation has built libraries, 
auditoriums, college buildings, and a planetarium on the campus of 
Lambuth College in Jackson, Tennessee.
  We honor M.D. Anderson today not because of his success in 
agribusiness but because of his generosity and interest in bettering 
the lives of others.
  I want to take a moment to thank the ranking member of the 
subcommittee, Ms. Norton, for her support and for working with me on 
the language in this bill. I also want to recognize the hard work of 
Mayor Jerry Gist of Jackson, the Jackson City Council, Madison County 
Mayor Jimmy Harris, and the Madison County Commission.
  Finally, I want to specifically thank Mr. Dickie Day of Jackson, 
Tennessee, and Mr. Carter Edwards of Maury City, Tennessee, for their 
efforts to ensure that the life and achievements of M.D. Anderson are 
memorialized in his hometown of Jackson, Tennessee.
  It is an honor to sponsor this bill, and I urge my colleagues to 
support this legislation.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. 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 Tennessee (Mr. Fleischmann) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1264, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. FLEISCHMANN. 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, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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