[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 164 (Wednesday, December 19, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7326-H7327]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            NELSON ``MAC'' MacWILLIAMS POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4062) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1444 Main Street in Ramona, California, as the 
``Nelson `Mac' MacWilliams Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4062

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

     SECTION 1. NELSON ``MAC'' MACWILLIAMS POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1444 Main Street in Ramona, California, as 
     the ``Nelson `Mac' MacWilliams 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 ``Nelson `Mac' MacWilliams Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Clay) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. 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. 4062.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 4062, introduced by the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), 
would designate the facility of the United States Postal Service 
located at 1444 Main Street in Ramona, California, as the Nelson 
``Mac'' MacWilliams Post Office Building. The bill was introduced on 
February 16.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. MacWilliams served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years and 
retired as a Navy chief in 1999. Upon returning to civilian life, he 
was a small business owner.
  Mr. MacWilliams served his community in San Diego in many ways, 
including with the Ramona Chamber of Commerce. He is responsible for 
assisting local fire victims and military personnel in Mr. Hunter's 
district office. Sadly, nearly a year ago, on December 20, 2011, Mr. 
MacWilliams passed away. He is remembered fondly by his wife, brother, 
sons, daughters, and several grandchildren.
  Mr. Speaker, Mr. MacWilliams is a very worthy designee of this postal 
facility naming, and I urge all Members to join me in support of this 
bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CLAY. 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. 
4062, to designate the facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 
1444 Main Street in Ramona, California as the Nelson ``Mac'' 
MacWilliams Post Office Building.
  The bill before us was introduced by Representative Duncan Hunter. 
Nelson MacWilliams graduated from Calverton High School in Huntington, 
Maryland. Nelson MacWilliams would attend Salisbury State University in 
Salisbury, Maryland, before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1977. Upon 
his retirement from the Navy, he would begin serving his community in 
California.
  His work with the Ramona Chamber of Commerce would establish him as a 
respected member within the community. He was called on by 
Representative Hunter to help small businesses within the community. 
His tireless efforts would help local small businesses succeed in 
cutting bureaucratic red tape.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the underlying measure, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. At this time I'd like to yield such time as he may 
consume to the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter).
  Mr. HUNTER. I thank the gentleman from Texas. And my good friend from 
Missouri, thank you for your kind words about Mac--Nelson ``Mac'' 
MacWilliams. See, he passed away about a year ago on December 20, 2011, 
in an unfortunate car accident that cost him his life on one of the 
most dangerous roads in San Diego County. He was a dedicated public 
servant, proud Navy veteran, an all-around great guy to be around.
  San Diego is not just the city part where there's the ocean and the 
beach. There's the back country in San Diego. You have small towns like 
Ramona where everybody knows each other. There is literally a place 
called Cheers. It's a bar in Ramona where everybody does know your 
name. You could find Mac there after work on Sundays.
  He was a member of the VFW. Like my friend said, he was in the Navy 
from 1977 to 1999, where he became a Navy chief. Anybody who knows the 
Navy or knows the U.S. military, they understand that the Navy runs on 
its chiefs. The chiefs are the ones that actually get things done, the 
ones that you look to when you need to cut through the red tape and cut 
through the bureaucracy.
  Mac was also a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7783 in 
Ramona, California. It was because of their request, along with others 
in Ramona, that I introduced this bill to name the post office in 
Ramona for Mac.
  When the devastating wildfires hit San Diego in 2007, Mac answered 
the call to service again, working tirelessly helping victims get 
assistance to rebuild their homes. As we can see from Hurricane Katrina 
or Hurricane Sandy, when natural disasters happen, the bureaucracy is 
sometimes hard to get through, but Mac specialized at that as a Navy 
chief.

                              {time}  1630

  He did the same thing working as the executive director of the 
Ramona, California, Chamber of Commerce for 4 years. In his position, 
he advocated for businesses and built lasting relationships across the 
region.
  But Mac wasn't a big business guy. He came out of the Navy. The 
reason he was chosen for that position was because he was great to be 
with, he knew how to get along with people of differing views and 
ideologies, and he simply knew how to get things done.
  The VFW said in their letter:

       One of Mac's traits was that he was always ``on duty.'' 
     There was never a problem too small which did not dictate 100 
     percent effort to have it corrected.

  In fact, on the day he died, Mac was coming into my office because he 
was in the middle of some casework for a constituent and didn't want to 
wait until he got back from Christmas vacation.
  At his funeral, one of my constituents and VFW Post member, Dale 
Smith, described Mac by saying:

       Mac was a gentle, intelligent individual and a ``get-it-
     done'' kind of guy, no matter what obstacles stood in his 
     way.


[[Page H7327]]


  He was a proud veteran and public servant who served his country in 
the Navy and served the people in his community on veterans and 
military issues. He had a profound impact on his community and deserves 
recognition for his contributions, and naming the post office for him 
in the community he did so much for is a fitting way to commemorate his 
memory.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge my 
colleagues to join the entire House in honoring this great American, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I, too, urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 4062, the Nelson ``Mac'' MacWilliams Post Office Building naming, 
and yield back the remainder of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 4062.
  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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