[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 148 (Monday, December 8, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H8842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1530
FATHER RICHARD MARQUESS-BARRY POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 4030) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami, Florida, as the
``Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office Building.''
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4030
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FATHER RICHARD MARQUESS-BARRY POST OFFICE
BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami, Florida,
shall be known and designated as the ``Father Richard
Marquess-Barry 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 ``Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post
Office Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) and the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from North Carolina.
General Leave
Mr. MEADOWS. 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 the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from North Carolina?
There was no objection.
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 4030, introduced by Frederica Wilson
of Florida, to designate the post office located at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue
in Miami, Florida, as the Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office
Building.
The Reverend Canon Richard Livingston Marquess-Barry has led a
remarkable life--one of courage, service, and strong faith.
Father Marquess-Barry has been an ordained priest in the Episcopalian
church for 39 years. He currently serves as the pastor of the Historic
Saint Agnes Episcopal Church in Miami, Florida. In this capacity,
Father Marquess-Barry has contributed to bettering the lives of those
in his congregation and community, and he has earned a well-respected
reputation for bridging the divide between people of different races
and religions and of uplifting the downtrodden and underprivileged. The
projects and ministries of his church are numerous--among them,
spearheading an affordable housing project for low- and moderate-income
families.
Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the
dedication and selflessness that Father Marquess-Barry has shown
throughout his life, and I urge the support for this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I fully support this legislation.
At this time, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman
from Florida, Representative Wilson, and I thank her for sponsoring
this legislation.
Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Welch for
yielding me time as well as Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings
for their support in bringing this bill to the floor.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4030, a bill to designate the
post office at 18640 NW 2nd Avenue in Miami Gardens, Florida, as the
Father Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office Building.
The Reverend Canon Richard Livingston Marquess-Barry was born on
November 14, 1940, in Miami, Florida, to Bahamian immigrants. Raised by
his grandparents, Reverend Barry attended the Miami-Dade County Public
Schools system while working as a garbage collector every morning
before school and as a dishwasher after school.
Reverend Barry earned his Bachelor of Arts at St. Augustine College
in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1962. That same year, he married Virla
Rolle, his college sweetheart. The couple has been married for 52 years
and has one daughter and two grandsons.
Reverend Barry's lifelong devotion to the church began in 1965 when
he became the only person of color enrolled at the Virginia Theological
Seminary. Three years later, he earned a master's in divinity, and in
1989, he was the youngest person to earn a doctor of divinity degree in
the 200-year history of the Virginia Theological Seminary. He has been
a visiting fellow at the University of Munich in Germany as well as at
Oxford University in England.
In 1977, Reverend Barry took a pay cut in order to lead the Saint
Agnes Episcopal Church, the largest and oldest Episcopal congregation
for people of color in south Florida. Not only did he transform Saint
Agnes and leave it with an endowment upon his retirement, he also
worked tirelessly to improve the Overtown community where Saint Agnes
is located.
As a young priest, Reverend Barry served his community religiously
and also dedicated himself to furthering civil rights despite numerous
assassination attempts. He led the effort to integrate the St. Lucie
County public school system. He also pressured the city of Fort Pierce
and St. Lucie County to adopt fair hiring and promotion practices
within the police and fire departments and within all other government
agencies. He has also been a champion of improving housing options for
underprivileged people in our community.
Among his many awards, Reverend Barry is currently the holder of two
keys to Miami-Dade County and of one key to the city of Miami for his
many years of devotion and advocacy to the south Florida community. He
has been recognized for his work by Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, the
NAACP, the Florida State Senate, and President Obama.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank Reverend Barry for his decades of
service to our community, and I ask all of my colleagues to join me in
supporting this bill to designate the Miami post office the Father
Richard Marquess-Barry Post Office Building.
Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. MEADOWS. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 4030,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Meadows) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4030.
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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