[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 33 (Tuesday, March 1, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1066-H1067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MELVOID J. BENSON POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. RUSSELL. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3601) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 7715 Post Road, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, as
the ``Melvoid J. Benson Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3601
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. MELVOID J. BENSON POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 7715 Post Road, North Kingstown, Rhode
Island, shall be known and designated as the ``Melvoid J.
Benson 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 ``Melvoid J. Benson Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Russell) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brendan
F. Boyle) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.
General Leave
Mr. RUSSELL. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. RUSSELL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in support of H.R. 3601, introduced by my colleague from
Rhode Island, Congressman James Langevin. The bill designates the post
office located at 7715 Post Road, North Kingstown, Rhode Island, as the
Melvoid J. Benson Post Office Building.
Madam Speaker, Ms. Benson was born on February 13, 1930, in Jackson,
Tennessee, and moved to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, in the 1960s.
Once there, Ms. Benson dedicated her life to public service and to the
people of the State of Rhode Island.
In 1965, she began what would become a 25-year teaching career in the
North Kingstown School Department. Ms. Benson then served in the Rhode
Island State House of Representatives for 14 years and spent the
subsequent 8 years serving on the North Kingstown School Committee.
She served on the School Committee until 2014, when, at the age of
84, Ms. Benson made the decision not to seek reelection. Madam Speaker,
all told, Ms. Benson spent nearly 50 years in public service.
In February 2015, Ms. Benson was honored with a lifetime achievement
award from the North Kingstown Democratic Town Committee.
In continued appreciation to Ms. Benson, Representative Langevin
introduced H.R. 3601, which names a post office in her honor.
The Melvoid J. Benson Post Office Building would be an important
fixture showing the gratitude of many for Ms. Benson's years of
dedication to her community and her service to the State of Rhode
Island.
I urge Members to support the bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I yield such
time as he may consume to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr.
Langevin), my friend.
Mr. LANGEVIN. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I am truly honored and pleased to rise today in
support of H.R. 3601, a bill to designate the facility of the United
States Postal Service located at 7715 Post Road, North Kingstown, Rhode
Island, as the Melvoid J. Benson Post Office Building.
As my colleague stated, for more than 50 years Mel Benson has been a
consummate public servant, dedicating her time to educating our youth,
fighting for social justice, building up our communities, and giving
back to her friends and neighbors.
Born Melvoid Estes on February 13, 1930, in Jackson, Tennessee, Mel
grew up in the segregated South, but that did not stop her from
pursuing an education and becoming active in politics.
Her father worked for the railroad, and her mother was a teacher.
According to Mel, they both instilled in her the importance of
education. ``Every generation,'' they said, ``must do better than the
last.''
Mel took their advice to heart and made education a priority. She
graduated from high school in 1947 and went on to receive her
bachelor's degree from Lane College in social science with a minor in
education. Two years later she married her high school sweetheart,
Arnathia ``Ben'' Benson, who joined the Navy after college.
Mel taught her first class at an all-Black school in Madison County.
However, as a Navy wife, she wouldn't stay in Tennessee for long. She
and her husband were eventually stationed at Quonset Naval Base in
North Kingstown, Rhode Island, which would become Mel's new home and a
community she would forever change for the better.
After moving to Rhode Island in the 1960s, Mel taught in the North
Kingstown school system for 25 years. She educated students at Hamilton
Elementary, the former Quonset Elementary; Davisville Middle School;
and Wickford Middle School.
Every student she taught was touched by her wisdom and guidance.
According to Matthew Leonard, chairman of the North Kingstown
Democratic Town Committee, who had Mel as a teacher in the eighth
grade, she possessed a wonderful gift.
Her whole focus was education and children,'' Matthew recounted.
``She believed the future is in children, and our greatest goal is to
continue on to the next generation.''
She carried that belief all the way to the State house of
representatives, where she became the first Black woman elected to the
Rhode Island Legislature from the Second Congressional District and the
second Black woman elected to the legislature from the entire State.
According to Mel, she never thought of herself as a Black woman in
the statehouse. She was there to do the work of the people. That is
exactly what she did, proudly representing the town of North Kingstown
for 14 years.
I was fortunate enough to serve with Mel in the statehouse and she
made a wonderful teammate and friend. She always spoke her mind and
knew how to get things done.
As State Senator James Sheehan put it, ``Mel could be tough as
bricks. When she was after something, she'd let you know it.''
It was that passion that led to some of her proudest accomplishments
as a member of the Rhode Island General Assembly, including her early
involvement with the planning and development of Quonset Business Park
and particularly the rehabilitation of the old Kiefer Park into modern
housing.
After a distinguished career in the statehouse, Mel was elected to
the North Kingstown School Committee, where she served for 8 years,
until 2014. At the age of 84, Mel decided not to seek reelection. But 2
years later, she still hasn't lost her spark.
Well known for her perseverance, wit, and unmistakable candor, Mel
has touched the lives of countless Rhode Islanders--my own included--
and people still love to regale in stories of the great Mama Mel.
State Representative Robert Craven, who has known Mel since 1974,
described her as someone who just relished the opportunity to be
involved in people's lives and make a difference in every capacity, as
a wife, a mother, a schoolteacher, a State representative, and a School
Committee member.
Beth Cullen, who considers Mel like a mother, characterized Mel's
impact upon our community perfectly:
``She really taught North Kingstown a lesson that it doesn't matter
what you look like. It's what you do; and she lived it every day.''
Madam Speaker, I couldn't agree more. Mel has truly dedicated her
life
[[Page H1067]]
to public service. Whether it was at the statehouse, in the School
Committee chambers, or in the classroom, she has always put the best
interests of Rhode Island and its young people first.
I would like to thank Chairman Chaffetz and Ranking Member Cummings
of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for their work
in bringing this legislation to the floor.
I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring Mel Benson for a lifetime
of distinguished service and achievement by supporting H.R. 3601,
designating the North Kingstown Post Office as the Melvoid J. Benson
Post Office Building.
Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I urge passage
of this bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RUSSELL. Madam Speaker, I also urge adoption of the bill.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Russell) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3601.
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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