[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 187 (Wednesday, November 15, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9291-H9292]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HOWARD B. PATE, JR. POST OFFICE
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3369) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 225 North Main Street in Spring Lake, North
Carolina, as the ``Howard B. Pate, Jr. Post Office''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3369
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. HOWARD B. PATE, JR. POST OFFICE.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 225 North Main Street in Spring Lake,
North Carolina, shall be known and designated as the ``Howard
B. Pate, Jr. Post Office''.
(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 ``Howard B. Pate, Jr. Post Office''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Farenthold) and the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson
Coleman) 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 in which to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
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.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3369, introduced by the
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson).
The bill names the United States Post Office at 225 North Main Street
in Spring Lake, North Carolina, after Howard B. Pate, Jr., a World War
II veteran and former postmaster of Spring Lake.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson) to discuss the bill.
Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to
support H.R. 3369, a bill recognizing the life and legacy of Howard B.
Pate, Jr., by naming the Spring Lake, North Carolina, Post Office in
his honor.
Born in Bladen County, North Carolina, in 1925, Mr. Pate first moved
to Spring Lake, a town in the Eighth Congressional District I am proud
to represent, where his father was stationed at Fort Bragg.
Being from a military family, when the United States entered World
War II, Mr. Pate answered the call to serve his country and continued
his service as a member of the North Carolina National Guard until
1952.
After finishing his military service, Mr. Pate assumed the position
of Spring Lake's postmaster. He served in this position for 30 years,
until his retirement in 1982.
After retiring, Mr. Pate remained active in the community as a member
of many civic organizations, including being named town historian in
1994, a post he held for more than two decades. For all his efforts,
the local Chamber of Commerce named their Volunteer of the Year award
after Mr. Pate.
The town of Spring Lake unanimously adopted a resolution to dedicate
their post office in honor of Mr.
[[Page H9292]]
Howard Pate, Jr., because there was never a person who embodied the
spirit of the community more than he.
Sadly, Mr. Pate passed away 1 year ago yesterday, on November 14,
2016. On the first anniversary of his passing, I can think of no better
way to honor his respected life than to name the post office after him
in a town he loved and where he lived and served most of his life.
As any Spring Lake resident will tell you, Mr. Pate was not only a
pillar of our community, but also a cherished friend. He worked
tirelessly to ensure we kept a strong grip on our past while making
Spring Lake a better place for future generations.
It is my honor to make sure he will always be a part of our legacy in
the future by naming the Spring Lake Post Office in his honor.
Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join my colleagues in consideration of
H.R. 3369, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Post
Office located at 225 North Main Street in Spring Lake, North Carolina,
as the Howard B. Pate, Jr. Post Office.
Born in 1925, Howard Pate joined the Army in 1944, 2 years after his
high school graduation. In early 1945, Howard deployed to Europe as
part of the famed 101st Airborne Division.
Later serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, Howard was discharged
from Active Duty in 1946, but he continued his service as a member of
the North Carolina Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve. He retired in 1965,
as a sergeant major in the 13th Special Forces Group.
Following his military service, Howard was appointed postmaster of
Spring Lake, North Carolina, and served as both a State vice president
and president of the National Association of Postmasters.
He was also an active member of his community, serving as a deacon at
the First Presbyterian Church of Spring Lake, charter president of the
Spring Lake Jaycees, and a member of the Greater Spring Lake Chamber of
Commerce for over 50 years, where the Volunteer of the Year award is
named in his honor.
Howard Pate passed away a year ago this week, as we heard, on
November 14, 2016.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to honor Howard Pate's life of
service to his community and to his country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 3369, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I join Mrs. Watson Coleman and Mr.
Hudson in urging passage of this bill, and I yield back the balance 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. 3369.
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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