[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H9819-H9820]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DR. WALTER S. McAFEE POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3655) to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1300 Main Street in Belmar, New Jersey, as the ``Dr.
Walter S. McAfee Post Office Building''.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3655
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DR. WALTER S. MCAFEE POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1300
[[Page H9820]]
Main Street in Belmar, New Jersey, shall be known and
designated as the ``Dr. Walter S. McAfee 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 ``Dr. Walter S. McAfee Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Montana (Mr. Gianforte) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Montana.
General Leave
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days 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 Montana?
There was no objection.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3655, introduced by the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith). The bill names the United States
Post Office at 1300 Main Street in Belmar, New Jersey, after Dr. Walter
S. McAfee.
Dr. Walter McAfee was a scientist, educator, and adviser to the U.S.
Army Communications-Electronics Command. He is credited as the first
person to calculate the speed of the Moon.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the sponsor of the bill.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the
gentleman from Montana, for yielding and for the support that he and
the ranking member provided for this important legislation.
It is an honor to bring H.R. 3655 to the House today to designate the
facility of the U.S. Postal Service located at 1300 Main Street in
Belmar, New Jersey, as the Dr. Walter S. McAfee Post Office Building.
Dr. Walter McAfee was a scientist, educator, and adviser to the U.S.
Army Communications-Electronics Command and the Fort Monmouth
community.
Mr. Speaker, I reached out to the leaders of the Information Age
Learning Center, also known as InfoAge, several months ago and asked
them if they could recommend a member of their community who they
believed ought to be honored in this way, and they recommended Dr.
McAfee.
As some of you may know, InfoAge has been the leading organization
preserving scientific history, innovation, and communications located
at the former Army camp, Camp Evans, and subpost of Fort Monmouth.
Dr. McAfee was instrumental in the success of Project Diana, an
effort by scientists at Camp Evans that pierced the Earth's outer
atmosphere with high frequency signals, in other words, radar. It was
his mathematical calculations that enabled the team to bounce the first
radio signals off the Moon's surface. Without the success of his
calculations that allowed for communication to occur between Earth and
space, the achievements of launching the satellites into space or
sending a man to the Moon would have not been possible.
It is the achievement of this extraordinary man that actually helped
launch us into the space age. During his time at Fort Monmouth, Dr.
McAfee also developed sensors which were used to detect and track enemy
movements during the Vietnam war. He served as director of a NATO study
on surveillance and target acquisition, high-priority technologies,
during the Cold War.
Dr. McAfee was the first African American to be promoted to GS-16, a
supergrade civilian position in the U.S. Army Materiel Command, AMC,
and to be inducted into the AMC Hall of Fame. Throughout his lifetime,
his achievements were recognized through dozens of awards and honors
that he received for his contribution to science and to the defense of
the United States and our allies.
{time} 1515
He was known for his love of learning, his high ethical standards,
and great sense of humor.
He passed away in 1995 in Belmar, New Jersey. He and his wife, Viola,
were married for close to 54 years and are survived by their daughters,
Diane Mercedes McAfee and Marsha Bera-Morris.
I thank my colleagues for their anticipated support for this
legislation.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. DEMINGS. 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. 3655, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 1300 Main Street in Belmar, New Jersey, as the Dr.
Walter S. McAfee Post Office Building.
Dr. McAfee was born in Texas in 1914 and earned degrees in
mathematics and physics before receiving a Ph.D. in nuclear physics
from Cornell University in 1949.
You have already heard that Dr. McAfee launched this country into the
space age. Dr. McAfee also made important contributions, as you have
heard, to this country as an adviser to the U.S. Army during the
Vietnam war.
Mr. Speaker, we should pass this bill to commemorate the illustrious
career of Dr. McAfee and the legacy he leaves behind through his
impressive scientific accomplishments.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of H.R. 3655.
I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GIANFORTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption 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 Montana (Mr. Gianforte) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 3655.
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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