[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 192 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H9670-H9671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CAESAR H. WRIGHT JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6042) to designate the facility of
the United States Postal Service located at 213 William Hilton Parkway
in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as the ``Casear H. Wright Jr.
Post Office Building'', as amended.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
December 12, 2022, on page H9670, in the first column, the
following appeared: United States Postal Service located at 213
William Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as
the ``Casear H. Wright Jr. Post Office Building''.
The online version has been corrected to read: United States
Postal Service located at 213 William Hilton Parkway in Hilton
Head Island, South Carolina, as the ``Casear H. Wright Jr. Post
Office Building'', as amended.
========================= END NOTE =========================
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6042
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. CAESAR H. WRIGHT JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.
(a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal
Service located at 213 William Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head
Island, South Carolina, shall be known and designated as the
``Caesar H. Wright Jr. 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 ``Caesar H. Wright Jr. Post Office
Building''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) and the gentlewoman from New Mexico
(Ms. Herrell) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York.
General Leave
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. 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 this
measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I yield myself
such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6042 to designate the
facility of the United States Postal Service located at 213 William
Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head, South Carolina, as the Caesar H. Wright
Jr. Post Office Building.
Mr. Caesar Wright was born on Hilton Head Island in 1935 when the
island was sparsely populated by Gullah farmers and fishermen who had
lived in the area since the end of the Civil War.
He attended public schools on Hilton Head, as well as Penn School on
St. Helena. He went on to briefly attend Claflin College before serving
in the U.S. Air Force.
In 1968, Mr. Wright joined the Postal Service, serving one of the two
existing routes on the island in those days. He was the island's first
Black postal carrier and was an inspiration for his twin brothers, who
both became postmasters.
Mr. Wright delivered the mail for 29 years before retiring. Sadly,
Mr. Wright passed away in 2019 at the age of 84.
Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to join me in honoring the
life of Mr. Wright by naming a post office on Hilton Head Island, South
Carolina, after him, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from
South Carolina (Ms. Mace).
Ms. MACE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6042.
Born on Hilton Head Island in 1935, Caesar Wright grew up on a very
different Hilton Head than most visitors and residents experience
today. In his youth, the island was sparsely populated by Gullah
farmers and fishermen, descendants of slaves, and individuals who lived
on the island since the end of the Civil War, many with close ties to
Mitchelville, America's first Freedmen's Village.
Wright left Claflin College to serve our country in the U.S. Air
Force.
He and his wife, Annette, then moved to their hometown of Hilton Head
Island, where she served as a teacher and he served as one of Hilton
Head's only postmen at the time.
Wright joined the U.S. Postal Service in 1968, serving one of the two
existing routes on the island back in those days.
Wright was the island's first African-American postal carrier and
opened many doors previously closed to Black men at the U.S. Postal
Service.
Wright delivered the mail for 29 years, starting out on mostly sandy
roads and ending up as one of the many carriers working within a single
development, the Hilton Head Plantation.
He retired 22 years ago, but he was always seen and was always a huge
part of the Hilton Head Island community.
Wright goes back to a day when mail carriers knew everyone on the
island, their comings and goings, their heartaches and their habits.
His customers adored him and would frequently call on him at home.
When Caesar Wright passed away in 2019 at the age of 84, all of the
island's postal carriers united and gave him a funeral escort. Dozens
of mail trucks escorted the flag-draped coffin of Caesar Wright to his
final resting place on the banks of Skull Creek. His colleagues told
reporters at the time that he exemplified customer service.
Today, in part because of Caesar Wright's work, Hilton Head Island
has over 34 postal routes and three post offices, one of which will
soon bear his name.
Today, the naming of this post office represents the Gullah roots of
the community, the history in the community, and Caesar Wright's
lifelong service to his Nation and to his community.
Ms. HERRELL. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this
bill honoring a dedicated local public servant, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I urge passage of
H.R. 6042, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 6042.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at
213 William Hilton Parkway in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, as
the `Caesar H. Wright Jr. Post Office Building'.''.
[[Page H9671]]
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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