[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17152-17153]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



            DR. FLOSSIE McCLAIN DEDMOND POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4449) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 1908 North Ellamont Street in Baltimore, Maryland, 
as the ``Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4449

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. DR. FLOSSIE MCCLAIN DEDMOND POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 1908 North Ellamont Street in Baltimore, 
     Maryland, shall be known and designated as the ``Dr. Flossie 
     McClain Dedmond 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. Flossie McClain Dedmond Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Maryland (Mrs. Morella) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on H.R. 4449.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Maryland?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, the bill before us, H.R. 4449, was introduced by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings), my colleague. This legislation 
designates the post office located at 1908 North Ellamont Street in 
Baltimore, Maryland, as the ``Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond Post 
Office.'' Each member of the Maryland delegation has cosponsored this 
legislation, pursuant to the policy of the Committee on Government 
Reform.
  Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond earned a bachelor's degree in English 
from Fisk University, a master's degree from Columbia University, and 
she pursued postgraduate studies in English and speech at Ohio State 
University and Catholic University of America, respectively.
  Dr. Dedmond taught and held administrative positions at Allen 
University, Benedict College, Knoxville College, Morgan State 
University, and Coppin State College, where she spent 31 years in 
various posts.
  She held various positions at Coppin, including professor of English, 
head of the English Department, and chair of numerous committees. She 
was also the director of the summer/evening college and retired as dean 
of the arts and sciences division.
  The first residence hall at Coppin State College was named ``The 
Flossie M. Dedmond Center for Living and Learning.'' Dr. Dedmond was 
bestowed the honor of Dean Emeritus when she retired from Coppin State.
  Dr. Dedmond passed away on September 11, 1998.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to support H.R. 4449, a bill that 
honors a great academician who has inspired innumerable young 
Americans.
  I also want to recognize the dedicated work of the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Cummings) in bringing this legislation to the floor.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, Dr. Flossie McClain Dedmond earned a bachelor's degree 
in English from Fisk University, received a master's degree from 
Columbia University, and pursued postgraduate studies at Ohio State 
University and Catholic University of America. She served in teaching 
and administrative positions at Allen University, Benedict College, 
Knoxville College, Morgan State University, and Coppin State College.

                              {time}  1615

  Dr. Dedmond spent 31 years working at Coppin State College where she 
served in numerous roles. Upon her retirement, the honor of Dean 
Emeritus was bestowed upon her. In 1993, Coppin's first residence hall 
was named after her and is called the Flossie M. Dedmond Center for 
Living and Learning.
  A talented musician, Dr. Dedmond composed the alma mater for Allen 
University, and the song is still in use today. Along with her other 
many talents and honors, Dr. Dedmond was a prize winning poet. For over 
6 years, she served as the Governor's appointee on a 13-member 
appellate judicial nominating commission. She is the former national 
vice president of the National Council of Negro Women. Dr. Dedmond was 
also a 52-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, a service 
sorority. In her many years of service

[[Page 17153]]

to this organization, she was a former national public relations 
director of the sorority and was one of the organization's 
incorporators of the Cleveland Job Corps. She died on September 11, 
1998.
  Dr. Burnett, the President of Coppin State University, tells a very 
interesting story about how, when she was dean, she had a major trip 
that she was supposed to take to Austria to deliver a paper and it was 
probably the most important trip of her life as a college educator. He 
said that she was prepared to go but they had some problems at the 
university and so he thought that she had flown off to deliver her 
paper in Austria. So he walks in early that Monday morning to try to 
address the problems, and she is sitting there in his office. He said, 
``Why are you still here?'' She says, ``I'm here because I didn't want 
to leave you here to drown. I wanted to stay here to make sure that the 
students who come through the doors of this university have an 
opportunity to move forward and become the great people that I know 
that they can be.''
  That was what Dr. Dedmond was all about, touching the lives of 
college students, making sure that they were prepared to go out of the 
doors of Coppin State University and other historically black colleges 
and universities so that they could touch others to make their lives 
better.
  She would often talk about breaking the cycle of poverty and breaking 
the cycle of illiteracy and breaking the cycle of alcoholism and health 
problems and she wanted to do her part; and she did, staying so long at 
Coppin State University, touching the young people's lives, making it 
so that they could break the cycles in their own families. And so today 
we salute her.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this 
very important legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This legislation honors a woman, Dr. Dedmond, who was a woman of arts 
and letters and great service to her country and to her community.
  It is important that we open the doors of opportunity for others, but 
it is also very important that we prepare them to go through those 
doors. That is what Dr. Dedmond did.
  I urge passage of H.R. 4449.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kuykendall). The question is on the 
motion offered by the gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4449.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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