[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. ____________________