[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[House]
[Pages 22968-22969]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                       J.T. WEEKER SERVICE CENTER

  Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5016) to redesignate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 514 Express Center Drive in Chicago, Illinois, as 
the ``J.T. Weeker Service Center,'' as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5016

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

     SECTION 1. J.T. WEEKER SERVICE CENTER.

       (a) Redesignation.--The facility of the United States 
     Postal Service located at 514 Express Center Road in Chicago, 
     Illinois, and known as the Chicago International/Military 
     Service Center, shall be known and designated as the ``J.T. 
     Weeker Service Center''.
       (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 J.T. Weeker Service Center.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Ose) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. Ose).


                             General Leave

  Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H.R. 5016, the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TURNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  H.R. 5016, Madam Speaker, names a postal facility after J.T. Weeker. 
The legislation was introduced by my friend and committee colleague, 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Blagojevich), on July 27 of this year.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Illinois (Mr. Davis) representing the great City of Chicago.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
for yielding me this time. I could not let this moment go by without 
expressing some comments relative to John Thomas Weeker, J.T., as we 
all called him, especially those who knew him.
  He was area vice president of operations for the United States Postal 
Service; and, unfortunately, he passed away at an early age. It was 
very interesting to me that as J.T. did his work in the Midwest area, 
how much he was revered by the individuals who worked with and for him.
  As a matter of fact, I had the occasion to attend his funeral 
services, and he had asked that one of his employees give the eulogy. 
That was a fellow that he had supervised, Rufus Porter, who is the lead 
executive for the Chicago post office. It was also interesting that he 
had asked that the Chicago Postal Choir would perform at his services. 
Even though he was not from the Midwest, he was not from Chicago, he 
had grown up on the East Coast, he had adopted the area as his home and 
decided that that is where he wanted to have the last comments made for 
him.
  It is also interesting that employees of the Postal Service made the 
request to have this facility named for their leader. It was Rufus 
Porter who was the first person who suggested that there ought to be 
some lasting way of remembering the tremendous service that J.T. had 
provided to the Postal Service, and especially to the Midwest region. 
And so, Madam Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in 
bestowing this honor upon a tremendous executive who gave not only of 
himself, in terms of providing leadership to postal operations, but who 
was an integral part of his community.
  A little phrase he had about moving the mail that he sometimes would 
like to say, when talking about a letter, clean hands gentle touch; 
surely we owe a letter that much. And that is how J.T. felt about the 
work that he did in the Postal Service.
  Mr. TURNER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to join the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Blagojevich) in urging the House to adopt this resolution 
naming this postal facility after an outstanding public servant who 
worked every day to be sure that the mail arrived on time.
  All too often, I think, we fail to acknowledge the contributions that 
are made every day by the fine employees of our Federal Government. So, 
Madam Speaker, I urge adoption of H.R. 5016.

[[Page 22969]]

  Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. OSE. Madam Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Ose) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5016, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read: ``A bill to 
redesignate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
514 Express Center Road in Chicago, Illinois, as the `J.T. Weeker 
Service Center'.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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