[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17] [House] [Pages 25065-25066] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]EDDIE MAE STEWARD POST OFFICE BUILDING Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4400) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1601-1 Main Street in Jacksonville, Florida, as the ``Eddie Mae Steward Post Office Building,'' as amended. The Clerk read as follows: H.R. 4400 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. EDDIE MAE STEWARD POST OFFICE. (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1601-1 Main Street in Jacksonville, Florida, shall be known and designated as the ``Eddie Mae Steward Post Office''. (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 Eddie Mae Steward Post Office. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh). General Leave Mr. McHugh. 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. 4400. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? There was no objection. Mr. McHugh. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as we heard just previously, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) has once again brought to us a postal designation that I think is certainly meritorious and deserves the support of every Member of this House of Representatives. And I thank her and commend her for that work and also for bringing with her the Members of the House delegation in its entirety from the State of Florida for support of this legislation. Again, to fill in the record, Mr. Speaker, the bill is indeed amended, a technical amendment only to designate the facility as the ``Eddie Mae Steward Post Office'' rather than ``post office building'' for the simple fact that the facility is leased by the United States Postal Service and is not owned. Here, too, Mr. Speaker, we are fortunate that the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) is with us. And I am certain she will want to make more complete remarks with respect to this individual's contributions. But we have an example again of someone who leads their lives in ways to which I think all Americans can look for inspiration and for lessons and courage how to overcome. Simply put, Ms. Steward was a leader of the civil rights movement. Her really single-handed efforts led to the court-ordered desegregation of the schools in Duval County, Florida. She thereafter dedicated her life to the achievement of civil rights for all Americans. She served as the Florida State president of the NAACP. She served as the Secretary of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee and, as I mentioned previously, simply led her life in a way that is indeed an inspiration. So, again, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) for her efforts and express my appreciation for bringing to us such a distinguished individual. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, first of all, once again I want to thank the chairman for his help in moving this bill forward with the amendment and his kind words about Mrs. Eddie Mae Steward. Eddie Mae Steward was my friend, a community leader, and single- handedly launched the effort that led to the court-ordered desegregation in Duval County's public schools. She was the [[Page 25066]] first female president of the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP and served as the State NAACP president from 1973 to 1974. She also served as the secretary of the Duval County Democratic Executive Committee. Mrs. Steward was a graduate of Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, and she was truly a dedicated civil rights activist. It has been said that the face of the civil rights movement in Jacksonville belongs to Eddie Mae Steward. She single-handedly took on the fight for decent school accommodations for children attending Boylan Haven, which was a three-story building declared by the Florida Times-Union as ``unfit by any standards as a place to send children to school.'' Three weeks later, the school board backed down and the students were sent to another school. Much like those before her who struggled against the injustice of the status quo, she was referred to as a ``troublemaker.'' However, it was fundamental fairness, strong principles, and the strength of her convictions that led her to become a courageous leader. Eddie Mae Steward was born in Callahan, but resided in Duval County, Florida for more than 55 years. She was a graduate of Douglas Anderson High School and Edward Waters College. She passed away on March 5th of this year, succumbing to heart disease. She was 61. She is survived by her six children: Venetia Steward, Ervin Steward and Jerry Mims, Carla Purdyl, Alta and Angela, four grandchildren and two great- grandchildren. I am honored to recognize Eddie Mae Steward with this Post Office designation and I urge strong support for this measure, as amended. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. McHUGH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, a word of thanks to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown) for her good work on this issue and for bringing us such a distinguished individual. Mr. Speaker, I urge all of our colleagues to join us in the passage of this bill. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New York (Mr. McHugh) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4400, as amended. The question was taken. The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of those present have voted in the affirmative. Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be postponed. The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn. ____________________