[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16896-16897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  JOSEPH D. EARLY POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 5333) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 4 East Central Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, 
as the ``Joseph D. Early Post Office Building.''
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 5333

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

     SECTION 1. JOSEPH D. EARLY POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 4 East Central Street in Worcester, 
     Massachusetts, shall be known and designated as the ``Joseph 
     D. Early 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 Joseph D. Early Post Office Building.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Utah (Mr. Cannon) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon).


                             general leave

  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the bill under consideration, H.R. 5333.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5333, sponsored by our distinguished colleague from 
Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), designates the facility of the United 
States Postal Service in Worcester, Massachusetts as the Joseph D. 
Early Post Office Building. All Members of the House delegation from 
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are cosponsors of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, with this legislation we honor a man who has been a 
fixture in Massachusetts politics for over 40 years.
  Joseph Early was born and raised in Worcester and attended the 
College of Holy Cross. Early was the captain of the Holy Cross 
Crusaders basketball squad that won the 1954 National Invitational 
Tournament, at that time the major tournament in America, I might point 
out.
  After college he served in the United States Navy before returning to 
Worcester to teach and coach basketball. Early began his long career of 
service to the people of Worcester in 1962 when he was elected to the 
Massachusetts State House. He served until his election to the U.S. 
House of Representatives in 1974. He served in this body until 1993.
  Here in the House Mr. Early sat on the Committee on Appropriations 
and tirelessly but quietly advocated the causes important to himself 
and to his constituents. His stewardship of the National Institutes of 
Health is especially noteworthy and undoubtedly resulted in many 
medical advances.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of H.R. 5333.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this is, in fact, a bill that was presented by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern) and cosponsored by all of 
the Members from that delegation.
  Mr. Early has, in fact, served a distinguished career in 
Massachusetts. It was mentioned by my colleague from Utah (Mr. Cannon), 
he was a Worcester, Massachusetts native, born in 1933. He went through 
the schools in Worcester and the College of the Holy Cross. He 
graduated from there in 1955. He served in the United States Navy and 
after that was a teacher and a coach. He has been a member of the 
Massachusetts House. He was a staunch Democrat. He was also a delegate 
to many conventions and elected to this House in the 94th Congress and 
served in eight successive Congresses after that.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern).
  Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time, and I want to also thank him for his assistance in moving this 
measure forward. As well, I want to thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. 
Cannon) for his kind words.
  Mr. Speaker, today citizens across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 
are going to the polls to cast their votes in the State's primary 
election. It is certainly fitting that on this same day, the House of 
Representatives votes to honor one of Massachusetts' long-serving and 
distinguished Members of Congress, Joseph D. Early.
  I am proud to be joined by the entire Massachusetts delegation in 
expressing unanimous support for H.R. 5333, a bill to designate a 
facility of the U.S. Postal Service in Worcester, Massachusetts, as the 
Joseph D. Early Post Office Building.
  As both a predecessor of mine in Congress and as a cherished friend, 
I am proud to have sponsored this legislation which will properly honor 
Joe Early with a Federal building to bear his name.
  Mr. Speaker, Joe Early is undeniably one of the City of Worcester's 
favorite sons. Long before the Jesse Burkett Little League team of this 
year, Joe Early brought national prominence to the City of Worcester as 
cocaptain of the Holy Cross College basketball team that won the 1954 
National Invitational Tournament. The same tenacity Joe regularly 
demonstrated on the hardwood later proved to be the hallmark of a 
remarkable career in public service.
  First elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1962, 
Joe rose through the ranks to ultimately become Vice Chairman of the 
House Ways and Means Committee. In the legislature, Joe earned a 
reputation as a forceful advocate for social programs and a staunch 
supporter of organized labor. This unwaivering commitment to New Deal 
principles remained firmly intact when Joe Early arrived as a newly 
elected Member of Congress in 1975.
  As a Member of the House Committee on Appropriations, Joe continued 
to fight doggedly for funding for education, health care and social 
services. Senior citizens, most notably the frail elderly, never had a 
more loyal friend or passionate ally in their struggle to retain health 
care benefits in the late 1980s than Joe Early. In an era of shrinking 
domestic spending, Joe repeatedly cautioned his colleagues to not 
forsake our priorities at home.
  He was the guardian at the gate for medical research funding, and the 
National Institutes of Health in particular benefitted greatly from his 
vigilance on the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and 
Education of the Committee on Appropriations.
  Many of the recent advances in the treatment of chronic disease can 
be attributed in no small measure to Joe's steadfast support of the 
NIH. Today, people here and around the world live healthier lives 
because of Joe Early; and while he may not be a household name, he will 
forever be remembered within the medical research community as a true 
champion of their cause.
  Joe's persistent work in his committee was rivaled only by a fierce 
devotion to his constituents at home. There are countless untold 
stories of the assistance performed by Joe on behalf of a family in 
need. No problem was too big and no person was too small to receive the 
personal attention and intervention of Congressman Early.
  Joe's constituent service was renowned as was his relentless pursuit 
of funding for the Third District of Massachusetts. The University of 
Massachusetts Medical School stands as only one shining example of Joe 
Early's tireless efforts to ensure his district receive its fair share.

[[Page 16897]]

  Mr. Speaker, in our business there are show horses and there are work 
horses. Joe Early was the consummate work horse. He never sought the 
glory of the spotlight or rushed to grab a headline. Joe was content to 
let others receive the credit while he worked quietly and effectively 
on the issues and for the constituents he cared so deeply about. In 
that respect, Joe Early is very much like the district he represented 
for 18 years. In fact, it has been said that Joe Early did not 
represent his beloved City of Worcester as much as he personified its 
three-decker homes and blue-collar work ethic.
  Mr. Speaker, in that spirit, we shall pass this legislation to name a 
post office building in Worcester for Congressman Joseph D. Early as a 
small tribute to a great man who humbly and selflessly has given so 
much of his life in service to others.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Tierney) for his generosity in yielding me time and for his leadership 
on this issue.
  Mr. TIERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this measure.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further 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 Utah (Mr. Cannon) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 5333.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. CANNON. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  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.

                          ____________________