[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4123-4124]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 H. GORDON PAYROW POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 4786) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 535 Wood Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, as the 
``H. Gordon Payrow Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4786

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

     SECTION 1. H. GORDON PAYROW POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 535 Wood Street in Bethlehem, 
     Pennsylvania, shall be known and designated as the ``H. 
     Gordon Payrow 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 ``H. Gordon Payrow Post Office Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I introduced H.R. 4786 to honor H. Gordon Payrow, a man 
who was wise beyond his years. He was a man who challenged the process 
and brought new and innovative ideas and policies to his community. In 
his early years, he attended Bethlehem High School and Allentown 
Preparatory School. After graduation, he went on to study at Lehigh 
University where he earned a degree in business.
  After his marriage to Dorothy Parker in 1943, he was elected to the 
Bethlehem City Council in November

[[Page 4124]]

of 1951. It was not long after that he was elected as mayor and named 
the first ``strong mayor'' to emerge from the mayor-council form of 
government first authorized in 1957.
  At his inauguration in 1962, Mayor Payrow declared: ``Today marks the 
end of the North Side, South Side, and West Side. From here on we will 
only think of Bethlehem,'' thus bringing together a melting pot of 
cultures and proclaiming a new unity for the city. Payrow was extremely 
popular with both Democrats and Republicans, which led him to hold 
office for three consecutive terms.
  During his tenure, Mayor Payrow never retreated from tackling 
controversial issues. Under Payrow, Bethlehem hired its first female 
police officer and began the construction of a new city hall. He 
oversaw the creation of the city's Fine Arts Commission, the 
Beautification Committee, and the Environmental Conservation 
Commission. He was also instrumental in laying the groundwork for a 
massive revitalization of Bethlehem's downtown area.
  Further, during his three terms, the mayor worked to construct 
several fire stations, to demolish blighted housing developments, and 
to oversee the replacement and construction of several bridges critical 
to the transportation infrastructure of the city of Bethlehem.
  Gordon Payrow was a man of great integrity and skill who believed in 
his city and in his constituents. The city of Bethlehem is a better 
place because of his influence, and it is only fitting and proper that 
a postal facility in the city be named after him.
  I urge all Members to join me in honoring a great man that promoted 
excellence in government by passing H.R. 4786.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
might consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Government Reform Committee, I 
am pleased to join my colleague in consideration of H.R. 4786, 
legislation naming a postal facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, after 
H. Gordon Payrow.

                              {time}  1445

  This measure, which was introduced by Representative Charles Dent on 
February 16, 2006, and unanimously reported by our committee on March 
9, 2006, enjoys the support and cosponsorship of the entire 
Pennsylvania delegation.
  H. Gordon Payrow, Jr. served three terms as mayor of Bethlehem, 
Pennsylvania, from 1962-1974. A dedicated public servant, Mayor Payrow 
was committed to improving the infrastructure of the city and 
beautifying the community. He was also instrumental in the construction 
and development of the Bethlehem City Center Plaza. After leaving 
office, Mr. Payrow continued his involvement in local issues and 
community service projects. He passed away in April 2004.
  Mr. Speaker, I think it is altogether fitting and proper that we 
honor his life and his work by naming the postal facility after him, 
and I urge swift passage of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I do not think I am going to have any additional 
requests, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DENT. Mr. Speaker, I too have no further speakers at this time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Schwarz of Michigan). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Dent) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4786.
  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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