[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 15460-15461]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




             DR. ROSCOE C. BROWN, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING

  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 6282) to designate the facility of the United States Postal 
Service located at 2024 Jerome Avenue, in Bronx, New York, as the ``Dr. 
Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Post Office Building''.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 6282

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

     SECTION 1. DR. ROSCOE C. BROWN, JR. POST OFFICE BUILDING.

       (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal 
     Service located at 2024 Jerome Avenue, in Bronx, New York, 
     shall be known and designated as the ``Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, 
     Jr. 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. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Post Office 
     Building''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Arizona (Mr. Gosar) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. 
Plaskett) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOSAR. 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 Arizona?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOSAR. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6282, introduced by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano). The bill designates a post 
office in the Bronx, New York, as the Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, Jr. Post 
Office Building.
  As a member of the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, Dr. Brown was the 
first African American fighter pilot to shoot down a German fighter 
jet. After serving in World War II, Dr. Brown earned his Ph.D. at New 
York University, where he later taught, and served as the president of 
Bronx Community College.
  His service to the Nation is admirable, and I look forward to 
learning more about his extraordinary life from my colleague, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).
  I urge Members to support the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6282, a bill to 
designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 
2024 Jerome Avenue, in the Bronx, New York, as the Dr. Roscoe C. Brown, 
Jr. Post Office Building.
  Born in 1922, Dr. Roscoe Brown, Jr. fell in love with aviation after 
visiting the Smithsonian Institution. During World War II, Dr. Brown 
joined the Tuskegee Airmen, conducting 68 missions and becoming the 
first African American fighter pilot to shoot down a German fighter 
jet. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for his service, and, in 
2007, Dr. Brown and his fellow remaining Tuskegee Airmen were awarded 
the Congressional Gold Medal by President George W. Bush.
  Following his honorable military service, Dr. Brown earned his Ph.D. 
at New York University and served as the president of Bronx Community 
College for 17 years. He also served as an informal adviser to many 
political leaders in New York City and founded 100 Black Men, an 
organization dedicated to improving conditions for African Americans.
  Mr. Speaker, we should pass H.R. 6282 to commemorate the selflessness 
exhibited by Dr. Roscoe Brown, Jr.'s military and community service. I 
urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page 15461]]


  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Serrano).
  Mr. SERRANO. I thank the gentlewoman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 6282. 
This legislation will rename the Morris Heights Post Office in the 
Bronx, New York, in my district, after a legend. Dr. Roscoe Brown was a 
giant among men and a revered figure in the Bronx, New York City, and 
the Nation.

                              {time}  1645

  I had the privilege of knowing Dr. Brown for decades and considered 
him a dear friend. He faced the horrors of segregation early in his 
life, but he never let that stop him from achieving what he wanted and 
set out to do.
  Dr. Brown was a fearless Tuskegee Airman during World War II, 
conducting some 68 missions and becoming one of the first fighters to 
shoot down a German fighter jet. The heroism he displayed paved the way 
for the desegregation of the Armed Forces and, decades later, earned 
him and his fellow airmen a Congressional Gold Medal.
  After the war, he went on to further his studies at New York 
University, where he eventually served as a professor and an academic 
of the highest caliber. For 17 years, Dr. Brown served as president of 
Bronx Community College, which is located in my district, leading an 
institution that gave hope of a better life through education to a 
predominantly minority and nontraditional student population.
  Throughout his life, Dr. Brown was a quiet, yet fierce advocate and 
leader that many turned to during the racial discord that plagued the 
city of New York in the sixties and seventies. His activism in the 
civil rights movement led him to start 100 Black Men, a civic 
organization devoted to improving the treatment of African Americans in 
New York.
  Dr. Brown was also an avid runner and participated in nine New York 
City Marathons. During his tenure at Bronx Community College, he 
established the Annual Hall of Fame 5K and 10K races to help benefit 
the school. His invitation to participate in one of those races 
inspired me to start running myself, and I have now run that particular 
race for more than 30 years.
  While his accomplishments and contributions are far too numerous to 
list, it is fair to say that Dr. Brown left the world around him in a 
much better place than which he found it. He was a unique individual 
with a great smile, a great sense of humor, and a great sense of 
history. Above all, he was a coalition builder. No one was too far for 
him to speak to or to bring close to him.
  We will miss him, and I know that he is looking on us today. This is 
a small but very important tribute for a great man, Dr. Roscoe Brown.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GOSAR. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the bill.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 6282.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________