GIL WHITNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING

On 2026-09-16, Representative Michael R. Turner (R-OH-10) delivered a floor speech titled "GIL WHITNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING" in the House.

GIL WHITNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)] [House] [Page H5935] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] GIL WHITNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8193) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 189 East Main Street in Xenia, Ohio, as the ``Gilman `Gil' Whitney Post Office Building,'' as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 8193 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. GIL WHITNEY POST OFFICE BUILDING. (a) Designation.--The facility of the United States Postal Service located at 189 East Main Street in Xenia, Ohio, shall be known and designated as the ``Gil Whitney 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 ``Gil Whitney Post Office Building''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Subramanyam) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky. General Leave Mr. COMER. 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 this measure. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky? There was no objection. Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner), the sponsor of the bill, for the opening statement. Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 8193, my bill to designate the U.S. postal facility on East Main Street in Xenia, Ohio, as the Gil Whitney Post Office. On April 3, 1974, a dangerous and deadly tornado formed in Southwest Ohio in the community of Xenia. The community of Xenia was directly in its path. Understanding the severity of the situation and immediately understanding the danger to every member of the community, a local weatherman, Gil Whitney, took control of broadcasting for WHIO and told the residents of Xenia, Ohio, to seek shelter minutes before the tornado reached the town. Gil Whitney's urgent and timely warning reached the families throughout Xenia just in time before the tornado struck. It gave of the residents opportunity to seek shelter and prepare for the tornado. Without Gil Whitney, the entire community would have been caught completely off guard. The tornado was devastating. It proved to be one of the most dangerous storms in our region's history. Over 30 people died that day. Many more were injured. More than half of Xenia was destroyed. The same post office that this bill renames was damaged in the tornado. However, without Gil Whitney's warning, the casualty numbers would have been exponentially and catastrophically higher in Xenia, Ohio. To this day, many residents of Xenia remember Gil Whitney's warning and credit him with saving them and their families. He is truly a hero for the Miami Valley community. Mr. Speaker, I thank each of my colleagues in Ohio's delegation for joining me in introducing this legislation to honor Gil Whitney, which will allow the community he rescued to continue to remember his heroism. I also thank Gil Whitney's children--Gil Jr., John, and Jennifer--for the opportunity to honor their father in this way. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today also in support of H.R. 8193 to name the post office in Xenia, Ohio, the Gil Whitney Post Office Building. Gil Whitney was a trusted source of news for the community of Dayton, where he served as a local broadcaster and a weatherman for more than a decade until his passing in 1982. He was posthumously inducted into the Dayton Broadcasters Hall of Fame, in part for his efforts to warn the community ahead of the April 3, 1974, tornado. His crucial warnings saved lives. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of the bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. Again, I urge passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. COMER. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill naming a post office for Gil Whitney for his numerous contributions to his community, and I appreciate the sponsor of the bill the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner). 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 Kentucky (Mr. Comer) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 8193, as amended. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) 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 designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 189 East Main Street in Xenia, Ohio, as the `Gil Whitney Post Office Building'.''. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________

Referenced legislation: HR8193, HR8193