82R8283 BPG-D
By: Aliseda H.R. No. 523
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, The Campbellton Post Office in southern Atascosa
County, Texas, has played as essential role in the lives of area
residents for more than 130 years, but the United States Postal
Service has placed it on a list of facilities to be closed in 2011;
and
WHEREAS, John Campbell established the post office in his
general store in 1874, and five years later, moved them both to the
new town of Campbellton; Mr. Campbell was officially appointed the
first postmaster and was succeeded over the years by a number of his
descendants, including William Campbell, Edward Campbell, Louise
Campbell, and Alyce Campbell; and
WHEREAS, Its present postmaster, Lydia Rodriguez Castillo,
began her long tenure in 1971; a postal service hiring freeze
prevents her position from being filled when she retires, yet the
postal service has targeted the branch for closure in part because
it lacks a permanent postmaster; and
WHEREAS, Residents of the rural area and hamlets served by
the Campbellton Post Office rely on it for business communications
as well as for their personal mail, and the post office is
particularly important to the elderly; if it should close,
customers would have to travel some 20 miles to send packages, check
post office boxes, or mail important documents; accordingly,
patrons and civic leaders have formed a committee and started a
petition to support the preservation of this integral institution;
and
WHEREAS, Throughout the history of Campbellton, the post
office has been part of the fabric of the community, and its closing
would deprive citizens of ready access to vital services and
diminish their quality of life; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas
Legislature hereby honor the legacy of public service to the
community of the Campbellton Post Office; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the house of representatives hereby
respectfully urge the United States Congress to direct the U.S.
Postal Service to continue operating the Campbellton Post Office in
Atascosa County, Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That the chief clerk forward official copies of
this resolution to the president of the United States, to the
president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of
Representatives of the United States Congress, to the United States
postmaster general, and to all the members of the Texas delegation
to Congress with the request that this resolution be entered in the
Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United
States of America.