WASHINGTON – This morning, Congressman McCarthy’s legislation, H.R. 1384, which honors Buck Owens by naming the postal facility at 118 Minner Avenue as the “Buck Owens Post Office,” was signed into law by the President.

“I appreciate the work of the White House for signing this bill into law in a timely tribute to a man whose birthday we will celebrate next week,” said McCarthy.  “Buck was not only a country music star, but also gave so much back to our community. We now help pay tribute to this local hero by designating the Bakersfield post office on Minner Avenue as the ‘Buck Owens Post Office’.”

Buck Owens moved to Bakersfield in 1951 and contributed greatly to the country music industry. He amassed 21 number one country music hits, of which ten were consecutive number one hits, including “Act Naturally,” “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail,” and “Streets of Bakersfield.”  In addition to recording hit country music songs for almost twenty years, Buck could be seen on Hee-Haw. Following Hee-Haw, Buck opened the Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace in 1996, where Buck hosted other bands and performed live for fans up until the night he passed away, on March 25, 2006.

Almost one year after Buck’s passing, Congressman McCarthy introduced H.R. 1384 and after four months of gathering support among fellow lawmakers, the bill was passed by the House on July 30, 2007. Thanks to the good work of Senators Boxer and Feinstein, the Senate passed H.R. 1384 four days later and sent the bill to the President’s desk. With the President signing the bill into law today, August 9, 2007, the post office on Minner Avenue will now be designated as the “Buck Owens Post Office.”