Glendale News-Press: House Passes Friedman Bill to Name Glendale Post Office After Paul Ignatius
The U.S. House of Representatives on June 29 passed Congresswoman Laura Friedman’s legislation to designate the United States Postal Service facility on San Fernando Road in Glendale as the "Paul Ignatius Post Office." The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is led by Sen. Adam Schiff.
Paul Ignatius was born in Glendale in 1920 to Armenian immigrant parents who fled persecution overseas and put down roots on San Fernando Road. The same street where, as a young man, Ignatius clerked at the post office that will carry his name.
He served as a naval officer in World War II and went on to serve eight years across two presidential administrations as Assistant Secretary of the Army, Under Secretary of the Army, Assistant Secretary of Defense, and ultimately as Secretary of the Navy. His honors include the Army, Navy, and Department of Defense Distinguished Public Service Awards.
The Navy named a guided-missile destroyer, the USS Paul Ignatius, after him. He continued giving back to his community until he died last fall at the age of 104.
“Paul Ignatius is the kind of American we should all aspire to be. The son of immigrants who fled persecution, he built a new life in this country, answered the call to serve under presidents of both parties, and went home and kept giving back to his community right up to the very end,” said Friedman, who represents California's 30th district. “As we approach our nation's 250th anniversary, his story is exactly the one we should be telling.”