WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement after introducing two bills to rename U.S. Post Offices in Pearland, Texas and Houston, Texas after Pearland Mayor Tom Reid and former Harris County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal, who was killed in the line of duty last year. Companion bills have been introduced in the House of Representatives by the Texas delegation, led by U.S. Representatives Pete Olson (TX-22), Kay Granger (TX-12), and Will Hurd (TX-23).
“Mayor Reid’s longstanding commitment to serving his community and nation will now inspire future generations in Pearland with the renaming of this post office. Deputy Dhaliwal always put others before himself, and I am proud to honor his service in this way,” said Sen. Cornyn. “I ask my colleagues in the Senate to join me in supporting these two bills.”
Biographies:
Tom Reid: Mayor Tom Reid of Pearland, Texas is a World War II veteran. After growing up in central Texas, he graduated from high school and immediately joined the U.S. Navy. He served in the Pacific Theater and subsequently attended the University of Texas at Austin where he studied engineering and law. Mayor Reid has dedicated most of his life to public service. His experience with disarming limpet mines and designing pressure-resistant valves while in the Navy led him to a job with the NASA Johnson Space Center.
From 1965-1997, Mayor Reid worked on several seminal NASA programs. As a supervisor and manager he worked on projects including Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and the Space Shuttle Program. While at the Johnson Space Center, Mayor Reid also served on the Pearland city council for five years before being elected as mayor in 1978 and serving through 1990. He was re-elected in 1993 and has served as Pearland’s mayor through present day. However, after his long and exemplary tenure as mayor, Tom Reid plans to retire on November 3rd.
Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal: In 2015, Lt. Dhaliwal became the first Sikh American in Texas to receive a policy accommodation to serve while wearing his articles of faith, including his turban and beard. He was the first Sikh police officer to serve in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and was a role model and a trailblazer for Sikh Americans and religious minorities that sought to serve in law enforcement. On September 27, 2019, Deputy Dhaliwal was killed in the line of duty. Deputy Dhaliwal represented the very best of our community: he worked for equality, connection, and community through his life of service to others.