A bill honoring the life and legacy of former Shoshoni Postmaster Dessie A. Bebout passed the United States House of Representatives this week and is on its way to the President’s desk for approval. The legislation was introduced in the Senate by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), and Tom Carper (D-Del.), where it passed unanimously in April of this year. The bill then progressed to the House, where it was supported by U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.) and unanimously passed.
The legislation honors Dessie Bebout by naming the local post office in Shoshoni, Wyoming after her. Bebout passed away last year at the age of 102. Bebout, a WWII veteran, began her honored career with the U.S. Postal Service in 1962. She became Postmaster for Shoshoni, Wyoming and served her state for 13 years with distinction.
“Dessie Bebout devoted her life to serving our country and the people of Wyoming,” said Senator Barrasso. “Dessie deserves Wyoming’s gratitude for her heroic service in the U.S. Navy in WWII and as Shoshoni’s Postmaster for over a decade afterward. The passage of this bill will ensure that Dessie’s legacy lives on in Wyoming. It was an honor to see this pass the Senate and House unanimously, and I look forward to seeing it signed into law soon.”
“Dessie Bebout was a trailblazer, and her enduring legacy and pioneer spirit is the perfect embodiment of our Wyoming way of life,” said Senator Lummis. “Her love and unwavering service to the Cowboy State are unmatched, and permanently memorializing her commitment to our great state is the perfect way to honor one of Wyoming’s most cherished daughters.”
“There is nothing more appropriate than renaming this post office after Dessie,” said Representative Hageman. “I am honored to play a small role in honoring her legacy.”
After graduating from Fremont County Vocational High School in Lander, Bebout worked for the Fremont County Extension Service and at F.E. Warren Air Force Base. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Bebout enlisted in the U.S. Navy as part of the “Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service” or WAVES program.
In addition to her career in the U.S. Postal Service, Bebout served as a Fremont County Election Judge, in the Shoshoni Chamber of Commerce, Shoshoni PTA, Wyoming Women’s Commission, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Women’s Auxiliary and on the Riverton Hospital Board among many other organizations.
As a result of her military and civic service, she was awarded the Wyoming Women of Distinction award from the Wyoming Council for Women’s Issues. She also received the Medal of Honor from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
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