[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 76 (Thursday, June 16, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                        TRIBUTE TO RALPH JOHNSON

                                 ______


                          HON. PHILIP M. CRANE

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 16, 1994

  Mr. CRANE. Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I must report 
the passing of a true patriot and a true friend. Ralph Edson Johnson 
will be missed not only by his family and friends, but by the community 
which he so ably served during his long and very full life. Husband, 
father, businessman, soldier, community leader, political leader, 
church leader--Ralph Johnson did it all.
  I came to know Ralph over 20 years ago in the context of politics. 
And it became clear to me almost immediately that I was dealing with a 
man of principle, a man dedicated to excellence, and a man with a huge 
heart. Ralph Johnson was a man who was willing to stand up for what was 
right even when the odds were stacked against him. He never gave an 
inch. There was no one I'd rather have in my corner in a tough 
political fight than Ralph Johnson. If you had Ralph with you, you had 
a one-man army.
  Ralph knew what this country was about and he knew why this country 
was so special. Values, principles, and ideals meant something to 
Ralph. They were not simply phrases--he had deeply held beliefs and 
that was clear to anyone who heard him speak. He had a passion for 
freedom and a passion for life.
  I know his wife, Sidney, and his children and grandchildren will miss 
him deeply; however, they can take comfort in knowing that Ralph's 
memory and legacy will endure for the hundreds of people whose lives he 
touched in his lifetime.

                          ____________________