[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 113 (Thursday, July 13, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S9936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


       HONORING THE 100TH BIRTHDAY OF FRANCES WILHELMINE GODEJOHN

 Mr. ASHCROFT. Mr. President, today I am pleased to honor a 
woman who has distinguished herself in her lifetime. Frances Wilhelmine 
Godejohn will celebrate her 100th birthday on July 26. Born and raised 
in St. Louis, MO, she comes from a colorful heritage and represents a 
wonderful example of someone who worked long and hard to support 
herself, living a life of honesty and probity. She is a devout 
Christian.
  Frances Wilhelmine Godejohn was born in St. Louis, MO, on July 26, 
1895. Her father, William Mathias Godejohn, was born in Washington, MO, 
in 1859. Prior to settling in St. Louis, he worked on a railroad 
construction project in New Mexico where he was shot by Indians, 
visited Yellowstone before it became a national park, and homesteaded 
in Montana. Her mother, Mary Elise Dallmeyer, was born in Gasconade 
County, MO. Both William and Mary's fathers were born in Germany.
  Frances Godejohn completed the eighth grade in 1909, then went to 
Rubicam Business School, where she graduated in 1911. She began a 
career as a legal secretary that lasted until her retirement in 1972. 
Primarily, she worked for William H. Allen, first when he was an 
attorney, then when he served as a judge on the St. Louis Court of 
Appeals from 1915 to 1927, then again when he was a lawyer until his 
death in 1952.
  Frances Godejohn worked in the corporate headquarters for Pevely 
Dairy from 1952 to 1960, when she formally retired. Not content in 
retirement, she resumed work as a legal secretary, first for David 
Campbell, until he died, and then for Edmund Albrecht. She finally 
retired in 1972, after breaking her leg while getting off the bus on 
her way to work.
  Still spry and alert, Frances Godejohn regularly attends the 
Presbyterian Church, reads, follows the St. Louis Cardinals, 
corresponds with her many relatives and is a source of inspiration to 
all who know her.


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