[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 30, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E794]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO FLORENCE JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BOB FILNER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 1997

  Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and colleagues, I rise today to pay tribute 
to a great educator and community leader--Florence Johnson--who passed 
away last week in San Diego, CA.
  Florence Johnson was the founding principal of the San Diego School 
of Creative and Performing Arts, a public magnet school in my hometown 
of San Diego. I worked closely with her during my time as member and 
president of the San Diego School Board. Known for her dedication to 
her school and students, Mrs. Johnson led the school to become one of 
the most popular and innovative in San Diego, with a waiting list of 
over 4,000 students--more than twice its enrollment.
  Florence Johnson attended San Diego public schools as a child and 
obtained her Bachelors and Masters degrees from San Diego State 
University. She went on to develop a career dedicated to, as she put 
it, ``the education of the whole child.'' She put this philosophy into 
practice with her school's innovative curriculum featuring a special 
emphasis on the arts. From the school's inception in 1978, thousands of 
students have passed through its gates. Florence Johnson looked at 
every one of those students with hope and used her skills as an 
educator to ensure that each student had the opportunity to succeed. 
She never gave up on a single student and told them, ``I'm not going to 
let you fail.''
  Florence Johnson actively shared her talents with others throughout 
her career. She established Project CHOICE, a career education program, 
and helped introduce it throughout the State of California. She was the 
author of many educational resource materials. She also worked to 
ensure that our next generation of teachers shared her dedication to 
their students, in the teacher education program at Point Loma Nazarene 
College.
  Mrs. Johnson volunteered for the San Diego County Adoption Agency. 
She also taught piano, directed the choir at her church, and was a 
member of the Rhythm Aire Players, a local theater group.
  We are all saddened by her passing and will remember her as a skilled 
educator and advocate for her students. My thoughts and prayers go out 
to her husband, Jim, and her family and friends. Having dedicated a 
successful career to helping and inspiring others, Florence Johnson is 
an inspiration to our entire community.

                          ____________________