[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 16 (Tuesday, February 6, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E105]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN ALCEE L. HASTINGS IN TRIBUTE TO AND IN MEMORY 
                       OF MRS. EULA GANDY JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 6, 2001

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in order to 
express condolences for one of Florida's best known and most respected 
civil rights activists who passed away earlier this month. I am deeply 
saddened by the loss of Mrs. Eula Gandy Johnson, a long-time personal 
friend and confidant, political supporter, and civil rights mentor.
  Eula Gandy Johnson, well known to many as ``Miss Eula,'' started her 
pioneering leadership in civil rights in Statenville, Georgia. A short 
time after, she moved on to Fort Lauderdale where she then lived for 62 
years, bringing with her strong beliefs and passion for politics. She 
was simply a bold woman, who through her many contributions to human 
dignity, became an educator, opening our minds to the endless 
possibilities of an educated community. She was an immense resource for 
the National Conference of Community and Justice, to which she served 
as a strong supporter. Additionally, she was quite a strong force 
behind aspects of racial desegregation and discrimination to the 
African American community in Broward County.
  Miss Eula was a graceful lady who epitomized dignity and charm. She 
had a deep, abiding faith in God, being a Sunday School teacher at 
First Baptist Church in Piney Grove and always enlightened those with 
her words of inspiration. She will always be remembered as having a 
keen mind with a way of achieving her goals with a certain fearless 
attitude.
  It is often said that everyone is expendable, no matter their 
greatness. Eula Gandy Johnson, for her greatness, for the unselfish 
contributions that she made to the African American community 
throughout Florida, to her friends, and to all those who had the 
privilege to know her, is uniquely irreplaceable.

                          ____________________