[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 176 (Tuesday, December 9, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S16110]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



  (At the request of Mr. Daschle, the following statement was ordered 
to be printed in the Record.)

                      WILLIAM JOHNSON'S RETIREMENT

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize William 
Johnson's retirement after 33 years of teaching in the Brandywine 
School District. His dedication has won him the respect of two 
generations of faculty and students alike, along with the gratitude of 
many in our State. He has been, and remains, a trusted friend.
  Mr. Johnson has spent much of his life in public service. He served 
honorably in the United States Army for 6 years, from 1965-1971. His 
teaching career at Hanby Middle School in Wilmington, Delaware, where 
he has taught Earth and Space Science for 23 years comes to an end this 
month. He will be sorely missed there.
  Mr. Johnson received his bachelor's degree in Education from Delaware 
State University and his Master's in Education from Antioch University. 
He has also taken advanced studies classes at the University of 
Pennsylvania and has completed all the classes needed for a doctorate 
degree with California Coast University. He will be dedicating much of 
his time after his retirement to working on his dissertation in Earth 
and Space Science.
  Having taught at Hanby since 1980, there are many attributes that 
make Mr. Johnson a great teacher. He has an unparalleled commitment to 
his craft. He stays after school on a regular basis to work on 
experiments with his students, teaches remedial classes with the same 
expectations as every other class, and ensures his students have a lot 
of hands on experience in the classroom. In 1997, Mr. Johnson led a 
group of six students in an inventor's club as they tried to come up 
with inventions for the Duracell Battery Company. With his leadership 
and guidance, the students came up with several creations, including a 
curb sensor to help cars detect curbs behind them, a laser device that 
takes atmospheric and meteorological measurements, and a computer 
program that analyzes satellites and orbits around the earth. These 
inventions are extraordinary for middle school students.
  In addition, in October of 1998, Mr. Johnson was honored and 
certified by then-Vice President Al Gore as a teacher of the Global 
Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program. Some 500 
people were honored with the certification, which enables the teachers 
to teach students how to view environmental images and read globe data 
in hopes of determining the effects of global warming.
  Mr. Johnson is a member of the Delaware Teachers of Science, National 
Science Teachers' Association, American Federation of Teachers and the 
Satellites Educators' Association. Over the years, Mr. Johnson has 
received many awards and honors including Who's Who Teacher of the 
Year, FAME Teacher of the Year, as well as Hanby's Teacher of the Year 
candidate. He also serves as a representative for the United Negro 
College Fund--UNCF--in the Brandywine School District, coordinating 
donations from teachers and administrators. The fund goes to support 
various black colleges across the nation.
  Mr. Johnson is married to the former M. Patricia Durnell. The two 
were married in West Chester, PA in August, 1981, and now reside in 
Chadds Ford, PA. His hobbies and interests include reading, jogging, 
collecting baseball cards and jazz albums, baseball, golf, and alto 
saxophone.
  Mr. Johnson is forever the consummate professional. He works hard at 
his job, works hard for his students, and never desires the spotlight 
or recognition for all his contributions. Through his tireless efforts, 
he has made a profound difference in the lives of thousands of students 
and enhanced the quality of life for an entire state. Upon his 
retirement, he will leave behind a legacy of commitment to public 
service for the generations that will follow. On behalf of each student 
whose life Mr. Johnson has touched, let me express our heartfelt 
gratitude. We congratulate him on a truly remarkable and distinguished 
career, and we wish him and his family only the very best in all that 
lies ahead for each of them.

                          ____________________