[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 4 (Monday, January 24, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                THE PASSING OF NEBRASKA'S JOHNNY CARSON

  Mr. HAGEL. Mr. President, I rise to express my sympathy over the loss 
of Nebraska's Johnny Carson, the 30-year host of the ``Tonight Show'' 
and a dedicated Nebraska philanthropist. He passed away yesterday at 
the age of 79 in his Malibu, CA home.
  Johnny Carson was a Nebraska original and an American icon. He 
elevated the late night talk show to an art-form and he did it with 
class and fun. Carson will be remembered as a generous individual who 
was proud of his State.
  After serving in the Navy during World War II, Carson attended the 
University of Nebraska at Lincoln, UNL, and earned a bachelor of arts 
degree in radio and speech. As a student, Carson practiced his comedy 
and perfected his ability to perform card and magic tricks. His 
experiences at UNL greatly influenced his career in entertainment.
  Carson made many significant contributions to Nebraska. Among them a 
$2.27 million donation to a cancer radiation center in Norfolk and last 
November, he donated $5.3 million to UNL to help with the renovation of 
a building where he took classes.
  I had the opportunity over the years to meet Carson. In 1967, he 
returned to Nebraska for the State's Centennial celebration. He was 
invited by the Governor to headline the gala with his former Omaha 
radio morning show co-host Harvey Swenson. Swenson was the manager of 
KLMS radio station in Lincoln, where I worked at the time. Carson came 
to the station and talked with all of us about his early days in 
Nebraska radio.
  After Carson graduated from high school, his parents moved from 
Norfolk to Columbus, NE, where I lived. I would occasionally see Carson 
walking his dogs in Columbus when he would visit his parents during the 
summers.
  America will miss this good man, Johnny Carson. We are all very proud 
of him--of what he represented and where he came from. I ask my 
colleagues to join me and all Americans in honoring Johnny Carson.

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