[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 129 (Thursday, July 31, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7898-S7899]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN RECOGNITION OF RAY JOHNSON

 Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I wish to recognize Ray Johnson who 
is retiring on September 1, 2008, from the Delaware State Pension 
Office after an amazing 39 years and 10 months of service to the people 
of Delaware. Ray literally has dedicated his life to helping tens of 
thousands of State employees, educators, and others prepare for their 
retirement. It is now my privilege to thank him for his dedication to 
them, to commend him for a life well lived, and to wish him the very 
best of luck throughout his own retirement.
  I met Ray on my first day as State treasurer in November of 1976 at a 
time when the State Pension Office was part of the State Treasurer's 
Office. He was one of the original Pension Office employees, having 
served for the office since its creation. Because of his long tenure 
with the office, Ray has served as the go-to person for just about any 
issue that ever arose within the office. His deep understanding and 
knowledge of the workings of the office, whether it be in the 
investment sector or the calculation of retirement benefits, made him a 
valuable resource for not only the people he served but to his 
coworkers, as well.
  Ray began his career in public service on November 1, 1968, as the 
first senior accountant for the State Budget Commission. There, he 
developed the initial accounting system to track and recoup previous 
advancements made from something called the Advanced Land Acquisition 
and Advanced Planning Funds. His efforts recouped millions of dollars, 
resulting in additional interest earnings that were used to make 
advanced purchase deposits on many of the State's public park lands 
that are enjoyed by our residents and visitors today.
  In 1971, Ray was selected to be the fiscal administrative officer for 
the newly created State Pension Office. In that role, he developed many 
of the rules, regulations, and procedures that are still used there 
some 35 years later.
  In the late 1980s, Ray helped lead the effort to computerize the 
State Pension Office, enabling its staff to become more productive and 
to provide better service to 25,000 employees, as well as to 5,000 
pensioners and their families. Many of the administrative policies 
developed by Ray are still in place today and continue to make a 
positive difference in the lives of one generation of retirees after 
another.
  It was not just Ray's depth of knowledge and his years of experience 
that attracted people to him in the Pension Office. It was his giving 
and caring personality, as well. He always brought a ready smile to the 
workplace each day. Ray was hard pressed ever to refuse help to anyone 
who requested it. He would answer calls and questions at all times of 
day and mentored new workers in his free time. Ray served as a father-
figure to many employees, too, dispensing advice to those who asked for 
it or, sometimes, just lending a sympathetic ear. His compassion for 
and loyalty to his work, to his colleagues, and to those they served 
made him an especially worthy recipient of the Pension Administration 
Award--the highest award given in the Pension Office and an award 
bestowed upon him by the vote of his peers.
  Ray continually worked to better the retirement system for the people 
he served as well as the people with whom he worked. For example, when 
Ray moved to the State Pension Office in 1971, all calculations for 
retirement benefits were done by hand--a long, tedious process for the 
employees. Ray recognized the inefficiency of this system and took it 
upon himself to automate the calculation of benefits, a step that would 
reduce the workload for many of his coworkers, as well as provide the 
people they served with a more accurate method of determining benefits.

  One of the special things about Ray was that he was not only 
interested in helping any person he could, but he strove to help every 
person who had a concern or issue. If he did not have the answer--which 
was rare--he would search tirelessly for one from any resource he could 
and would never allow anyone in need to go without some form of 
assistance. If a person had questions about retirement and his call was 
answered by Ray, he or she was sure to complete that conversation with 
a solution or, at the very least, a direction of where to go to find a 
solution.
  In addition to his extensive knowledge of State pension law and of 
the workings of the State Pension Office, Ray's success in his career 
can largely be attributed to his genuine love for his work. He was 
always truly interested in the workings of the State Pension Office and 
found it both challenging and satisfying. Ray embraced and took full 
advantage of the opportunity to develop the State Pension Office from 
the ground up. A very humble human being, he took pride in his tireless 
efforts to make the office what it is today. He worked diligently to 
make Delaware's retirement system a model for the Nation, not just 
because it was his job, but because he genuinely cared about every 
person who contacted that office with questions and concerns about 
their retirement.
  Of all of these accolades, Ray says:

       Although I have been involved in recommending, developing, 
     or implementing many enhancements in policies and processes 
     during my tenure, I am most satisfied in knowing that I have 
     been able to serve the Office, fellow staff members, and the 
     taxpayers of the state to the best of my ability and have 
     helped make the retirement process more efficient, effective, 
     and easier for all involved.

  Ray Johnson is one of the most dedicated and hard-working people with 
whom I have ever had the honor of working. He has earned every day the 
admiration and affection of his colleagues and the gratitude of the 
people they have served for four decades. His loyalty and his sense of 
service have been and remain a source of inspiration to me and to those 
around him. It is with a genuine sense of honor and joy that I extend 
my heartfelt congratulations to Ray. I wish him a long and happy 
retirement to share and enjoy with his equally accomplished wife 
Claudia and their children, Randy and Donna. On behalf of the people of 
Delaware, let me thank the three of you for sharing with the people of 
the First State your husband and your father.
  Let me close by saying that I envy--just a little bit--all of the 
free time he will now have for fishing and relaxing with long walks on 
the beach with those he loves. It is my hope that he

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will enjoy his own retirement as much as those whom he helped now enjoy 
their own.

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