[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 156 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S8393]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        REMEMBERING IVY JOHNSON

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, today I wish to honor the spirit, 
determination, and life of Ivy Johnson. Ivy lost her long battle with 
cancer on Friday, November 19. Our thoughts and prayers remain with her 
parents, her brothers, and the rest of her family and friends.
  While Ivy's many academic achievements and personal adventures will 
be chronicled by others, I want to focus on the Ivy we knew--the public 
servant--and I offer these thoughts on her life and her service to the 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.
  From the start, I appreciated and respected Ivy's strong work ethic, 
and my trust in her judgment grew each passing day.
  Ivy had a wonderful capacity to combine her knowledge of the law and 
understanding of policy with the practical political realities that 
form the foundation of the legislative process. Ivy believed in the law 
and that it worked to advance notable and worthy goals.
  She worked with Representative Issa's staff on the House Oversight 
and Government Reform Committee to identify financial support provided 
by the Federal Government to the Association of Community Organizations 
for Reform Now, or ACORN, after allegations emerged of inappropriate 
activity by that organization.
  She provided insightful analysis on everything from judicial 
nominations to homegrown terrorism.
  She played a critical role in the investigative work of my staff 
regarding the November 2009 terrorist attack at Fort Hood. She 
skillfully conducted investigative reviews of the government's policies 
relating to the reading of Miranda rights to terrorists captured in the 
United States.
  Ivy understood that the security of our Nation and the privacy and 
civil liberties of Americans are not mutually exclusive. Her guidance 
on law enforcement and intelligence tools and techniques reflected a 
mature appreciation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, 
an understanding of the threat terrorists pose to our Nation, and a 
deep respect for the rights of Americans.
  Her accomplishments were noteworthy in and of themselves, but they 
are remarkable considering the personal struggle that Ivy was waging 
throughout her tenure on the committee.
  Shortly before joining my staff, her doctors found a tumor in her 
jaw. She endured multiple surgeries, numerous rounds of chemotherapy 
and radiation, and other difficult treatments that sapped her strength 
and energy.
  But neither the cancer nor the treatments could destroy Ivy's 
determination or spirit. Ivy insisted on carrying a full workload. She 
was always concerned that her treatments might place additional burdens 
on her colleagues, and she never complained about the hand she had been 
dealt.
  On more than one occasion, we tried to tell Ivy to stop e-mailing 
from her BlackBerry while she was waiting for treatments. When a 
particularly grueling round of treatments or an extensive surgery was 
on the horizon, and with everything she was undergoing at the time, Ivy 
thought of others and let us know she would be watching her BlackBerry 
if we needed her for anything.
  And we often did. The trust Ivy had earned from me and my senior 
staff was such that we regularly sought her guidance on matters across 
the board. Ivy was ``a lawyer's lawyer''--even the most skilled lawyers 
on my staff regularly sought her thoughts on issues because her 
knowledge of the law and her reasoned approach to problem solving was 
indispensable when complex problems required careful analysis.
  In her professional life, and her pain, Ivy was intensely private. 
Few knew how ill Ivy actually was because while she suffered, her work 
never did.
  There are times in our lives, whether professional or personal, when 
we know the right person has come into our lives, and that was the case 
for us with Ivy. It brought a heartfelt smile to my face when Ivy's 
mother told me that Ivy had called her time with us her ``dream job.''
  Ivy's courage and determination will continue to serve as an 
inspiration for all of us.

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