[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 124 (Tuesday, August 16, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1522]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMENDING THE SERVICE OF GARY JOHNSON TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HEATH SHULER

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 16, 2011

  Mr. SHULER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Gary Johnson who 
recently retired from the National Park Service with 36 years of 
outstanding service to our mountain community.
  After four years of service to our country in the U.S. Air Force, Mr. 
Johnson took a summer job in 1975 with the National Park Service with 
the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, North Carolina. One year later, he 
graduated from the landscape architecture program at Virginia Tech with 
a BLA degree and was re-hired by the Parkway. In addition to working 
with the Blue Ridge Parkway, Mr. Johnson has worked on planning and 
construction projects in other parks such as Natchez Trace Parkway, Big 
Bend National Park and Guilford Courthouse. Mr. Johnson has also 
written and lectured on the subjects of scenery conservation, cultural 
landscape management, historical parkway preservation, goal-driven and 
strategic planning and tourism planning.
  Mr. Johnson brought unmatched passion and expertise during his many 
years as a skilled planner with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Mr. Johnson 
authored the Guidebook for the Blue Ridge Parkway Scenery Conservation 
System that outlined his plan to preserve the Parkway. He also 
developed the Blue Ridge Parkway's project management and computerized 
tracking system. The system proved to be so effective that it was 
adopted by the National Park Service. On March 17, 2011, Mr. Johnson 
was awarded one of the four Appleman-Judd-Lewis Awards for Excellence 
in Cultural Resource Management from the National Park Service 
Director.
  Mr. Johnson has shown extraordinary dedication to our community and 
has had an indelible impact on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The service that 
Mr. Johnson has contributed to Western North Carolina and the National 
Park System is truly inspiring and I am proud to represent him. I ask 
my colleagues to join me in recognizing the exceptional career and 
service of Mr. Gary Johnson.