[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 176 (Thursday, December 12, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    CONGRATULATING DR. BERNICE DUFFY JOHNSON, IN RECOGNITION OF HER 
       DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY

                                  _____
                                 

                         HON. G.K. BUTTERFIELD

                           of north carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 12, 2013

  Mr. BUTTERFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate Dr. Bernice 
Duffy Johnson on her 34 remarkable years of service to the students, 
faculty, and staff of North Carolina Central University, NCCU, located 
in Durham, North Carolina.
  Dr. Johnson was raised on a sharecropper farm along with a large 
family that never benefited from a formal education. Her ascent to 
become one of the preeminent educators of our time serves as an 
inspiration to us all and is a testament to her lifelong commitment to 
bettering the lives of others through education.
  Dr. Johnson's meteoric career trajectory is even more impressive as 
an African-American who made her way during the height of the Civil 
Rights Movement. As a 1963 graduate of what is now known as University 
of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and a subsequent graduate of a Pennsylvania 
State University graduate school, Dr. Johnson began her career in 
education teaching junior high school in Indianapolis.
  In 1979, Dr. Johnson returned to the south as an adjunct professor at 
my alma mater, NCCU. Her exemplary career at NCCU embodies the best 
qualities of the Civil Rights Movement and shows the immeasurably 
positive influence a single individual can have when committed to 
helping others. While teaching at NCCU, Dr. Johnson earned her Ph.D. 
from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and served in 
various capacities before being named NCCU's Dean of the College of 
Arts and Sciences.
  The importance of Dr. Johnson's many accomplishments during her 34-
year tenure at NCCU are beyond the pale. A small sample of Dr. 
Johnson's many contributions include helping design a $36 million 
state-of-the-art science complex, helping six degree programs reach 
accreditation, and co-authoring a renowned textbook that received $6 
million in research funding from the National Science Foundation, 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National 
Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend Dr. Bernice Duffy Johnson for her exceptional 
leadership and dedication to educating future generations of leaders. 
Of the many accomplishments in her career, I know her greatest pride is 
positively impacting the lives of more than three decades of NCCU 
students.
  Dr. Johnson's legacy is built on hard work and determination and she 
is an example to which the next generation of educators should aspire. 
I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring and celebrating Dr. Bernice 
Duffy Johnson's many achievements in her 34 years of service to NCCU.

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