[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 170 (Tuesday, November 29, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF FRANK JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 29, 2016

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, it is with a heavy heart and 
solemn remembrance that I rise today to pay tribute to a respected 
community leader and outstanding citizen, Frank Johnson. Sadly, Mr. 
Johnson passed away on Sunday, November 20, 2016. Funeral services were 
held on Saturday, November 26, 2016.
  Frank Johnson served our nation honorably among the ranks of the 
first black Marines, known as the Montford Point Marines because they 
received basic training at the segregated Montford Point Base adjacent 
to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Mr. Johnson later worked at Robins Air 
Force Base until he retired.
  Although Mr. Johnson fought to protect our cherished freedoms and 
liberties, he did not benefit from all those freedoms and liberties for 
he did not have the right to vote due to the color of his skin. This 
inspired Mr. Johnson to join the march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in 
Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965. When the group of protesters reached 
the other side of the bridge, they were brutally attacked by police, 
giving the historic day the name ``Bloody Sunday.''
  Frank Johnson's life was about helping people. He was known as the 
``mayor'' of Macon's Unionville neighborhood for his efforts to 
revitalize the area and improve the quality of life for its residents. 
He was involved in the Unionville Improvement Association and helped 
with community clean-ups. Mr. Johnson wanted a recreation center for 
Unionville's young people to enjoy. He got that and more--a recreation 
center was opened on Mercer University Drive on the site where he grew 
up playing and it was named after him. The Frank Johnson Community 
Center is currently undergoing renovations and will reopen soon.
  Mr. Johnson devoted decades of service to the people of Macon through 
his meaningful contribution of energy, love, and genuine passion. He 
was an honorable human being who loved deeply and, in return, was 
deeply loved. Frank Johnson is survived by his wife of 62 years, 
Dorothy, and his daughter, Cheryl.
  Maya Angelou once said, ``A great soul serves everyone all the time. 
A great soul never dies.'' Frank Johnson is one such great soul, who 
served humanity in a special way. Each day he graced the people around 
him with an enthusiastic sincerity of presence. His impression on this 
earth extends beyond himself to the very wellbeing of the Macon 
community, and for it he will be remembered by the community for time 
to come.
  Mr. Speaker, my wife Vivian and I, along with the more than 730,000 
people of the Second Congressional District salute Frank Johnson for 
his dedicated service and exceptional impact on Macon, Georgia. I ask 
my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join us in extending 
our deepest sympathies to Mr. Johnson's family, friends and loved ones 
during this difficult time. We pray that they will be consoled and 
comforted by an abiding faith and the Holy Spirit in the days, weeks 
and months ahead.

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