[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 202 (Tuesday, December 12, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7972-S7973]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO STEVE JOHNSON

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize a longtime member 
of the Senate family who is concluding his tenure with us as this 
session comes to a close. His last day of service in the U.S. Senate 
will be December 22.
  Steve Johnson, a resident of Annandale, VA, and a native of Freehold, 
NJ, is retiring as the manager of the Senate Dining Room after 22 years 
of service.
  Steve has managed the Senate Dining Room with hospitality, 
professionalism, and graciousness. He is extremely knowledgeable about 
the history of the Senate Dining Room and has introduced many of our 
guests to the stained-glass George Washington Memorial Window, which is 
often the focal point for visitors.
  The window was purchased by the Federal Government for the Capitol in 
1910 from the artist, Maria Herndl, for $1,000. The window's 
Revolutionary War scene shows President George Washington on his white 
horse conversing with Marquis de LaFayette and Baron von Steuben, the 
drillmaster of the American Army. I only know the story behind the 
painting because Steve told me.
  Steve sure knows his history, but his primary focus has always been 
on his team and the Members of this body. Under Steve's leadership, the 
Senate Dining Room has been an ideal venue for conducting the important 
business of the U.S. Senate. Throughout his career, he has been 
responsible for overseeing and implementing the requests of Members of 
the U.S. Senate and has done so with efficiency, poise, and 
thoughtfulness.
  Steve has always been resourceful and, at times, creative. Once, a 
former Senator who, at the time, happened to be the Vice President of 
the United States, ordered a lunch that had not been on the Senate 
Dining Room menu for several years, but thanks to Steve's ingenuity, 
Vice President Joe Biden enjoyed his chopped salad immensely.
  On another occasion, Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist 
stopped by the Senate Dining Room after a long day on Capitol Hill and 
ordered chocolate chip cookies and milk.

[[Page S7973]]

The cookies were not on the menu, nor were they in the kitchen, but 
they still showed up at the Chief Justice's table, thanks to Steve's 
quick thinking and resourcefulness.
  Remarkably, during his Senate service, Steve also found the time to 
train and compete in 18 marathons. He has qualified and run the Boston 
Marathon seven times, and I hear that more marathons are in his future.
  On behalf of myself and my colleagues, I wish to express our deep 
affection and gratitude to Steve Johnson for his 22 years of faithful 
service to the U.S. Senate. We will miss him dearly. We wish Steve and 
Joanne, his wife of 32 years, a happy and healthy retirement.

                          ____________________