[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E437-E438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            IN HONOR OF CONGRESSWOMAN EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                  _____
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2019

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a 
distinguished public servant and a dedicated stateswoman, Congresswoman 
Eddie Bernice Johnson who was honored in a dedication ceremony in 
Dallas, Texas on April 6, 2019 to rename Dallas Union Station in her 
honor. The former Dallas Union Station now bears the name Eddie Bernice 
Johnson Union Station.
  Since its establishment in 1916, the Dallas Union Station has stood 
as a prominent landmark for the City of Dallas, serving as a historic 
social anchor and an intermodal transportation hub--consolidating the 
five main rail stations into one and making Dallas a major

[[Page E438]]

transit center for the Southwestern United States. Just as the Dallas 
Union Station has significantly enhanced the quality of life for the 
Dallas area, so has Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, and I cannot 
think of a more deserving person to receive this monumental tribute.
  Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson is serving her 14th term 
representing the 30th Congressional District of Texas. She is the first 
African-American and woman to chair the House Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology (where she served as Ranking Member from 2011 to 
2018) and is the Dean of the Texas Congressional delegation in addition 
to serving as Dean of the Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona Democratic 
Congressional Delegations. Congresswoman Johnson is also the highest-
ranking Texan on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, 
the first nurse to be elected to the U.S. Congress, and a member of the 
Subcommittee on Aviation and the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, 
and Hazardous Materials.
  Congresswoman Johnson was born on December 3, 1935, to the union of 
the late Lee Edward Johnson and Lillie Mae White Johnson in Waco, 
Texas. A true intellectual, she graduated from A.J. Moore High School 
at the age of sixteen. Soon after graduating, she began her studies in 
Nursing at Saint Mary's College of Notre Dame, where she excelled and 
became a registered nurse after passing the National Board Examination 
in 1955. She continued to advance her education by earning her Bachelor 
of Science degree in Nursing from Texas Christian University in 1967 
and her Master of Public Administration degree from Southern Methodist 
University in 1976.
  Congresswoman Johnson began her career as the first female African-
American Chief Psychiatric Nurse at the V.A. Hospital in Dallas. In 
1972, she became the first nurse ever elected to the Texas State House 
and achieved that same distinction upon her election to the Texas 
Senate in 1986.
  Congresswoman Johnson is more than a legislator. She is a servant to 
all humankind. In addition to her civic duties, she continues to give 
of herself to countless causes and organizations, such as her acclaimed 
initiative, A World of Women for World Peace, which has garnered 
national and international recognition. Dr. Maya Angelou once said that 
``I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt 
on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back.'' During 
the more than 40 years that she has served as a public servant, 
Congresswoman Johnson has thrown a prodigious amount of love and 
service back to the state and nation she loves so dearly.
  Congresswoman Johnson has achieved so much in her life, but none of 
it would have been possible without the love and support of her loving 
son, Kirk; and her grandsons, Kirk Jr., David, and James.
  On a personal note, Congresswoman Johnson is my classmate, both of us 
having been elected in 1992. Immediately upon meeting her I was awed by 
her grace, dignity, class, elegance, and eloquence. Her manner of quiet 
persuasion and passion have propelled her to numerous leadership 
positions, including her election as Chair of the Congressional Black 
Caucus. She is a friend of longstanding and her deep humility and 
compassion reflect the timbre of her character.
  Congresswoman Johnson is truly a stellar example of servant 
leadership. I am proud to have served alongside her in Congress where 
her friendship, leadership, and counsel are held in high regard by 
many.
  Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian; and me, 
along with the people of the 30th Congressional District of Texas and 
countless others all across America, in extending our sincerest 
congratulations to Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson on this 
tremendous honor and lasting memorial to her legacy of service to her 
community, state, nation, and humankind.

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