[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 111 (Friday, June 25, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E698-E699]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         HONORING THE 95TH BIRTHDAY OF MARGARET EMHARDT JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RODNEY DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 25, 2021

  Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay 
tribute to Margaret Emhardt Johnson who is celebrating her 95th 
birthday on June 30. She was born into the ``Greatest Generation'' 
shortly after the Great Depression and went on to serve our Nation 
through World War II before raising a family of three children.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  June 25, 2021, on page E698, the following appeared: Mr. DAVIS 
of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Margaret Emhard
  
  The online version has been corrected to read: Mr. RODNEY DAVIS 
of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Margaret Emhard


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Margaret Johnson was born on June 30, 1926. She grew up in both the 
Alexandria, Virginia area, attending George Washington High School, and 
in Coral Gables, Florida before leaving to attend Duke University. She 
was a member of the first female graduating class at the university in 
1947 and is a very fierce Blue Devil. Margaret continued her education 
at Howard University where she received her Master's degree in Social 
Work. Following graduation she became a truant officer with the 
Alexandria Police Department so it's fair to say that her kids didn't 
skip school very often.
  Margaret met her husband Tom while in Alexandria and the two were 
married for 60 years. They raised three children together, all of whom 
have master's degrees in their respective fields as a result of their 
parent's firm belief in success through education.
  While raising her three kids--Tom, Sarah, and Billy--Margaret was 
still very active in the Alexandria community. She served on the 
Alexandria Hospital's Woman's Auxiliary, also known as the TWIG, while 
her husband served as president of the Alexandria Hospital.
  Margaret also established the Alexandria Marching Band competition 
while her daughter was a member of the marching band at T.C. Williams 
High School. This service once again complemented her husband's, as he 
was the president of the Alexandria School Board.
  Margaret and Tom were also active in their church. While her husband 
was on the vestry, Margaret served on the Alter Guild for decades 
creating flower arrangements. Additionally, both Margaret and Tom 
assisted in delivering meals through the Meals-on-Wheels program.
  During what little spare time they had, between raising their 
children and serving their community, Margaret and Tom were voracious 
gardeners. Each year, they would plant dozens of azaleas until their 
entire yard was covered, making their backyard a showcase of flowers in 
the spring. In fact, this `green-thumb' success culminated in their 
garden being featured in the Washington Post.
  Margaret resumed working full-time after her last child left for 
college. She mastered using the PC as the computer revolution began in 
the 1980's and still enjoys using her Mac to create birthday cards for 
the neighborhood children, check her email, and surf the web.

[[Page E699]]

Margaret still lives in the house that she and her husband built in 
1963, a house that was modeled in painstaking detail after one in 
Williamsburg, Virginia. She social-distanced while living alone during 
the COVID-19 pandemic and used her computer to not only communicate 
with friends, family, and neighbors but also to shop for grocieries and 
take-out.
  Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize a truly remarkable woman who would 
tell all of us that she did nothing remarkable. This is a common trait 
of the Greatest Generation, a generation that soldiered on during 
hardships and celebrations alike.
  From a grateful Nation, Happy Birthday Margaret.

                          ____________________